Killing Time in Amman City before my Flight

The trip was drawing to an end as many of us would fly out tonight. We decided to spend the day together checking out the city of Amman. Our first stop was lunch at a place that is rumored to be the King's favorite restaurant. If that is true then the king does not have much of a palette. We ordered a number of dishes to share and everything was heavily covered in olive oil so it all tasted the same. The oil also acted as a kind of lubricant as this meal ran through me faster then a Japanese bullet train.

We then checked out the local spice shop.





Next up was the local pawn shop that had everything you don't need.

Like an old Betamax video tape.

Or old Iraqi money with Saddam Hussein's picture on it or old Iranian money with Mohammad Khatami's picture on it.

We then checked out the Temple of Hercules.



The Temple of Hercules sat on a hill and overlooked the Roman Amphitheater. All of this was right in the heart of Amman.



We then headed back to the hotel which was good as it would not throw a wrench in Abraham and Mohammed's plans. They secretly ordered another cake and this time the delivery man was happy to meet us at the hotel instead of street side. We then signed the wavier so the hotel would let us eat it in their lounge.

We exchanged emails and hugs as one by one we began to peel off heading to the airport. This was an amazing trip with amazing people. One unlike any of my past travels and my first exposure to the Middle East. I knew it would take months for me to fully digest and integrate with the events of the last two weeks. I was sad to say goodbye, not just to my travel companions but to the country of Jordan itself. However I was soon happy again when I checked in at the airport and checked out the Crown lounge that Emirates uses. They had a number of bowls filled with ice and Amstel Light(s) for you to help yourself and my backpack would soon double in weight.

There was another lounge called the Petra lounge that my Priority Pass gave me access to, however you had to order a beer and not just help yourself.

I boarded my flight to Dubai and checked out the complementary minibar available in each business class seat.

I reclined flat and caught a few Z(s) before showering and changing planes in Dubai. I was originally going to spend a day in Dubai checking out things like indoor skiing and the Palm islands. But I found out that alcohol was illegal outside of the airport, so instead I boarded my 14 hour flight to Seattle.

We again flew over the north pole.



But it was nowhere as scenic as when we flew over British Columbia and I was missing my former place in Whistler.

And like so many times before, my trip came to an end. Travel is a classroom for me and it felt like I just graduated with a new degree. You will learn far more in the world then any classroom could ever teach you. I'll carry the lessons I learned on this trip with me forever, I'll build upon them, I'll share them, and most importantly they are now a part of what makes me who I am. They are simply, just my story....