Amman & Jerash

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I cannot overemphasize how friendly the Jordanian people are. If you’re like me and constantly lose things you reach a point where you just accept it’s going to happen so your best bet is to minimise the potential damage. Because of this I don’t carry any cards in my wallet and never more currency than €10. Anyway when I got out of the taxi in Amman and checked my pockets my wallet was gone! I dumped my bags in the door of the hostel and ran down the highway after the taxi man. Someone in a Mercedes pulled up beside me, asked what was wrong then I uttered the immortal line: “follow that cab”. It was too late though and I gave up pretty quickly.

Then walking back to the hotel an old man with no English came up to me and started pointing at his wallet and then at my hostel. The taxi driver had driven straight back to the hostel and handed it to someone. Absolutely nothing missing!

Other than my dramatic introduction to the city Amman is a pretty low key place. It's quite westernised and there's almost no hassle from the locals. In recent years the city has absorbed 100,000s of Iraqi and Palestinian refugees so there's a real mix of people.

There’s not much to see but it’s a good base for day trips to the Roman ruins at Jerash and the Dead Sea. I had no way of getting to the Dead Sea and it’s not recommended swimming there if you’ve any cuts or bruises so I had to give it a miss. Jerash was great though, very well preserved and not too many other tourists.

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Comments

[Gerr]

Positives always balances with negatives. Good to hear your good story, renewing my faith in human nature.

[aidando]

It's pretty weird over here, everyone is trying to rip you off but no one will try to rob you! You always feel safe on the streets

[liliram]

you are more than lucky!
I have a Jordanian friend, whom I find such a gentle, kind soul. Just the same, leaving your wallet in a cab and getting it back, none missing, is short of a miracle these days. Bless that driver! and lucky u!