I was a little bit nervous about getting in to Jordan, as I didn't have any outward tickets, but I needn't have worried. Customs, airport workers, bus drivers, randoms on the streets here always ask as their first question - 'Where you from?'. Next comes the inevitable 'You welcome'. Welcome to Jordan is on the lips of everyone we walk past. They are also very willing to direct you anywhere you wish to go and to make you happy with more food, more free mint tea etc. We stayed in the Cliff Hotel in Amman, the capital of Jordan. The reason I liked this hotel has a lot to do with the manager, Faoud. He is a wealth of information on history of Jordan and Palestine, the layout of Amman and he will sit and chat about anything you like, or he will write down directions in Arabic – he is just nice. That first day we went to the restaurant across the road, Hasheem. The food here is another plus. We got a coke, tea, hummus, a bean dip, salad, endless plates of falafel balls and pita bread for 4 Jordanian Dollars ($5). Oh and the bakeries here are also cheap! As with every country I have been to already, I got so much bread, cakes and other goodies for less than a dollar.
The next day in Amman, we took public transport (another cheap way to travel) to the Roman provincial city ruins of Jerash. Jerash has been inhabited at one time or another by the Bzyantine empire, by Persians, Crusaders, Russians and various other nomadic cultures and it is haunted by the ghosts of times past. There is an echo of merchant shops, fountains, great feasts, statues and religious festivals. I had a lovely time wandering among the ruins and chatting extensively to an Islamic woman who was a teacher of English and who just wanted to chat and chat! David also got an offer for me of 1000 camels (which translates I am told to about $400,000 AUD). After Jerash, we visited the Roman theatre in Amman, another towering feat of engineering in the centre of Amman city (and a great place to practice my Shakespeare) .
The next day we went to swim in the dead sea. We decided against paying the exorbitant fee of the tourist beach and instead headed down to the local swimming hole. It was strange to be floating so high in the water, but what was stranger was the locals that were determined to show us some fun. With countless calls of 'mister, mister' (clearly they couldn't distinguish a miss), they charged at me with handfuls of mud from the dead sea and proceeded to coat me in this mineral rich substance. After which I made the mistake of trying to wash it off my face with the water. Bad idea. The salt content is so high that it stings your eyes (even when closed), it burns your nose and if it gets in your mouth it's worse than swallowing a whole container of table salt. If it gets in your clothes, expect them to resemble a starched cardboard effect. What an experience! Added to that, we hitched back to Amman with these guys who turned out to be policemen.
I was a little bit nervous about getting in to Jordan, as I didn't have any outward tickets, but I needn't have worried. Customs, airport workers, bus drivers, randoms on the streets here always ask as their first question - 'Where you from?'. Next comes the inevitable 'You welcome'. Welcome to Jordan is on the lips of everyone we walk past. They are also very willing to direct you anywhere you wish to go and to make you happy with more food, more free mint tea etc. We stayed in the Cliff Hotel in Amman, the capital of Jordan. The reason I liked this hotel has a lot to do with the manager, Faoud. He is a wealth of information on history of Jordan and Palestine, the layout of Amman and he will sit and chat about anything you like, or he will write down directions in Arabic – he is just nice. That first day we went to the restaurant across the road, Hasheem. The food here is another plus. We got a coke, tea, hummus, a bean dip, salad, endless plates of falafel balls and pita bread for 4 Jordanian Dollars ($5). Oh and the bakeries here are also cheap! As with every country I have been to already, I got so much bread, cakes and other goodies for less than a dollar. 
The next day in Amman, we took public transport (another cheap way to travel) to the Roman provincial city ruins of Jerash. Jerash has been inhabited at one time or another by the Bzyantine empire, by Persians, Crusaders, Russians and various other nomadic cultures and it is haunted by the ghosts of times past. There is an echo of merchant shops, fountains, great feasts, statues and religious festivals. I had a lovely time wandering among the ruins and chatting extensively to an Islamic woman who was a teacher of English and who just wanted to chat and chat! David also got an offer for me of 1000 camels (which translates I am told to about $400,000 AUD). After Jerash, we visited the Roman theatre in Amman, another towering feat of engineering in the centre of Amman city (and a great place to practice my Shakespeare) . 
The next day we went to swim in the dead sea. We decided against paying the exorbitant fee of the tourist beach and instead headed down to the local swimming hole. It was strange to be floating so high in the water, but what was stranger was the locals that were determined to show us some fun. With countless calls of 'mister, mister' (clearly they couldn't distinguish a miss), they charged at me with handfuls of mud from the dead sea and proceeded to coat me in this mineral rich substance. After which I made the mistake of trying to wash it off my face with the water. Bad idea. The salt content is so high that it stings your eyes (even when closed), it burns your nose and if it gets in your mouth it's worse than swallowing a whole container of table salt. If it gets in your clothes, expect them to resemble a starched cardboard effect. What an experience! Added to that, we hitched back to Amman with these guys who turned out to be policemen. 
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