Day 1 - Amman City

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1st day in Jordan - Amman

3rd October 2009

After a good sleep, I finally managed to leave the hotel at 11am! I decided to play it safe and wear jeans and a shirt, but later saw people wearing shorts and t-shirts although most people do cover up. Decided to try and get my bearings and go for a walk into the city of Amman. I left the hotel with no map, just my good sense of direction and headed for the city centre. After about 20 minutes, I couldn't believe my luck, SUBWAY! Grabbed a steak and cheese sub and carried on towards the city. They even deliver Subway here!

I don't actually have a clue where I ended up walking, but found some really interesting markets, a Roman Amphitheatre as well as the Jordanian coffeeshops that are on every street. Coffee is everywhere. Nearly every Jordanian I came across had a cup in their hand! Still haven't seen anything I would really want to buy, but it was good looking.

I'd read that Jordan can be quite expensive, but it was only about £3 for a Subway; 25p for a huge bottle of water and £15 for the 30 minute taxi ride from the airport - not bad!

It's very different here to anywhere I've been before. It's a nice change from all the european cities I've been to which are all starting to look the same to me. Everything is exactly how I imagined it would be though, even the smell (which isn't particularly unpleasant). The buildings are all pale in colour and everything has a desert-like dustiness to it. The city is very hilly, it was originally built over seven hills but has been extended over the years and is now spread over more than nineteen hills.

After walking around for a few hours and getting my first blister (on my first day!), I grabbed another taxi and went to the Istiklal shopping mall. There wasn't really much to look at here, mostly clothing and a few small department style shops. I still can't believe how friendly the people are here, I got stopped by a security guard pointing at my backpack as I entered a shop, but as soon as he realised I was English he smiled and welcomed me in. For lunch (Subway was breakfast), I had a Popeye's chicken and biscuits. Still haven't worked up the courage to try some local food, but will attempt it tomorrow!

Grabbed a cab from outside the shopping mall but even though I've got the address of the hotel in Arabic and it's even on the main road which runs through Amman, the driver didn't know where it was! Second time lucky and got back to the hotel. I've read a few places to make sure the driver turns the meter on. This was the first time the meter was turned on, and it was far more expensive!

After I got back to the hotel, I collapsed onto my nice comfortable bed and checked my emails. Tomorrows mission - find a map! I've been here over a day now and don't think i've come across a single non-arab person, although i've still seen a couple of Man Utd shirts!

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Photos

Amman Centennial Parade
An advert for Amman's Centennial Parade on the 9th October.