Camped in a thorny field with views to the hills, and a bench to sit eating my dinner on. Crossing the Allenby bridge was certainly an experience, and worthwhile if unpleasant. Half past six in the morning, walk past a queue of maybe fifty Mercedes taxis, loaded with baggage and bodies, bluff my way through the gate to a bus stop with a queue of a hundred people. More and more people unloaded, but nobody moved.
An American came storming through, swearing and babbling about being misinformed and swindled, and together we tramped off down the hot straight road to the checkpoint – where there was another queue of buses. Here, finally, there were Israelis, obviously keeping out of the way. The bridge was closed, no reason given, but it soon opened, and we hitched to the customs post. A busload of international young performing artists! Very Magic Kingdom. Queue to pay exit tax, to check passports, then a bus. The bridge itself is hardly more than a couple of boards over a wadi, an incredible anti-climax after the hassle, humiliation and frustration which ordinary people have to go through. I can’t believe a fraction of those people we passed go through today. A surprising number of Westernized Palestinians – American, Australian.
Shared a taxi with Michael, a man from Gaza, another from Nablus. Michael was very vocal, probably overwhelming the others, with talk of Gandhi, reforming the Intifadah, peace. It was all very reasonable, and new for me – I’m used to sympathizing with anger at Israeli prejudice and injustice. I can see that this talk could be very positive. Amman’s jebels are precipitous, but the uniformity of the buildings is a little depressing. At least no blocks of flats. Climate is beautiful after the valley, cool breeze lifts kids’ kites from the hill tops and roofs. City is quite clean, but not because people don’t litter (and there aren’t any bins). And yet houses are so immaculate inside. People seem well off, shops are full and varied. The herbs and spices are a whole new world again!
Hotel is pine clad, vinyl floored, with jungle murals and a tortuous cramped staircase. Michael (42, laid off, unmarried), John (divorcee) and Tai (Japanese, on world tour) make interesting company! Many stories, over coffee, hoummous, backgammon.