Sitting in a very nice hotel lobby in Amman enjoying my first Corona in six weeks, and listening to a lady in a leopard skin gown play some recognizable tunes on the piano.
Amman is a progressive and cosmopolitan city compared to Baghdad right now. Driving the 40 minutes from the airport and passing the clean, elegant buildings, and freely moving people I couldn’t help but imagine that this is what Baghdad may become one day. A picture of the beaten and battered city 20 years from now, transformed into a modern Islamic capital city tickled my mind; it seems so far away, almost unachievable.
Things that you notice in Amman are the streets, packed with people and cars, are very clean. Many of the women are dressed in the traditional black hijab, which looks to me to be very hot in the Middle Eastern sun. Those that are not dressed head to toe in black at least wear a muted head scarf in accordance with their beliefs. The architecture is amazing, both modern steel and glass next to castle-like structures made of white, sun-baked stone.
I only have a handful of hours to spend here before I fly out tonight for Paris and then Atlanta. I really wanted to rent a car and drive to the Dead Sea, but I don’t have the time on this trip. The next time through I’m going to take a day and see what’s outside the city.
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