After two more days in Egypt, of which a good part of the time was spent trying to talk to the visa people in the Jordanian embassy in Cairo, we finally got on the plane and flew to Jordan. Once there, we got into the passport control line and hoped for the best. I got through no problem, but then when Dev showed his letter of intent, everything came to a grinding halt. Three, then four, immigration officers came over to examine the letter in turn, look at Dev's passport, flip the pages, read the letter, and then ask Dev where his visa was. After the umpteenth explanation and some considerable thought as to what we would have to go if Dev didn't make it in, they finally relented and let us through. By that time, we barely caught a shuttle into town and to our hotel.
Turns out the hotel we were staying at, Al-Sayara, was the hotel where the human shields and many of the journalists stayed during the Gulf War. The manager was very helpful and we also met a journalist who had started the first newspaper after the US took over Iraq last year. With Iraq right next door, the focus of people's attention at the hotel was on Margaret Hassan, the chief of CARE in Iraq, who had been recently abducted in Iraq.
Amman itself is built a series of 7 hills which makes for intersting taxi rides..there seem to be as many side streets as there are loops. We went to quite a happening cafe/bar (Books @ Cafe) with a gorgeous view 
-sheesha pipes, and young, hip Amman-ites were in abundance. The country is much more orderly than Egypt - the cabs all have proper modern meters. The petit taxi and grand taxi concept (similar to Morocco) also is properly in place here. The buildings are modern (and finished, unlike Egypt) and the people seem more modern as well. There is a lot of development work and building going on all across Amman - the king seems to be well liked as well - this country has a great future, in my opinion.
We spent some time at Abdoun Circle as well in Amman. Abdoun is a ritzy part of Amman where many of the nouveau riche have their houses. The shops are very westernized - things like English-language bookshops, pharmacy, restaurants, bank etc. are in abundance there - a one-stop shop for the leg-weary traveller! Right off of Abdoun, we also went to a nice restaurant named Blue Fig - given that it was Ramadan, they had some post-sunset festivities going on. Nice place.
Next stop: Petra!
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