Friends,
I thought I would send those who supported the campaign an occasional dispatch from my Middle Eastern travels.
Arriving in Amman, Jordan, on the 20th of this month, I spent a week there getting rid of jet lag (which wasn't too bad this time), getting reacquainted with being in the region, and planning other parts of my trip.
It being eight years since my last visit to the Middle East, I was surprised by how much I remembered Amman: where things were, getting around, and so on. I actually helped my cab driver, who drove me from Queen Alia Airport to my hostel, how to find the Farah, where I stayed last time. (Not immodesty, just amazement.)
I like Amman very much. It's relatively inexpensive - especially when one stays in hostels and eats street food and at the various small cafes and restaurants around downtown. A good dinner can be found for about 4-8 dinar, or $6-12. The people are among the friendliest anywhere, and it's genuine. Perfect strangers in a cafe routinely ask where you are from and then say "Welcome!" about three or four times.
The attached photos are just a quick, touristy glimpse of the Downtown (City Center) area in Amman. Truth be told, the more I travel the less I take photos. It's not my first impulse; besides, the sounds and smells better capture places like Amman. That said, I felt I should include a visual component.
Two of the pics are of my very good friend Hani, who is a manager at the hostel; he and I became pals during my last trip and stayed in touch. The photos are of a night we cooked in the hostel's lobby. The dish was a Saudi chicken-and-rice number prepared by Hani's friend Ali, the fellow to Hani's left.
. . .
On the 26th, I traveled to the Israeli border and crossed at the Allenby Bridge (aka King Hussein Bridge). At the Israeli passport control (picture an airport terminal in the middle of the desert), the process went less than smoothly but well enough. I was held for a little over two hours, asked many questions, and eventually taken into an office for a final sit-down discussion. By now, I basically expect to be questioned. After twelve years, my online presence has become more pronounced. As a result, I was asked about articles I have written, previous trips to the West Bank and Gaza, and my published work.
The exchange was of course businesslike (and the context unpleasant), but the official was quite courteous. He thanked me for my cooperation and forthrightness. I thanked him for making it a conversation. And I was given the full three-month visa.
So, currently in the West Bank, I'll be on the Palestine-Israel leg of the trip for a while.
Gregory
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| Baker in an alley in downtown |
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| Friends at the Farah Hotel |
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| Hani at the Farah |
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| Serving up hummus at the legendary Hashem Restaurant |
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| Vegetable market near the Husseini mosque |
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| Vegetable market near the Husseini mosque |
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| Downtown in the early evening |
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| Spices, etc., in a vegetable market |
