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| Day 17: Saturday, June 5, 1999 -- Jerusalem to Amman |
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I am finally in the land of Jordan. I left the hostel in Jerusalem
this morning at about noon. I had made some friends among the
residents and staff so I spent the morning giving goodbyes and
playing my bouzouki along with the radio. I got general
directions on how to get to Jordan, and armed with a gift of
the Lonely Planet Jordan/Syria guide from Van, a traveler
from St. Louis, I made my way to Damascus gate, where Arab taxis
depart (the only method of travel on Saturday). I payed way too
much after the sherut failed to fill up after one hour (100
shekels instead of 30, $25 instead of $8). I arrived at Allenby
Crossing only to find you cannot obtain a visa there! The only
place is Shekelim Bridge, much further away. I payed 300
shekels to get there! But saved myself 120 shekels departure fee
and the entry fee was about $5 cheaper. After arriving at Shekelim
I took a bus ride (4 shekels = $1) that lasted about 30 seconds
and only went across the border. I do not think it is allowed
to walk. I went through Jordanian customs which was quite friendly
in comparison to Israeli customs. Then I embarked on the taxi
to Amman, which was a pleasant 1.5 hour ride through the mountains.
The altitude must be higher here and my ears popped with the rapid
ascent.
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I had a hell of a time convincing the taxi driver that I did
indeed want a 4 dinar ($5) hotel room (he suggested the 30JD
Arab Wings hotel). Finally I got here. I settled in and struck
up a conversation with an Arabic man in the common room who
reminded me of my father (his name is Ahmed). No surprise there, he
was 1/2 German,
and half Iraqi. We spent the rest of the afternoon together,
walking and talking about his country and mine, his family and mine,
his situation and mine. Conditions are very bad in Iraq. Before
the Iran/Iraq war the Iraq Dinar was worth $3. Now, $1 is
3000 dinar! His last paycheck in Iraq was 12000 dinar, or $4 for
a month! This was once sufficient but now rent is more like
150,000 dinar/month. He left Iraq in search for work (he is in the
oil industry) and has been in Jordan for 2 months. As a man who
has enjoyed western countries (Germany) he wishes to leave this
place and find work in the west. This is unlikely. His wife
an two daughters are still in Iraq. He will send for them when
he can afford their passports ($300 each). He bought dinner for
me late in the evening (after popping in to see if I was hungry).
I accepted without hesitation before remembering that accepting
food from strangers in Arab countries. But he had already gone
to retrieve it and I could not take back my acceptance. I am
somewhat ashamed of my fear, because although we are not close,
I feel that we came to an understanding in the course of our evening.
Nonetheless, an American passport is worth a lot of money in this country.
Luckily my fears were abated as he purchased falafel, yogurt
(tart and salty), and hummous which we shared communally. So
unless he was drugging himself... It's hours later and I feel OK.
Maybe we will meet again tomorrow... I don't plan on staying
here very long. Just long enough to see something of Jerash.
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| Day 18: Sunday, June 6, 1999 -- Amman |
Today was an expensive day! I took a service taxi to Jerash to
see the excellent Roman ruins. They are much better preserved here
than in most places I have been. I was sorry I could only stay
2 hours but the taxi driver was waiting for me... Afterwards we
made the drive to the mountain castle of Ajlun. The site itself
was presentable, but the real joy was the workers there. They
shared their tea and lunch with me and we spoke in the broken
English that I'm becoming quite used to. Texas always sparks
interest as it is a place they know well, especially Houston
and Dallas. After this was the pleasant ride home with a wonderful
view of the Jordan river valley. I really enjoy countryside rides
here, with my arm out the window and the sun on my side. The
land is beautiful in it's way... the scrubby mountains and rocky
farmland are not good for agriculture, plus they probably farm it
within an inch of it's life. Nonetheless, the stepped fields
on the sides of steep hills are picturesque.
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I spent a great deal of time in the Egyptian embassy today (after
convincing the driver that such a thing existed in Amman, again
in broken English). I was shuffled from point to point for more
than one hour, clutching my passport and application for a visa.
Finally I found someone' who would accept the form from me, and
I agreed to return tomorrow after 3. I hope to leave for
Petra soon after getting it, and hopefully will spend a few days
there. Amman is OK, from what I've seen, but I am eager to move on.
I feel that I should slow down somewhat, since I have much time left
and I am "running out of places to go"
I hope that Egypt will have enough presence of place to
keep me happy and occupied.
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There is a coliseum and forum near where I am staying. With the
purchase of yogurt and bread it is a good place to spend the
morning. As it has been in more or less constant use for centuries
and has never been buried; it is in excellent shape. The marble
is shiny, the pavement relatively smooth. The stairs have deep
depressions bowing them in the middle which confused me for some
time until I realized this was where the rock was worn from
constant stepping. I have never seen marble that has been used
for so long. I notice no that the hotel here shows this a little also.
I believe the building to be several hundred years old. Around
the coliseum wander tea and coffee sellers with their huge kettles
of brewed drink, with plastic cups balanced on the spout. The
tea/coffee are so cheap (100 fils = 15 cents) that it is not
uncommon to have a cup bought by someone you've sat near and
exchanged a few words with.
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I awoke extra early today, for I forgot that Israel uses summer
time and Jordan does not, therefore it is one hour earlier here.
In the square outside Hussein Mosque (and outside my hotel)
was a huge crush of men, waiting. I thought it must be for a
bus or a morning service or some such thing, but I was informed
that this was a place you could pick up a laborer for a day, and
they were waiting (hoping) for some work. Much of the construction
in this country is done like this -- day to day. It is a miracle
that buildings get built, both because of incompetent,
non-continuous labor, and the fact that workers seem to be
constantly drinking tea in the shade and not working. Indeed
most structures here are pitiful, even if they are newish. Most of
them are made of unfaced cinder block: no paint, brick, etc to
cover what Americans think of as building interiors. Most
buildings also seem as if someone started to build another floor
and stopped, since the support columns are there but no walls
or roof for that floor. Steel rebars poke from the tops of
these columns... it's quite odd.
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| Day 19: Monday, June 7, 1999 -- Amman |
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Today was truly a day of rest. I awoke early and went with Ahmed to
the Joy Hotel which has interact access for 1 dinar per hour ($1.33).
I sent a short email to misty and showed Ahmed how to use his hotmail
account. We came back to the hotel and I spoke for some time with
Ahmed, Ali and a man I met today named Mahmud. All of these are
variants of the name Mohommed! Mahmud was shot a short time ago when
he tried to collect some money he lent ($10,000). I gradually worked
out, with the help of a dictionary, that his pancreas and stomach were
punctured, and that his spine was missed by a centimeter or less. He
showed me his scar, very impressive. It entered below his heart and
left slightly lower in the back on the right side, crossing in front
of his spine. He is a Syrian who travels to Egypt and Jordan on
business. He sadly does not enjoy this country since he has been so
greviously injured. After this Ahmed and I had a lunch of hummous and
French fries and some of the strong tea common to here. Price for
both of us: 1.300 dinars ($1.50) which I gladly paid since he offered
me dinner some time ago. We then went to the Egyptian embassy where I
was turned away, given the explanation that there was some sort of
diplomatic problem at the embassy. I was asked to come back tomorrow.
I will try to find some transport from here tomorrow in the afternoon
since I wish to see Petra and Wadi Rum!! We retired again to the
hotel and talked some more, of Islam and Christianity... of his time
among the Iraqi armed forces. Of our families and of the marriage
that I will certainly come to terms with in time. He has helped me to
realize that my fears of marriage spring from my parents divorce, and
that if anything I am more prepared for marriage because of it,
understanding first hand that it is not an easy thing.
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I am getting quite used to the toilets here (holes in the floor)
and my aim is now quite good. I am coming to believe that
squatting is easier that sitting and that many Americans would
have an easier time this way (but I refuse to dispense with
toilet paper and carry some with me at all times). I certainly
do not mind the toilets here any longer.
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| Day 20: Tuesday, June 8, 1999 -- Amman |
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Did little today except gather my passport and accompany Ahmed
to his bank to withdraw some money. I am enjoying this little
"vacation from my vacation" It is good to eat, sleep and enjoy
the company of others without schedule, bus confusions, entry fees
etc. Ahmed is remaining very helpful and I am certain I save
money by being with an Arab speaker. In addition he introduced
me to some lovely Iraqi food.
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I played cards with Mahmud this evening, while Ali, Ahmed, and some
others watched. Mahmud called the game something like "concuk"
but verily it was gin. I don't believe I have enjoyed a card
game so much since TAMS! We share very little in language but
the language of cards is universal (except for the tongue
clucking so common here which I like very much). He beat me
soundly by a margin of some 200 points, but I enjoyed it
anyway. Someone made the astute point that none of us was
Jordanian. Mahmud is Syrian, two others were Iraqi, and 2 others
were Egyptian, I of course not belonging to the Arab club.
I do think I could live this way; doing what I desire
during the day and spending evenings with friends, chatting,
playing cards, watching TV, and sharing stories of our native
land. Ahmed and I share many opinions on religion. Indeed
traveling in these lands has forced me to think much about
such things. I do agree with most Muslim and Jewish laws when
they are moderately interpreted, and I believe that following
them saves much grief. I still do not think that they are matters
of eternity, but this does not stop me with agreeing of the
earthly punishments that come with these.
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I have finally procured my visa from the embassy. Ahmed convinced
me to stay one more night, as traveling is easier and more
pleasant in the morning. So tomorrow I will journey on, unless
something more detains me.
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| Day 21: Wednesday, June 9, 1999 -- Amman to Petra |
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Left early this morning to the Wahadat bus station (to catch a bus to
petra). Had to wait for the minibus to show, and then had to wait a
bit for it to fill up, but not more than one hour, and then we were on
our way. Our driver drove like a maniac, more than twice the speed
limit (the speedometer tops out at 120 km/h but he was going way
faster than that. The roads are not great, plus he drove between
lanes much of the time. The worst bit was around Petra where there
are lots of twists and turns and hills. But we made it OK.
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I checked into the Peace Way hotel and bargained it down to 10
dinars a night. I thought I was really getting ripped of until
I saw the rooms. My own bathroom, a real shower, a real bed,
a TV, air conditioning, a real western-style toilet,
a carpet, etc. It is the nicest place I've stayed in for weeks!
I immediately settled down for a nice nap. Afterwards, I got
up and took care of my email (the hotel had Internet service)
while watching Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (which stars
the treasury of Petra in the final scenes). Dinner was a lovely
chicken cooked in yogurt, and the first meat I've had in ages
it seems. It was quite similar to Indian dishes that I'm familiar
with. Other than that, did nothing else today except walk about
and take some pictures.
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There are kids here! Every other country had their kids hidden
away somewhere, but here they are everywhere. They all want
my watch, or some sweets, or to have their picture taken. I
Obliged them as best as I could (mostly just taking their
pictures).
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| Day 22: Thursday, June 10, 1999 -- Petra |
Went out to the site early this morning. It is a long hike
in, took well over 45 minutes to reach the treasury. I climbed
around a bit, clambering over rocks and all, only to find some steps
which I took back down. The facades of Petra are incredible
Roman-type buildings carved out of the face of cliffs. The insides
however are highly disappointing, just square rock chambers.
In addition, the insides are largely ruined by bedouins camping
in them for hundreds of years, and they all smell of manure and old
hay.
While climbing around I ran into some Australian women that I
had met the previous evening at the hotel, when they staggered
in from the site, exhausted. They told me that they were going
to "Little Petra" later that evening, and would I like to come?
I said sure, so we agreed to meet at 4:30. I was fast asleep at
this time, tuckered out from Petra, but they roused me from my
sleep and off we went. Little Petra was OK. There was some tricky
climbing to get to the good bits but we made it OK. The driver
was a little mountain goat, and we were amazed that he did not kill
himself. We came back down (easier than up) and headed off to
Win Musa, the place where Moses supposedly struck his rod and
water sprung forth. This is a very un-prepossesing place, housed
by a rather modest little temple. Then we watched the sun set
from a cliff side, and headed home. I had a nice dinner of
kebabs (lamb) and we drank tea and talked for quite a long while,
about our travels, our families, Kosovo (on everyones tongue
because of the cease-fire) and other such things. Had a wonderful
time and staggered of to bed at the extravagant hour of 10:30 where
I fell into a deep sleep until 7am.
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| Day 23 Friday June 11. 1999 -- Petra |
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Today I decided that there's no point in starting the days walks in the hottest part of the day,
before noon. So, at about 11:30 I head to a local restaurant and have
a simple meal of hummous and bread, with some sweet tea at the end.
I speak with some local older-teenage boys about my life in the
states which is deemed somewhat incredible, and not altogether
believable to young people who will probably live out their lives
selling something to tourists.
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Once at Petra, with the 3k walk to the treasury behind me, I decide
to make the ascent to the High Place of Sacrifice. It is a long
climb and I make frequent rests to take photos and take a mouthful
of water. On one of these rests I run into a young woman my age
and we ascend together to the top. She admits that although she
likes traveling alone, having a man along with her makes tourist spots
more fun, since she is more or less free of the Arabic men's advances.
The summit is a gorgeous view and we take many pictures, and
take each others pictures so that I may finally have a picture of
myself to show people. We have climbed so high that I think I
am now higher than the hotel I stay in, despite the steep descent
to Petra's gate, and the shallow descent from there. We rest for
a half hour or so, chatting bit, and then decide to try to
descend by a different route. We can't find it, or the guard who
told us of it, and I have left my book at the hotel, so we go
back the way we came. The girl (I never got her name) surprises
me and a guard when she answers "I am from Syria" in Arabic, as
reply to a question about where she is from. Later we speak in
detail about Arabic men. She understands the situation as one who
has lived in both east and west can. The men are deprived of the
usual rituals of dating and sex that are probably fundamental
requirements of young men and women everywhere. As such, their
sensibilities in such matters are ill formed, and the result is
crude behavior. Many of them see western women as "their chance"
and keep trying until they get a positive response (or in rare
cases take by force). Even though she understands the source of
the mild harassment, she does not excuse it and it annoys her
greatly.
From this point on it becomes quite useful for us to be together.
My presence fends of unwanted advances, and her Arabic gets more
information from guides and tourist police than my English could.
We eventually split up when some friends of hers from Juliard
arrive, to play a short concert in the theater of Petra, mostly
for the chance to make a video in the amphiteatre.
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I stick around for a bit, but I am tired and there is still the
3 or 4 km trek out! I catch a taxi at the entrance and fall into
bed at the hotel. Unfortunately I sleep through supper time and
awake at 4am, not tired at all. I try to sleep (fitfully) an
finally drift off and awake at 7am.
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| Day 24: Saturday, June 12, 1999 -- Petra |
I decide to descend to Petra even later than yesterday to get yet
another perspective with different lighting. My suspicions are
confirmed that the treasury is lit only in early morning, so I'm
glad I came early at least once, and I hope I have some good
pictures of it.
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I have become somewhat concerned about my appearance. I'ts getting
pretty scruffy. I wait for a half hour or so while the obviously
skilled barber attends to another customer. When my turn comes I
indicate that I want everything (face and hair) trimmed to about a
half-inch. He sets to and a bit later I look and feel much better. I
can see now that my face is thinner than my passport photo and this
makes me happy, because at this point the passport photo looks fat,
especially by the rather trim standards of the middle east.
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Having eaten a light breakfast of cheese, bread, jam and tea
I decide to skip lunch and eat a small package of cookies
instead. They are labeled as cream chocolate, but are mysteriously
banana-vanilla flavored. I walk down to petra, since the descent
is fairly easy, and I walk quickly through the siq, not really
pausing to admire the scenery since it's all old hat now. It's
a long walk to my planned climb today (the monastery), perhaps
6 or 7 km, but I make it in short time and take a short rest
The beginning of the ascent is easy and I get a bit overconfident.
After a while it gets much steeper, breaking more and more often
into steep flights of stairs. When I finally get to the top,
I pay an outrageous 1 dinar for a much needed cold sprite and sit
in the company of a tourist guard and the proprietor. It still
irks me a bit to make a somewhat arduous climb, feeling quite
proud, only to find the top populated by soda stands and jewelry
sellers. Takes the adventure out of it I guess. The monastery
is perhaps even more stunning than the treasury and I am glad
not to have missed it. As usual the inside is highly disappointing
since it is just a large square room, dank and dark. I want
to climb to the second story urn and roof since I have seen so
many postcards from up there, but it is no longer allowed, due
to frequent rock slides and injuries thereof. I make my way back
down and walk slowly back to Petra's entrance.
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I find a bookstore
here and fill up on paperbacks. My evenings would have been much
more pleasant if I had known of this store before as I have had
nothing (fictional) to read in a week. Next door is a Pizza Hut
and I break my unspoken tradition of eating only "local food"
in favor of the smell of bacon and ham that I get when I walk by,
as these are never found in Israeli and middle east cooking! I
really enjoy a small pan pizza with bacon, ham, and sausage, while
I read a SF anthology and drink a nice cold 7up. I pretty much
spent the rest of the night reading my newfound wealth...
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| Day 25: Saturday, June 13, 1999 -- Petra to Aqaba |
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Bloody early bus to Aqaba (6am) and a little early to boot. I
didn't get my "wakeup call" nor my packed breakfast from the hotel
as everyone is asleep. No matter. The mini bus to Aqaba seemed
slow and there were LOTS of detours and some unexplainable stops.
When Norman and I finally arrived (we agreed to travel together
for a bit) we brushed off taxi drivers and made our way to the
Petra Hotel (which was a mere 100 yards away) and checked in.
7 dinars a night for a double, exactly as the book said. Not
bad. It's not the nicest place but who's complaining? Went to
the Egyptian embassy in Aqaba to get Norman's visa. Not as fast
as promised but only about 1.5 hours.
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Ate at Tikka Chicken and the way home... I had a nice chicken
biryani with almost no chicken but it was good. Aqaba is quite
small and the map is hardly needed. Kind of nice really.
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Settled into the hotel and just lounged about for a bit. Went
out and got a watermelon and some bananas for dinner/breakfast.
Norman has lived n Japan for 10 years and says this watermelon
would cost $75 there but we got it for about 700 fils ($1). Took
us a long time to find a place, which was a bit odd. Not much else
of note happened today.
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| Day 26: Sunday, June 14, 1999 -- Aqaba |
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What a day! We got up early and had some leftover fruit for
breakfast. We headed out to the Royal Jordanian Dive Center
(an hour early) and hung out a bit. Played with a male kitten
named Zakho who was friendly after initial shyness. He played
rough as male kittens are wont to do but went easy on the claws
and teeth, to keep it friendly. Got a little overzealous getting
toys from us though. I realized that I was not going to be able
to get some shorts there so I took a taxi back to get some
cruddy ones I got in Israel. Better than swimming in my undies
or jeans!). When I got back we got our gear and went out.
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I was completely unprepared for what greeted me! I swam out deep
for a bit, getting used to the snorkel and mask and flippers.
You really could see to a great depth, I estimate about 30 or 40
meters even in early morning light. But there wasn't much to
see so I headed into shore... and ran into a huge bank of coral
(not literally). It was teeming with life and color. Swarms of
fish, big and small, colored and camoflauged, predator and prey.
It was transfixing. I got over my fear of stings and bites and
coral scrapes and got much closer, paddling lightly to keep
in place, while I watched things unfold. I followed a huge
fish for a bit and found that the coral extended along the beach
for a huge distance. I eventually got the courage swim over
the coral at some of the points where it was further down. This
is quite disconcerting since the coral looks much closer than
it really is (to comfort yourself you stick your hand out and
see that the coral is at least 5 feet below, although it looks
more like one. I didn't even need glasses, I think the
magnification
from the water helped a good bit. There is no question now, I
must get my dive license!! The only real scare of the day was
when I saw what must have been a sea snake resting on the ocean
floor below. Then I noticed dozens and soon I had spotted what
must have been 30 or 40 of them. Once you see one the rest are
easier. They were non-moving and at least 15 or so meters meters
below so the fear quickly passed, as does the fear of passing
over sea urchin colonies: you quickly realize they are far
below and there is little danger. We also dismissed the danger
of snakes since there were no warnings about these at all,
compared to the numerous warnings about some kind of mollusk
or crustacean that lives in a conch type shell and has a poisonous
sting. We did see one of those below but of course there is no
danger if you don't pick them up. We alas saw what must be sea
slugs. foot-long and half foot thick masses of black flesh. Ugh.
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When we wanted to leave there were no taxis or busses. Town
was 12k away so we looked around for a ride. After failed attempts
to flag down pickups and sedans a mini bus came along and
practically insisted we come along (he did this to everyone he saw).
We got in and he promptly headed in the wrong direction, toward
the Saudi border! He was just making a route though and turned
at the border and took us back to Aqaba. Several people tried to
talk to us on the bus but it was the same old thing... where are
you from, how long are you in Jordan/Aqaba... have you seen
Jerash, Petra, Wadi Rum, etc. No? well you have to go there!
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When we got back we looked hopefully to see if the Simpsons
were on (Norman saw the show in Petra) but it's only on Saturdays (how
sad). Instead there was just more "Walker, Texas Ranger" that is so
common here. I went out in search of an Internet place for some
contact with home after several days of isolation. There were plenty
of signs advertising but I never could find the places. Finally I
started asking in large hotels if they had Internet. Finally found
one that did, and lo and behold, the girl I met in Petra was sitting
in the lobby! We finally exchanged names (hers is Bissan or Bisson,
something like that). She had tried (and failed) to get into
Palestine to continue her self-driven research among the Palestinian
people. We talked a bit while I waited for Internet access and it
turned out that we were even staying the the same flea-bag hotel, on
the same floor! She went out with some friends of hers and I went to
the Internet. She said she might stop by later that night, and indeed
she did, at about 12:30! I was asleep but we said our goodbyes, as
she was leaving in Amman early the next morning.
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On another coincidental note, the same group of 10 French tourists
was in Amman, Petra and Aqaba on the same days as me, and I keep
running into them! It is a small middle east.
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