Today we say “goodbye “ to Egypt as we catch our flight to Amman Jordan. First we need to go through the chaos that is the Cairo airport. Noisy, crowded and somewhat confusing, we weave our way through line after line to finally make it to our gate. Adios Cairo, it’s been an amazing experience.

Upon arrival in Amman we are met by our Driver and Guide who help us through customs -and baggage claim. The airport is beautiful and much calmer and quieter than Cairo. After a short security issue with a piece of my luggage (I packed some binoculars and my bag was flagged), we were able to clear customs without any further delays.

We opted to start our tour first rather than go to our hotel. We had plenty of day left and there is a lot to see.  First we set off to explore the Roman ruins of Jerash with our driver Mustafa. He is a local in Amman but lived and studied in the United States and England so his English is superb. When we arrive at Jerash our driver introduced us to our private guide Oscar. He was fantastic, and knew everything about the ruins. He has been a guide there for over 20 years.

Jerash is another Roman city built originally over 6500 years ago. It was fortified by Alexander the Great in 336 BC and was destroyed by an earthquake in 779 AD, where it laid buried until being rediscovered around 1800.

it is one of the best preserved Roman cities in the Middle East. Of particular note are the spectacular forum, Roman colonnaded street, the Nymphaeum, the Temple of Artemis, and South Theater. We spent about 2 hours exploring the city and then it was time for lunch.

Our driver took us for our first experience of Jordanian food. Outstanding!! Some of the tastiest and freshest food we have ever eaten. We ate till we were full and then we had to return to Amman to visit the Citadel on the highest hill, the Roman Theater, and a few Archeological & Folklore Museums.

Ciao for now