Jordan - Email Update #4 and #5

Family,

Wow, only a few days left.  Good news - we are winning the war. 

I have been off the base two days now.  Once to go through Amman to visit a refugee camp and take a drive to Jeresh and the second time to drive to Jeresh and actually go in.

Amman reminds me of driving through the Bronx on the way to Manhattan.  Hulks of cars, shops with roller gate fronts selling everything from tires to KFC (really, KFC).  The people look very Blue Collar.  It's a dirty and congested mess. Once you get into Amman the building are much nicer, the store fronts are more exotic, and the people are more urban.  Women are in all states of dress, some without burkas, some with head scarfs and some with the full black coverage.  We drove past a Christian church which reminds us all that religions can actually coexist here.  However, the traffic was insane. Drivers take an aggressive posture and I, as a passenger, stepped on the imaginary brakes more than once and closed my eyes on several occasions.

The refugee camp was NOT a Syrian camp.  It was a Palestinian camp that was 25 years old.  It was clean, robust, and not what people imagine with the words, "refugee" and "camp".

The next day we went to Jeresh, a Roman city from 75AD.  These are the best preserved Roman ruins outside of Rome. On the way we "called and audible" and detoured to Ajloun Castle, an Arab Castle from the Crusades located further north. Getting there was interesting because the road was steep and winding. The towns were congested (it was a weekend) with pedestrians and cars.  The castle was amazingly large with rooms upon rooms and anterooms off of it. It looked like a set to Game of Thrones. Of course there were little to no safety guideline and kids we climbing everywhere. I could only imagine TJ and Grant on the loose in there.  (I will post pics on FB when I get back).  We ate in a small town - 18 American Soldiers - we clearly stood out. The young Soldiers didn't like being stared at and felt out of place.

We drove to Jeresh and I spent 3 hours walking and climbing ruins.  There are four distinct cultures in Jeresh, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Arab. I visited an early Christian church, the Temple of Zeus and Artemitis as well as the colonnade, city wall, Hadrian's Gate, hippodrome, market place...wow, it just went on and on.  (Look for pics on FB soon). The trip back was just as harrowing as the trip there. The most surreal thing of the day was standing in the ancient Roman amphitheater and watching three Arab men - in fully Arab clothing - play "Amazing Grace" on the bagpipes.  Seriously. When they broke into "Yankee Doodle Dandy" I lost it.  You. Can't. Make. This. Up.  So I took video.

I returned to the base where the people who have been cooking our food put on a dinner in our honor. Falafel, Shwarma, rich desserts, hummus, breads - it was awesome.  It was a great way to end the day; with a full belly, tired legs, and a waiting bed. Weather has been amazing, clear skies, warm (not hot), and low humidity. 

All is well.

Me at Jeresh

The Temple of Zeus

Hadrian's Gate

The Oval Colonnade

A colonnade

The Temple of Artemetis

Ajlun/Ajloun Castle

A few days later...


Well, shit.

A perfect thirteen hour flight from Amman to Chicago on a 787 Dreamliner.  Two meals, snacks, three beverage services, and at least five movies; The Heart of the Sea, The 5th Wave, The Edge of Tomorrow, Queen of the Desert (very appropriate), and Creed (very good).

Got through Customs in a flash, got my bag transferred in less than two minutes, and had enough time to spare for a burger and a beer.

Then a wall of water moved across the runways in a torrential downpour of rain, wind, and lightning. What I thought was just a passing storm turned out to be a freaking nightmare of domestic air travel as flights were delayed and then cancelled. Of course, not cancelled right away at 6:30pm when I was supposed to leave. No, it was cancelled two hours later. The rush on the counters to reassign flights was cray-cray. I had been up for almost 24 hours and I was about to lose my patience.

I rebooked and went to the USO for a nap. Now, we don't own a recliner, but last night the recliner in the USO was my friend. There may be one in my future.

So now it's 4:19am CST. I have a 7:15am flight through Charlotte because everything that was direct into RDU was full.

Looking forward to that final flight!

[and that's it. I made it home the next day a little sore from sleeping in a Lay Z Boy but none the worse for wear]