Farewell Jordan

Don't see any reason to ever come ack to Jordan but it was my fist Amb and my first tear gas a really nice hostel and some really nice people.  Suzanne was from UK but now living as a teacher I believe in Saudi Arabia.  Says they get 5 weeks a year of holiday and they ave no expenses.  They are provided a good income, housing, transportation, and food.  Said a lot of Americans come here take good money before they retire.  I think they still get summer vacation. All health care is provided, so really everything goes into savings or fun money.  Downside, when out of home, they ave to wear the long full black dress and head covered all except face.  In their own home can wear anything.  Most wear a full set of clothes under that hot black dress.  And it is hot there.  Said unless you are married or cle relative you cannot speak or make eye contact with the opposite sex.  When courting it is done prearranged by parents and in the presence of parents.  Said technology is changing cause kids go out with same sex then stand around in the mall on their phones with blood tooth and connect with who ever is on Bluetooth and get acquainted and talk technically.  I don't understand Bluetooth so don't know how that works, but leave it up to kids to figure a way.  Been doing that for many generations.

Met Tarrence from Nova Scotia yesterday at breakfast.  Was going with a friend to a refugee camp.  He is a credit counselor so guess they needed help straightening out their credit after relocation.  There are a lot of refugees here from Pakistan and Palistine and Syria.  Heard yesterday that Syria has invited Al Quida terrorist to come into Syria to help depose thei King Assad or Abad whatever it is.  Glad to be getting out of here.  

Sounds like Abu Dhabi will be a beautiful change.  I am seeing architectural changes.  In Israel the older the better and everything is built of the same stone to keep it looking old.  Here I have seen 2 leaning buildings.  I mean new construction that is leaning on purpose.  One tall and skinny and one box like with both both ends leaning the same direction.  Will try to include a pic.  Well this lady next to me looks Indian and is sniffling so I'm gonna close up and find a distant seat

Hello UAE

I sorta thought this would be a great place, and yeah so far so good.  All new in the last 50 years.  Built with our Oil money.  We could have that money if we  weren't     so worried about spotted owls and stuff like that.  I got here after dark but it's gotta be great.  I'm in an awesome room 3 blocks from the beach.  I'll be checking trout tomorrow.  I would really like to just stay in the room in the cozy fluffy robe , drink coffee and tea and sit in the tub and watch the news, but I won't .  I'll get out there be a tourist.  Just one day to take it all in.  Today was a wonderful day.  Bus to airpot 1 hour ride then wait   3. hours, fly 2 hours then wait 4 hours then fly 1 hour then bus 1 hour.  Up at 7am in hotel by 11pm.  Would have been fine if Internet worked in Bahrain.  The airports were all very nice, and clean and sorta on the new side.  The flights were about the best I've ever had.  As we flew over Saudi Arabia, it was sad to see so little value to that pitiful desert, the I suddenly remembered the oil they have under they stinking desert.  Pretty good trade off.  As we flew, I could see the dust storm coming.  No clouds and you could tell it was not moist, but it completely obscured the ground from 3300 ft.  You could really understand how people get lost in stuff like that.  In Bahrain there was still sand in the air and it is an island.   Had to be a little curious about how close all this to Pakistan.  Never thought about it till I watched that map if the flight in the plane.  

When I got to  Abu Dhabi and got through customs, a nice security person showed me to the bus stop and took my luggage to it and told me it cost 4 whatever's.  I said oh no y'all have different money too.  I was jst in Bahrain and changed it to their money.  I started glancing around seriously looking for an ATM or change station, they are almost everywhere.  He put a 5 whatever in my hand and said, here , that's ok.  I almost cried as I said thanks and God Bless you.  That was the kindest thing to do for a stranger.  I was touched and will be praying for God to repay him in His way.  Can you believe I'm God Blessing people here in the midst of a mosque on every corner.  I was so happy I didit from my heart cause if I had thought about it I would have been reluctant.  But he says not to deny him and not God Blessing TS man would have been hiding God in my heart and not sharing him.  Well a bunch of us waited for the bus.  There were 3 young people behind me speaking good English and looking at the bus schedule.  I wasn't sure if there had been a time change so I asked them what time it was here and one thing led to another.  They were from the 

Philippians and here working as nurses.  Had been to the airport to see a sister off to go home for a visit.  Most skilled jobs here are taken by foreigners, but locals are ok with it cause they are not qualified, and there is too much growth for locals to cover it all.  They speak Arabic but most speak English pretty well.  While we visited they were so adorable and we talked like old friends,  they wanted to know how my kids fill about my travels.  Young people always ask about my family.  In their minds they are imagining how they would fill if their Mom went crazy. I explained to them that Psalm 24 says the Earth is the Lords and all that is within it, so was not traveling alone.  As a Christian I know The Lord is always with me and put special people like them in my path.  They were very concerned about me traveling alone.  They took my luggage when the bus came and loaded it for me, then when one got on she told the driver it was for 4 and she smiled at me and said she wanted to do it.  We rode on the bus a long time and talked.  When it was time for them to get off they asked if I wanted to go as far as I could on the bus and then get a taxi or would I be ok to get off there and they would hail a taxi and tell them where to take me.  As I got up and got off in a very nice area with them they got my bags, hailed a cab and all hugged twice, I gave them my card and they gave me their phone number and said to call them if I needed anything or had any questions. god is so good.  Send me ministering angels when I needed a tender touch.

All in all a great day!

Just a pic to prove my point.  Muslim influence is everywhere.  This is an international airport and the have prayer rooms so Muslims can go pray at their designated times.  Notice that men and women do not pray together.  See the sigh overhead

Eid Mubarack

Means happy and blessed holiday here in Jordan, per Regina.  Thanks dear?  

Real slow day with many things closed.  But plenty open.  Walked a bit and took some pics.  Kinda slept in till 8:23.  Late for this traveler.  Had a nice breakfast of omelet with tomatoes and bell peppers. Humps, which I'm learning to be ok with.  Comes in different flavors based on spices added, then another cheeses that is soft and creamy.  Pretty good, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, big plate of bread and 2 slices of lemon cake, and of course Nescafé. And great preserves of some kind.  Not any jelly, but always much richer and fruitier than regular jelly.  I did stop later and have another chicken lunch, with tenders, fries, and pita bread and coke.served with a great garlic dip.  Looks like powdered sugar an milk for sleazed donuts but its garlic not sweet.  Maybe a touch of lemon but good on bread, chicken or fries.

Back at the little cafe at the hotel, watching people.  Not many people though.  On my walk I went the way I've gone before and saw a sign saying city center so I too the curve to it.  After walking awhile and no big change in scenery, it was just the back side of the one I was on.  You know how one way streets do, so I knew exactly where I was, but noticed that out of hundreds of people on the streets for a block or so, as far as I could see, I was the only female.

  I picked up the pace and took the next left and got ack to the street I am familiar with.  I guess on this holiday, women stay home.  The only women I have seen, were tourist like myself.  I took my iPad today so here are some better pics.  The roman theater, the citadel, just some areaaround the theater and yes, a man preparing the sheep skins after the meat was used for the poor.  Love

What a night.

Pretty interesting night.   My new friend Suzanne from .u.k invited me to go along to dinner at a placed she really liked and 

meet some other new .  Only one came along, Xavier from Switzerland .  They were the age of my 

kids and we had a great time sharing travel experiences.  Both agreed their mothers would never 

do anything like this and we shared things we want tell our parents and kids till we get back home.

I ate lamb for my first time ever.it was really good.  All was authentic, Arab foods.  Then we went 

to a place I found earlier today and they found yesterday and they have live music and dance lessons 

for Arab dances.  It was really fun and great company, food and entertainment.  Got back to the 

room and all got ready to settle in.  One of the girls was in the shower and I followed her in, and 

immediately noticed a terrible odor no not that... I thought she had smoked something or used some

 chemicals to clean with, I could hardly breath and my eyes were watering and burning.  My throat felt 

Like I had swallowed peppers.  I got out as quick as I could and found everyone else coughing 

and complaining of the same symptoms.  My first thought was where's Syria from here.  We looked 

out the window and found people running towards us with, hats, shirts, handbags, all sorts of things 

over their mouths.    Some actually had those white things like you use when mowing or sawing to 

cover nose or mouth.  I guess a fast thinking hardware store had them.  Anyway, we found out 

at the desk that it was over zealous citizens celebrating Eid.  Oi looked it up, and get this.  It is the 

Muslim celebration of sacrifice, remembering when Ibrahim ( Abraham to us) took his son Ishmael 

up the mountain To sacrifice him.  God had come to Ibrahim and Ishmael and gotten their agreement 

that this was to happen.  So when the time came, god provided a sacrifice, and as a reward for his 

faithfulness,  God gave Abraham another son Isaac.  You may recognize this as the distorted version of a similar 

story in the Bible when Abraham followed God and took his son Isaac to the mountain for sacrifice 

and God saved Isaac and provided another sacrifice.  The Muslims celebrate by killing a lamb and 

giving to the poor.  My throat is better so I'm going to sleep.

Peat and repeat

Feel like I am back in Greece.  More acropolis.  All cities built a citadel, fort on the highest hill in town. The amphitheater s, I guess they all had one or more, athens, Ephesus, now Amman. Then proof it's Monday, washday.

The amphitheater

The citadel

Washday

I did find a fried chicken place and had rice and a chicken tender and coke for lunch.  Supposed to go with roomies for traditional dinner tonight.  However I may crack up before then cause there is an Arab on a loud speaker yelling back it up back it up calizoa a, i got power i got power over and over for over an hour.  Now someone else is trying to drowned him out with loud Arab music.  I think that is why Arabs are scary, they have to put with this all day and night and it irate s them.  This goes on day and night.    I have often thought in America we had to many laws.  Lets live and let live.  But here there seem to be no laws.  Litter, jay walk, no hand rails, noise is up to you, fireworks downtown any night.  It really makes some of our code enforcement make sense.

Amman Jordan

Really not much to see here.  But I will be out seeing it.  The city itself quite a trip.  Very dirty.  Plastic bags everywhere and in large quantities.  Businesses look pretty normal, but then on the sidewalk by the street are vendors selling everything.  So you can barely walk down the street, and if you are in the street you cannot get to the stores.  I had to walk to the next street to get from my cab to the hotel,  well our cab.  Over here they stop and pick up people as they go.  We left the bus station with 3 passengers and then 5 then 3 as so forth.  Everyone paid about $4.50 and I don't know if he ever got through.

Really old hotel with bad wifi so I moved today.  Tons better.  Near the ancient theater.  Seen 2 in Greece but I'll go take a look cause not much else here.  The Arab music in the street is a hoot.  Yes they do dress like Arabs here.  Towel head, women in black with nothing showing but eyes.  Last night I got pretty excited to find a bristled chicken place.  I shopped awhile then went back for my chicken. Shucks.  It was an od sign and no chicken.  Seeing all the great dishes on fb makes ,

Me want to eat my computer.  But I found a place that ad pita with pig,  that's what he said, pitawith cheese and pita with spinach.  So I made a meal out of it all.  

My trip across the border was pretty un eventful, except when I told off that Arab axi driver in a very polite way.  He was lying to me about catching a bus and telling me the only way to get to Amman was taxi.  I knew better, but wanted to go to the nearest bus station.  He said no buses.  He was the only one in the group sitting around waiting for a passenger who spoke English enough to answer my questions, so after I finally said I didn't ave enough money for Amman by cab.

, he found a closer place.  You pay the cashier at the taxi store, so when I paid him I announced that I wanted the ride but a different driver cause I did not like that man.  Everyone snickered and he shut up and a nice young man drove me for about $33 and the bus the rest of the way was about $3.  But the border crossing is Nowhere and you have to get there, then a bus across the border, the a taxi to another bus then a taxi to hotel.  At best, not fun.  That's how the Arabs and Jews hate each other.  Crazy

But I was really dreading that first step of leaving my great Inn in Nazareth.  About a mile down hill to get to a taxi stand or bus station with some steps.  Left about 8am.  Got to where I thought I could get the bus to find out I was about 3 football fields in the wrong direction, so finally found it.  There would be about 5 hours on the bus with about 30 stops and then more time for border crossings stuff as mentioned above.  When I got to my bus stop, ataxi driver walked up and asked where I was going.  I told him and he began to talk about all those things I just mentioned and was dreading and offered to drive me in about an hour for )40.  Best $40 I ever spent.  He loaded and unloaded my luggage and was very friendly from Finland and we talked all the way.  He pointed out things along the way.  I knew he was the answer to my prayer.  I have not used a taxi any on my trip, and yesterday used 3.  Am I getting soft or just knew my limitations, and am in Arab territory.

The Arabs at both my hotels ave been really nice though.

Gonna go see what Arabs eat for lunch.  Just a reminder to me this is when I'm having all that trouble with Verified by Visa activation.  But I did get a room to go with my ticket to Abu Dhabi.  At least I can ake it that far.

Yesterday

Just a clean up day.  Got the old suitcase mailed.  May take 3-4 months but if it comes before I get home just break the lock..  Went back to Garden tomb, my fav and through the old city from Demascus gate.  Saw areas I had not seen before.  Had a delist burger at 5)3 mall, great fries too.  I ate the whole thing.  Had not eaten all day cause I had heard about these burgers.  Only place in the mall with beef.  I stopped at 2 other places first and they said.  Oh no we are milk.  I just don't get the milk vs meat thing.  They eat fish and chicken.  And pigs...don't even go there.  Any way kinda quite night to begin with.  Then all heck broke loose at home.  Gonna go check out Nazereth.