Jabal al Qal‘ah

Miles: 2.0 Steps: 4816
Flights stairs: 6

As we leave Europe and head into Asia/Africa, we have a bit of nervousness. Many parts of Europe felt a lot like home, or at least places we’d been in the US. Somewhat familiar and “normal”. We’ve slowly adjusted to the cultures around us. Eastern Europe much different than Western, but still nothing too extreme.

Today we flew into Amman, Jordan. We’re officially in the Middle East … which is a little unsettling - everyone says we’re fine as long as we stay clear of the Syrian border … so we’ll stay clear of the Syrian border. 🥺 The city’s claim to fame is its the 3rd most ugly city in the world!!! 😳 And so far, from what we’ve seen, possibly.

We arrived and did our normal routine in a new country … locate a SIM card so we have GPS and data, find a “trustworthy” ATM to get local currency, and figure out the transportation situation. A taxi from Amman airport is spendy … almost $70. So … I found a local express bus and we got on that instead. $3 each. It got us close to our hotel, and then we Uber’d the rest of the way for $3. Much more affordable.

I book all of our accommodations online, sight unseen. I go off reviews, pictures, locations. So far we’ve done fairly well. We’ve had a few locations that weren’t the best, but overall, done okay. Pictures and descriptions can be deceiving tho.

Today, when the Uber driver dropped us off at the hotel, we were scared. There was NOTHING that resembled a hotel. Nothing. GPS said it should be close, but all we saw was what appeared to be condemned or abandoned buildings. So we went to where it was telling us … and there was a small sign for our hotel. Right dead center in the … mess. 😳 long story short, the positive is that it was much nicer inside than out, but it’s still not good. Luckily it’s a private room, and we’re here just one night so making the best of it.

When traveling without a car, the intent is always to get as close to the center of town as possible. It’s where the tourist attractions or sites usually are, and it just makes it easier getting around. Up till today, it’s worked like a charm. This time it appears the closer we got to the center of town, the more it resembled a chaotic, war zone. Should be VERY interesting heading out tomorrow to explore Amman.Lue lisää