Today, we went to the Israel Embassy in Jordon to see about a travel visa for my husband. We put our names on a list and waited to be called. This is out on the street in front of the embassy. There are many people waiting behind the cement blocks erected for barriers. There are to armed Jordanian soldiers here along with different men who come and go reading lists and looking at papers. They must work for the embassy. My husband's name was called and we pass throught the barrier and walked a few meters to another waiting area. This [View Full Entry]

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Our next stop, kid free, in Jordon was Hammamat Ma’in (Ma’in Hot Springs). . It is pretty cool. Ma'in is about 30 mins from Amman. My sister in law's husband drives a taxi in Amman so we did not have to worry about transportation. If you are not fortunate to have relatives who can drive, you can hire a van and driver for fairly cheap in Amman. We passed through Madaba, known for its mosaics that date back 3500 years, We stopped here to pick up our lunch. Chicken, rice, hummus and labne(yougurt). I would suggest bringing your lunc into Ma'in. [View Full Entry]

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The first Friday we were in Jordan, after J'umaih we had a bbq at a park in Amman. In the way to the park, it was about 15 minutes from downtown, people would stopp on the side of the road and have tea anad bbq. This park had no grass but it did have lots of trees and large open areas. It reminded me of Northern California around Yosemite area. The park was pretty full and we had to drive a way out the road till we found a spot. My husband' three sister's and their husbands, their twelve childrened, combined, [View Full Entry]

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We arrived in Amman around 4 am. It did not take us long to get our visas and our baggage. we were greated my AHmad's two sisters, his brother and one of his sister's husband. After a 30 minute drive from the Airport we arrived at his sister Khoula's house. There we met her 6 kids, who my husband had not seen the oldest two since they were young and the other four he had never seen. We had tea and ate something. Mohammed, his brother found an apartment for 20 dinar, $25 american. It is a nice two bedroom, with [View Full Entry]

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We are off to Amman today. We leave from Sharja, which is about 10 minutes from Dubai but with the traffic it can take up to 2 hours.Our flight is leaving at 12:30 and hopefully it will be there as scheduled.LAX is a cake walk compared to this airports departure drop off. It is a pretty much a free for all. Park where you want and just drop your stuff off. I did see a police officer meandering through the cars but I am not sure what he was doing. we got into the airport and made our way to the [View Full Entry]

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To day is the last day of Ramadan. Depending on which country you follow. Duabair follow Saudi Arabia while some others follow Iran. Even in Dubai there are people who believe Ramadan ends tomorrow. Eid starts tomorrow. Everyone is busy cooking and buying new clothes. We went out tonight to finished shopping and the streets are filled with prople everywhere. Men getting there hair cut and shaves. Every barber shop is filled. People buying new shoes, new clothes, presents. People just wait for the news when Eid starts and then everyone goes shopping at the same time. We started Eid with [View Full Entry]

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We are coming to the end of Ramadan. It has been very interesting being in a Muslim country during this time. The whole country is on a schedule. Food places, with the exception of groceries, are closed. They all begin to open around 5:50. The whole country eats dinner a the same time. We are getting ready for Eid al Fitr. THis is the end of Ramandan and last for three days. Most business are closed and everyone celebrates. Now the shops are busy with peple buying new clothes and presents for friends and family. We are very excited to spend [View Full Entry]

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We are enjoying our time here. We have gotten used to the weather, somewhat. It is something that you have to feel in order to really appreciate it. :) If you turn on your shower and let the bathroom get steamy and then turn on your heater to about 90. Stand in the bathroom for a while that is what it feels like here. It is still Ramadan here so most of the city closes during the day. The malls stay open but the restraunts are closed and do not open until the evening. There is a large grocery store in [View Full Entry]

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After finishing cleaning our house and running the last minute erronds we are off. Of course, as usuall, with our family we are rushed. Rush to the airport, rush to the gate and rush on the plane. Getting to SeaTac airport would not have been that bad if it weren't for rush hour traffic and a double header Mariners Game. I never knew my van could go as fast as it did. <br> My husband, my nine year old daughter, my three year old son and myself all made it too our seats and were off on a nine hour plane [View Full Entry]

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Asalaam Alaykum 3 days and a wake up before we are off on our month and a half journey throught the Middle East. We are all excited and very busy preparing for our trip. Packing, buying gifts, repacking and putting our belongings in storage. We leave for London on Sept 26. When we arrice in Heathrow, a 12 our layover gives a few hours to venture into London and see some sights. Back to the airport and off to Dubai. We will spend some time with one of my husband's sisters here. The main objective, SHOPPING. From Dubai we will travel [View Full Entry]

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