October 3, 2019 - Luxor to Cairo to Amman

Oh my goodness!  To be downstairs in time, I get up at four.  Gulp!  But when we get downstairs to pay our bill and turn in our keys, the table is set with coffee cups and carafes and our special breakfast “boxes” (they’re really bags) are waiting for us.  Our luggage comes downstairs and our newest member of the Memphis team is ready for us.  We eat most of our breakfast and head out to the car for the ride to the airport.  

The balloons go up every morning before sunrise.

There is a pre-screening when we first go inside and Ginger is told to put her little scissors in her big bag, which is a lot nicer than losing them! We find our ticket agent, ditch our big bags, and head for the gate. There really aren’t any announcements;  you just have to watch everyone else at the gate and follow them when they jump up!  We have to take a bus to the airplane and climb the movable stairs to board.  I get lucky and no one sits next to me!  Marilyn, Juan, and Ginger are in the same row.  

It’s a short flight and I’m surprised when they bring a little box of cookies and a drink!

It’s an uneventful flight - the best kind! - and we’re in Cairo.  Here we have to retrieve our luggage and leave the domestic terminal.  It’s a hike to the international terminal, terminal 2, in the Cairo heat.  We have a lengthy lay-over, which is good.  We’re looking for the Royal Jordanian Airline’s ticket agents and there don’t seem to be any, not even a sign for the airline!  Turns out they aren’t there full time and only showed a couple of hours before a scheduled flight.  We settle in to wait, and are nearly the first in line with the logo shows up.

Fun candy shop in Cairo airport

We've seen brides in lots of interesting places, but never before in an airport!

Once again we’re off to the gate;  but this time we think eating is a great idea.  The flight is pretty short (it looks like it’s only an hour;  but there’s a one-hour time shift, so it’s really two.) and we don’t expect a meal. 

Marilyn buys a Greek salad at Starbucks (Yes, they’re everywhere) and when Ginger and I go for our own, not only do they not have any more Greek salads, they only have one salad of any kind!  We go exploring and discover that the only places you can buy salad at the Cairo airport are Burger King and McDonalds!!  We go with Burger King and bring our lunch back to the gate since there aren’t any places to sit at BK.

Finally we board our aircraft and settle in.  Sure enough, there’s lunch!  There’s a chicken sandwich (I only eat the chicken - Egyptian bread must be made with American wheat!), orange juice, and an oats and honey granola bar!

We land and are heading for baggage claim when we see a distinguished-looking gentleman holding a sign that says, “Virginia May White”!  Yay!!  He guides us to baggage claim, has already procured our visas, and shepherds us out to our waiting chariot.  He introduces us to Ammar, who will be our guide and driver all through Jordan.

Ammar takes us to an ATM and a little grocery store where he buys us water and me a cup of coffee, then takes us to our hotel, which is only a couple of blocks away.  He suggests that if we want anything, we can just walk to the grocery.

Both rooms have a king-sized bed and a twin.  Ginger and Juan ask them to remove the twin and Marilyn is concerned that I won’t have a bigger bed;  but it doesn’t matter to me, so we’re all set.  Ammar will meet us down here in the morning at 7:30.  We go upstairs to settle in and organize, and especially check out the wifi!  It’s wonderful!  So far Jordan is pretty great!

Amman Airport is very modern and clean.

Amman is often called "The White City" because all the buildings are made of limestone.

Around seven or so we all think maybe a salad or bowl of soup would be good, so we good up to the rooftop restaurant, where the weather is balmy and grand.  After looking at all the goodies on the menu, the soup or salad idea goes out the window!  We all get some variety of kabob with onions and peppers and French fries, and a bottle of water for the table as well as an order of hummus which comes with a tray of olives, and pickled vegetables, and, of course, fresh pita.  We have a leisurely dinner and, eventually, drift off to our rooms, to reconvene in the morning.

View from our window.