Dec 24 - There are only Jett buses to Amman at 7:00 and 11:00, so I opt for the latter. The tickets come out really cheap (comparatively) at 27 JD for all three. We are at the bus station at 10:30, arriving by foot and waving off about twenty taxis that drive alongside asking where we need to go the whole way. I’m glad to have asked in detail about the location, as the station is hidden behind the Mövenpick hotel and not obvious from the main street. In the departure lounge, have to fend a beggar who is really insistent, and when ignored, tried to touch and kiss people’s children.
The first part of the trip is just duplicating road we’ve already been on twice now. Then we pass Ma’an and continue across the featureless highlands. Many, many more occurrences here of burned tires, now shoved off the highway, but showing just how large these fuel price protests have been. It seems like the Jordanian army has deployed every armored carrier they have along this route. Some rain, and the temperature goes down considerably as we approach the capital city of Amman.
We disembark not so far from the hotel, a 30 minute walk, but Amman is composed of steep hills that make walking with luggage a struggle. The taxi ride is an exhausting fight, I don’t have exact change for the fare so the driver’s assistant (playing bad cop to the driver’s good cop) makes a big deal about wanting the original fare I bargained him down from. It takes several minutes for him to give up and hand over my change.
We are staying at the Dali House, which are apartments but with a reception desk. Sort of best of both worlds. The apartment is huge: at first I think the kitchen we walk through is communal before realizing it is all ours. We haven’t had a homey place like this for over a month. Nearby is a grocery store, with the most food selection we’ve seen since Türkiye. Both of these details are very welcome, as my idea for Amman was to be able to celebrate Christmas in a nice place and be able to cook our own dinner.
Jordan