October 8, 2019 - Amman to Cairo

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Ammar is coming to pick us up at 8:30 or earlier, if he can get through the morning rush-hour traffic.  We’re all up early enough to have breakfast and check out as he arrives.  It’s on to Amman airport ( Queen Alia International Airport ) There’s a short stop to see the cool tent, restaurant where Ammar waits when he is early for a client pick-up and to let everyone use the toilet if need be.  Then it’s on to the drop off point where Mohammad (another one) meets us and gets us started on the check-in process.  He gets our boarding passes and tags our suitcases and points us toward the drop off place!  Free!





It’s on to security where they are swabbing computers and cameras and Marilyn even has to turn her computer on!  But we survive and it’s on to our gate.  We’re nice and early, just the way we like it!  Eventually people start lining up, without even an announcement.  We follow them and climb onto the bus that will take us to the plane,  A young woman gives me her seat.  I don’t feel old enough for that - but I take it anyway!

We climb the steps and wonder at the way the airline - or the agency - got us four seats in the same row!  It’s only an hour and a half flight;  but we get a lunch box (it looks awfully familiar) with orange juice, a chicken sandwich and a honey oat granola bar, with a bottle of water.
They've got everything!  Smoking room and prayer room!

Coming into Egypt




We get off the plane and here’s a surprise!!  Mustafa, our first Memphis contact, is waiting at the bottom of the escalator!  We had thought that we were on our own from here on out, and, instead, Mustafa is there for us!!  He has our visas and guides us through baggage claim and passport control and waits with us to make sure that the Osiris has, indeed, sent a car to pick us up!  It is really nice to have someone on the ground who knows the ropes!!



This tunnel under the city street twists and turns and seems to go on forever!


Our pick-up person is waiting outside and Mustafa hooks us up before he leaves.  Everything fits in that little Aero!  And the A/C is wonderful!  We come into town another way and see some new sights, and go through a snake tunnel and is really lengthy and then we’re downtown and at the Osiris!  We take the tiny elevator in shifts up to the 12th floor, where reception is located and come up with enough cash to pay our bill.  Our rooms are on this floor and across the hall from one another,.  Ours has three beds, two with towel animals, and we’re very happy.

As soon as we’re settled, we go up to the rooftop terrace and bar.  There are pigeons and parakeets and funky decorations and it’s out kind of place!  And they have beer!  Two kinds???!  And wine!  We’re home for the next day and a half.  Juan drifts off to investigate the neighborhood and to buy us large bottles of water.  Ginger and I are happy campers with our phones and computers,  Marilyn joins us and has a couple of lemonades and Juan comes back in time for sunset, which is quite loverly!  This is the ideal way to end this fabulous adventure.  We aren’t in the sanitized, cloistered environment but out in the real world!

Checking into our boutique hotel!



Oh!  Yes!  Beer!!

Charlie Chaplin!  I hope I can show you the video someday!

And he has a friend!



Juan has been checking out the hotel’s tour offerings and finds a dinner on the Nile for tomorrow night for only twenty-five dollars!  That will be perfect!  We have to leave for the airport around midnight for our 3:30 flight to Rome/Atlanta and the hotel will arrange transportation for us.





Wow!  Those are some red curtains!  And we have towel critters on two of our three beds!
Marilyn has gone down to the room to shower and get ready for bed;  we’re thinking of something for dinner, since it’s only six thirty.  We’re all planning to sleep in tomorrow morning!  There’s nowhere we have to be until dinner at seven!  That sounds so good!  We’ll probably sit back up here and swap photos and chat all day.  Perfect!!  (I fall asleep sitting up with my computer - so I guess I'd better give up for the night!)

Comments

  1. NatOctober 8, 2019 at 1:47 PM

    I'm exhausted

    ReplyDelete
  2. CourtenayOctober 10, 2019 at 10:21 AM

    The colors are such a contrast to the brown terrain. I love the birds! I hope to see video, too. ❤️

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mama dragonOctober 11, 2019 at 2:27 AM

      It was hard to adjust to all that expansive of nothingness! It sure is a relief to come home to GREEN!! Definitely show you the video!

      Delete

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