Dar Salem

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 time two rows of benches with a sun cover were provided. Men in one row and women in another. "This looked like a sign of hospitality" I thought to myself. My thought was soon proven ... read more

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. I did catch a pic of some ruins here.Not sure when they date but they look cool. The huge waterfall, heated by uderground lava fissures, fills many baths below.Underneath the waterfall is a cavern that ... read more

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 a kitchen and a living room. Tomorrow my husband and his brother are going to the Israel embassy to find out about a visa for my husband to go to Palestine. In shalla there will ... read more

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 the Eid prayer at about 8:00 am. If you have ever visited a Middle Eastern country or heard the Adan called by a mu'addin. The call for Eid prayer is different than the Adan and ... read more

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 Eid here.... read more

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 the malls called CarreFour. It is French, it is like the Fred Meyers with a grocery Store. There are many Europeans and Asian people here. So there is a lot of variety in the store. ... read more

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 to Jedda, not sure our mode of transportation yet, to perform Ohmra in Mecca. A few days later we will arrive on Amman, Jordon, where we will spend some days touring the sites. I am ... read more