We've landed in the desert

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We arrived safely after 26 hours of travel. Not as exhausting as it sounds and worth it so far. We flew out of JFK with only slight delays. Dad was seated next to a Palestinian woman and her 2 month-old baby. She was taking her new baby to meet his grandparents for the first time. Her husband is Israeli. He was able to fly directly into Tel Aviv and cut his travel time in half. Because she is not Israeli, she was on an indirect route. She seemed impressed that we had been to Palestine several times and she let dad show off his baby handling skills. Kyle and I slept.

After checking in, we immediately went in search of food. We walked into the valley to one of Amman's oldest restaurants. There was no menu. They just brought us their speciality...falafel, fries, pita, hommos, veggies and beans. The falafael chefs stood right in the middle of the open-air restaurant making falafel so fast it made us dizzy. Just as we sat down to eat the world's freshest falafel, the call to prayer began and we felt at home. We made the mistake of asking to photograph the falafel kings. They suggested I get in the picture, so I drug dad to join me. The server with our camera kept directing us to "move closer, move closer, move..." the next thing I knew, I was standing right next to the chef. Dad was out of the picture! Each guy then took turns taking their picture with me, telling me how beautiful I am, and instructing me to "help" cook. All the while, my husband was just sitting at our table, shoveling food in his mouth, oblivious to the circus that is unfolding.

The weather is great and we are finding Jordan to be everything we expected so far. We've interviewed and hired a driver who will take us on our travels outside of Amman. Tomorrow, we head to Syria... Valeri, Kyle and Roy

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Photos

Our favorite time of day
Dad and Kyle at an open-air restaurant in Amman.

Comments

[Meredyth Jones]

Good morning!
Men all around the world are enamored with you! What a great story.

[Jenny]

LUNCH!
Glad to see that Roy's still making lunch a priority over there! Maybe lose an "Office" competition or two while you're eating and Amman will start to feel just like home! :) Have fun--glad you all made it there safely!!

[Joan Dougherty]

Glad you made it1
How exciting! Reading this made me hungry. I think I need to go to Jerusalem Cafe. That is a great picture! I hope you all have such a wonderful time, take lots of photos and be prepared to share them when you get back! Love to you all! Joan

[Scott]

nourishment for Kyle
thank goodness Kyle received nourishment and Valerie received a good photo op. All is right in the world. So happy you made it there safely!

[Debbie Hargrave]

Your travels
Thanks for including me in your adventures. I'll look forward to experiencing Jordan through your eyes on this trip. Valeri...keep Roy out of trouble over there!

[Dan Roehler]

Glad to see blog up - thanks
Thanks for sending the link to the blog. I will share with others. Enjoy the cool weather!

[Nancy]

hours in air
Hi all, How many hours were you actually in the air? It looks like even posing for a photo Kyle continues to eat! Where are you sending these blogs from, your hotel? Take care, Nancy

[crenshawroehler]

Sweet
You guys are amazing!!

[Joy Miller]

Blogs from the ME
Hi Valeri, Nancy has forwarded your blogs from the Middle East for me to read. I am really enjoying reading about your journey, especially, since I had scheduled a trip to Jordan/Syria in Oct. Unfortunately, a foot injury has forced me to postpone this journey. Nevertheless, I have been immersing myself in ME literature. I find this area very fascinating. Trying to sort out the Israeli/Palestine issues is so complex.I got a little taste of this culture, while traveling in Morocco in May. Happy travels, JOY

[Duane]

Awesome
Roy, Looking forward to following your adventures. Glad you are able to share with your daughter and son-in-law. Keep us posted!