From the capital city of Amman. Welcome to Jordan!

At only 10 hours, the flight from New York City to Amman was fairly easy. After a short taxi ride, my fellow travellers and I arrived at the Grand Hyatt Amman, our home for the next few weeks. Compared to the United States, Jordan is a very small country and it’s easy to get to most cities and sites within a day. So, Amman will be our home-base for the duration of our journey.

Despite the unfortunate side effects of jetlag, we set off to explore the downtown area. I’ve never been to a place where ancient ruins are part of the cityscape. Smack in the center of downtown, among the modern restaurants, apartment buildings, and shops, stands a Roman Era amphitheater. In its day, the amphitheater could seat about 6,000 spectators. As I climbed the steep theatre stairs, I thought to myself, “this was not the Middle East I had imagined.”

Shortly after we explored the amphitheatre, we hopped into a taxi and headed to Citadel hill, known locally as Jabal el Qala. From the ancient Citadel complex, you can see all of Amman, including the world’s tallest free-standing flag pole which marks the site of the Royal Palaces. The Citadel houses the remains of the Temple of Hercules and an Umayyad Palace Complex, but the most impressive building in the complex is known simply Al-Qaser (the Palace). Still in extraordinary condition, the Palace includes an audience hall and a massive gateway.

For dinner, we headed to a highly recommended falafel joint, Hashem. Apparently, even the king has eaten here! With the little bit of Arabic we could speak, we ordered falafel for 4. At Hashem, falafel comes 2 ways: small chickpea balls and larger ones filled with sautéed onions and extra spice in the center. Each order was accompanied by a generous bowl of hummus with a healthy pour of olive oil in the middle and a giant piece of warm pita bread. Needless to say, it was delicious! We left very happy, full, and ready to continue our adventure tomorrow.

Head to the Royal Palaces.

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