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Amman is a modern Arab city rather than one of the great cultural centres of the Middle East. There are really two Ammans, Eastern Amman is Islamic and home to the urbanised poor and Western Amman a world apart with leafy residential districts, trendy cafes and bars and the two are totally different. We went down into the old city and wandered around the market stalls where they were selling live rabbits, chickens and Turkey as well as Saddam Hussein memorabilia!!! We are staying in a hotel again in an area surrounded by Embassies as as such nearly every corner has an armed guard in uniform carring an AK47. There is a huge police presense here and every hotel entrance has security screening. The soldiers are all very polite and speak English as though they were trained at Sandhurst!!!
We have enjoyed visiting the modern restaurants having one of our first Western meals in a long time and even sitting in McDonalds out of the heat having a coffee and and a McChicken Burger.
Whilst here we went to left our passports at the Sudan Embassy after applying for visas to go through Sudan after Egypt. This visa is notoriously time consuming to obtain so we shall see. Also the skin rash that Peter has had for the last 6 weeks has not improved even after my Dr Jill diagnosis of a fungal infection and a course of antibiotics. We took the opportunity whilst here to visit a Dermatologist. We went to the local clinic who recommended someone and we got to see him without even having an appointment. Sitting in the waiting room I was checking my purse thinking well I have about 80 pounds plus my credit card so we should be o.k. It was less than 10 pounds!!! The last consultation I had with my dematologist was 120 pounds never mind the cost of the treatment I had!!! He told Peter it was something like a that would eventually clear up but sun would help it and as we were moving to the Dead Sea resorts sun was definately on the cards.
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