I flew into Amman, the Jordanian capital, from Delhi, on an early morning flight. I’d said goodby to my love and was feeling sad and lonely on my return journey to Dublin. I wasn’t even meant to deplane on this stopover. But fate had decreed otherwise. An Indian family I knew in Dublin was living here now. Their Dublin-based son had sent on my flight details. Arrangements had been made. Within minutes of arrival, I was off the plane, some Jordanian Dinars had been exchanged and I was now officially visiting the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.The excitement of meeting Mohinder Singh, my old colleague, his wife and their two lovely daughters Neelam and Veena gave me second wind, in spite of the previous, sleepless night. We had breakfast and rapid catch-up. Then Mr Singh suggested I take some rest and explore downtown Amman later with his daughters. I found the city to be an exciting juxtaposition of
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Dead Sea[/caption]ancient and modern, desert with urbanity, traditional markets alongside tall, modern buildings. The girls showed me where to get great kababs. Unlike the vegetarian snacks I’d enjoyed in India, real meat was involved. We also visited the gold souk, just to look, not to buy. At dinnertime, Mr Singh suggested I visit Petra next morning, along with the girls. As time was short (less than three days), visiting Jordan’s main tourist attraction was a must.
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Amman[/caption]