they're everywhere they're everywhere.

• IAN CAME TO DUBAI

check out the news section for pics.

• current

I'm in Amman, visiting the extended fam. Staying with my cousin Maria and her husband plus their 3 little girls. Both work for the Embassy, I think I am going to go check it out this week (I've never been to a U.S. Embassy before...). He's worked in embassy security for 20+ years and she has been a political officer for the last 10. They are coming from working in Syria, which was a much older place, with more attacks, and a much smaller embassy. The US Embassy in Jordan is large in part because Jordan receives a lot of US aid; for it's 'support' on Israel and it's support on Iraq. Currently, the US embassy in Jordan it also acts as the US Embassy for Iraq and is the staging point for everything US that goes to Iraq.

I'm here visiting/meeting the fam and doing some tourist things for a few days before I head back to the states. Thankfully Al Futtaim arranged my travel so that I am flying straight back to the states from Amman.

I'm staying with the fam in a rulllly nice embassy apt. From there I went to the Citadel and the Roman theatre this morning.

Amman is veryyy different from Dubai. It's older. The aiport is kind of a dump and a lot of the buildings here are falling apart. But it's more of a city. The population here is more homogenous, all arabic (lots of palestinians), and not so many english speakers (which makes cab rides a lot more interesting. and impossible). I learned approx. 0 arabic while in dubai, and what i did learn is more appropriate for teasing 14 yr olds and not fit for everyday conversation.
sooo i am learning the basic basics on a need to know basis and borrowing cell phones to call my cousin for help. it's as simple as that, ya turkey.



Amman is a city of jebels (hills) that are all covered in small houses and shops and roads. None of it strikes me as very modern, but Maria assures me that it's newer than Damascus. The citadel is on top of Jebel al-Qal'a. Here I am in front of Hercules' Temple. My visit to the site happened at high noon in August, so believe it or not there weren't many fellow tourists there to snap my pic. So I did my best with the timer ...
I think this is a pretty good one. I'm siting in front of an Umayyad palace here. My brain is supersaturated, there's not much space for new information to enter. I'm not entirely sure of what I saw today. BUT the Umayyads were a group of people that lived here a long time ago. The site included the palace, a mosque (just the ruins), a bathhouse, a HUGE well, plus the remains of a Byzantine church.

Then I went to an old Roman theatre. I guess an American was shot there recently and we aren't supposed to go, but whooops. The stadium seating at the theatre goes up pretty high and is very steep. The stairs are very small and made of a soft stone that is falling apart. Basically, with my fear of heights and my sandals I was quickly terrified as I ascended the monument. I didn't fall, or get shot, and I am safe and sound writing you this wonderful note.

After that I went for a late lunch with Maria and the older 2 girls at the Wild Jordan. The cab drivers did not have any idea how to get to the place thought and it was mos def an ordeal. But I made it and it was an interesting little tourist info place. Built with US $$$ and obviously catering to westerners. After lunch I dipped out and took a walk along Rainbow Road. A semi-happening road that featured lots of furniture galleries, book stores, cafes, falafel places, and gun shops. I wandered far enough along the road to find King Hussein's club and then the Iraqi Embassy (not the US embassy for Iraq that is in Amman right now, but Iraq's Embassy). At that point I figured it was time to turn around so I did and came back home (again with taxi difficulty).

Tonight my cousin's husband's daughter from his first marriage is coming into Amman. She is 22 too, which means I'll have a partner in crime for most of the rest of the week.

Tomorrow: Jerash & Aljun
Thursday: Petra
Friday: Petra &/or Dead Sea
Saturday: US of A

• news

Ian Doyle Olson came to Dubai. To visit me. Isn't he a sweetheart? We were talking on the phone and I said, "You should come." and he said, "Ok." Within 2 days (or 3 depending on how you count, teeny) he was there and then we spent not quite a week haaaaangin out. We slept a lot. Ate a lot of realllly healthy food (you'll probably see some very charming pics of me/us on his fbook soon). Watched some Olympics, at really weird hours of the day. I introduced him to the Malls of Dubai, the room service of Sofitel, Dune Bashing, plus riding on camels/driving go karts in the desert, belly dancing, etc. We also went to the Dubai museum which was pretty nice and kind of saw the Burj Al Arab (7 star hotel), they don't let you come onto the grounds unless you pay a looot of money. We also drove out onto the Palm Jumeira, but it was hard to see anything because it was after sunset during a sandstorm. The most important part of the trip was our SUIRP movie. It doesn't really counter but instead compliments the famous SPHYNX.
Suirp chronicles a toy prius as is breaks into the evil SOFITEL hq and narrowly escapes a thuggish guard and near death. Ian gets most of the credit for this masterpiece. I was only the cameraman. Sometimes.

• end

I spent the whole summer in a desert and today is the first time I got a sunburn. We were never outside long enough in Dubai to get burnt and in my effort to abandon all unnecessary items I left the sunscreen before coming to sunny Jordan. Back home on Saturday and reallllly looking forward to it. I am exhausted.