I usually try to get out of capital cities as soon as I can: they tend to be loud, busy, crowded, etc. Amman was all of these things but it definitely had its ups, starting with attending the farewell party of my friend's expat son and daughter-in-law (neither of whom I'd met before showing up at their house and getting the dance party started).
Walking through the main market was lively and delicious.
The citadel, with its Roman ruins perched high above the city center, was fascinating to walk through and turned out to be free! Locals had given me some short cuts to make that big hill a bit more managable, which resulted in me unknowingly circumventing the main entrance. Oops…
Continuing my free day, when I went to the small Roman amphitheater and asked how much admission was, the ticket taker waved me in and refused to take my money. I reluctantly went in and a few minutes later was approached by a very official looking man. I was sure I'd been busted for being ticketless, but instead he had heard a foreigner was visiting and he wanted to show me around the theater. The acoustics were impeccable.
But the best part of Amman was the food! I can't for the life of me remember the name of this place but I went there every day I was in Amman, as did half the city it seemed. Falafel, pita, hummus, bean spread, fresh mint, onions, tomatoes, and sweetened mint tea all unlimited, all for about $3.
2 Responses to Amman, Jordan