All is well, Jordan is very calm and friendly. Downtown Amman is like all chaotic, third world 3rd cities—it reminded me of Merida, Mexico—dirty and crowded with commerce largely on the streets, and in hole the wall stores. People are welcoming and helpful to tourists etc. I wandered through a fabulous produce market, with the sellers hawking like auctioneers, I did buy some dates, dried apricots walnuts and sultanas. I got a kick out of seeing a gigantic pile of them, since I'm in the ancient land of the Sultan, why not? Unlike Mexico, no one seems out to hassle you or rip you off, when I asked two young men directions yesterday, they said "come with us we'll show you" of course that usually means asking for money, or soliciting you for something you dont want, but it's not the case here. They were in fact musicians going off to teach and did indeed show me the way. The taxi drivers mostly speak English, they know where NZ is, (Many sheep! Yes!) and are very proud that Jordan is a peaceful, crime free country. It's quite touching actually. My driver is picking me up an an hour and we're off to see the ruined Roman city of Jerash then through the mountains of Moab for another splash in the Dead Sea, this time on the Jordanian side. Tomorrow we drive to Petra. I am woken up each morning here at 4:30 am with a very beautiful call to prayer, layered and ethereal as it echoes across Amman's many hills. This morning I recorded it, quite beautiful, more like a harmonic chant you might hear in trance music and nothing like the ugly, nasal, tuneless droning I heard coming from the mosques in Jerusalem.
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