Really? Yes.
You know what's going on in that region right? Yes, we are aware.
You're going to be safe right? Obviously, yes.
And you know what, we felt incredibly safe THE ENTIRE time. The worst part for us was seeing the devastation that the misperception was causing the country. Speaking with some fascinating locals, they were talking about how tourism is now 10% of what it was 5 years ago. Yes, Jordan is the launching ground for many of the initiatives against terrorism. Yes, Jordan is a safe haven for MILLIONS of displaced refugees seeking safe harbor. And yes, Jordan is well worth being on your travel list!
We are not the only one thinking this, please read *THIS* from the Huffington Post
It is only a 3 hour flight from Abu Dhabi, so it made for a quick trip for a long weekend. We landed in Amman and headed to our AirBnb locale (you know we LOVE our AirBnb!), and set out to explore the city. We arrived just in time for lunch and headed to a local place where all of the people we spoke to and "off-the-beaten-path" guides instructed us to. HASHEM. It is undercover but outside, everyone speaks mostly Arabic, and it is hard to understand what is going on, but it seems that there are only really 4 things to get here: fresh falafel, fresh hummus, fresh and raw veggies, and fresh hot flat bread. Oh yeah, and hot tea. We sat, food was placed in front of us (there was no ordering), we ate, we paid, we left. It was fantastic. Pure, simple, and delicious food.
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| Awesome street art |
After lunch we took to wandering around downtown, the best way to explore any new city, without any particular destination in mind. Hey look, we found some ruins.
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| Roman ruins "preserved" in the middle of the city |
After this Roman inspiration, we decided to actually venture over to the Roman Theater to explore it.
It is quite impressive to hike the incredibly steep stairs and look down into the Theater, imaging the things that must have been seen there. The city is built up all around this well preserved area.
One thing I must say about Amman is how extreme the weather is. It was warm and sunny when we arrived. Cool, really windy, and cloudy for the afternoon explorations. Come evening, it was freezing cold and it was hailing. The next day I was in a bikini and floating in the Dead Sea. Just know that if you come in February, be ready for ANY type of weather.
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| Hail/snowballs |
Due to the misery of the weather, switching from hail to snow to rain, we decided to seek safe-haven in a cosy little cafe with big leather furniture, heaters, and hot treats.
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| I loved their menu |
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| Hot tea with FRESH mint, my new obsession |
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| Warm hummus with meat |
