I got into Amman, Jordan yesterday about 11 am and got to my hostel by about 1, maybe a little bit earlier. Since then I’ve been hiking all around the city. Yesterday I spent the day pretty much just walking within a safe distance from the hostel. When I first got here and ventured out onto the streets alone, I was a little bit intimidated. There are cars everywhere and people hanging out in front of shops that sit on narrow streets that wind their way through the city. Most of the streets aren’t marked so I was a little bit concerned that I wouldn’t be able to find my way back to the hostel if I strayed too far away. Like I said though, that was yesterday, when I first got here. Today I started just walking, and went to most of the regular sites in the city. I went to the citadel, which is an old city that is being excavated and restored. I also went to an old Roman Amphitheater, and a couple of museums. All of it was interesting and for the most part lots of fun.

I also spent a large portion of the day just hiking from one part of the city to another. I think that was the most interesting to me. You have to see the city to understand what I mean, when I say that there is so much culture here, that it’s hard to believe that this is a modern city. From a distance all the buildings look like they were built hundreds of years ago, but once you’re actually on the ground walking along the streets you start to see a city that has turned it’s back on technology. Oh, there are a few Internet cafes, but for the most part my guess is that this city looks the same as it did fifty years ago, and maybe even longer. On my hikes earlier today, there were a few clues that where I’m staying in the city is not truly representative of the rest of the city. The further you get from the downtown area, you start to see nicer cars, malls, fast food restaurants and all the other things that most cities seem to have. I’m not saying that I like KFC or McDonalds, but it seems strange that a city of more than 1.5 million didn’t have them.

Tomorrow I’m going to make my decision on when I go to Petra. I don’t know if I’ll go tomorrow or make arrangements to go on Sunday. I don’t have Internet here so I feel handicapped in making arrangements…