Friday October 2, 2015 – JFK to Amman, Jordan

Friday October 2, 2015 – JFK to Amman, Jordan

I got about 6 hours of sleep.  Woke up and they were starting breakfast service.  I had the banana pancakes.  Freshened up and then it was time to land in Amman.  We can see the desolate landscape below as we came in to land.

We landed about 4:30 pm – there is a 7 hour time difference between Ft Lauderdale and Amman.  We were one of the first ones off of the plane.  We got to the reception hall and our guide was there with a name banner waiting for us.  He got us our free tourist visas and then we went to wait for our baggage.  That took a while.

Once we got the bags, we went to Starbucks and settled with Jordan Select Tours for the journey.  We got dinar from the ATM and then took everything to meet our driver and tour guide.  Firas B’oul is his name and he seems to be quite a character.  He has 2 wives and 6 children.  He drove us to Amman and pointed out sites along the way.  There wasn’t much traffic since it is Friday and this is their holy day.  The Intercontinental is a large hotel in the middle of Amman.  Very nice.

We arrived at the hotel about 6:15 pm and had just enough time to shower and change clothes.  We dressed and went to the lobby to meet Carol Ann and Don Withers.  They are friends of Pat and Harry (from a Princess cruise) and were delightful.  Carol Ann made reservations at the Bourj al Haman and is one of the best Lebanese restaurants in Amman.  Carol Ann ordered a variety of things for us including olives, salad, mixed grill, and hummus.  It was all good.  A variety of desserts ended a great meal.

At dinner at Bourg al Hamam with Carol Ann and Don Withers

At our table under the umbrellas at Bourg al Hamam in Amman, Jordan

 

Conversation with Carol Ann and Don was so much fun. They are very adventurous and she has a knack for picking up other languages.  While she is Scottish, she has picked up a good bit of Arabic.

There was a wedding underway at the hotel and that was fun to watch.  Music, fireworks, fancy dress, and dancing.

We headed to our room about 10 and went straight to bed.  Both of us were exhausted after the travel and short night last night.