I'm here!

composed Fri Feb 1 21:00 CST

So, my boss and I made it to Chicago, about an hour late. We had to check in with Royal Jordanian, to get replacement boarding passes for the international flight. Not sure why, and we also won't be sitting next to each other. But that's not too big a deal.

There's no WiFi access here. OK, that's not strictly true. There's WiFi access, but you have to pay for it. Ah well. Right now, we're sitting in the Al Italia lounge for first/business class passengers. It seems that later in the evening, some of the smaller airlines consolidate to save of staff expenditure. So we have nice comfy seats, much better than the ones out by the gate, and we have a supply of liquid refreshments and pretzels. With that in mind, we went and got some food from the food court. Let's just say, captive audience prices. Oh well.

Our flight to Amman has been delayed, leaving at 10:50pm central, instead of the originally scheduled 9:10, so we wait, in the nice comfortable lounge, until we're called to board the plane.

Oh, and for perspective... Jordan is about half the area of Missouri.

composed Sat Feb 2 23:20 JST (15:20 CST)

The flight was pretty uneventful, but I'm now officially spoiled. I want to travel first/business class again. The seats has plenty of leg room, and in fact would recline to almost horizontal. It's been the only international flight I've ever been able to sleep on.

The Food. Well, yum. We were given a menu:

• Appetizers & salads
• Smoked Duck
• Mediterranean Vegetables Pate
• Baby Shrimps
• Main Course
• Beef with Green Peppercorn Sauce
• Chicken stripes with Black Pepper Sauce
• Grilled Fillet of Sole in Duglere Sauce
• Penne Pasta with Sundried Tomato Sauce


• Buttered Garden Vegetables
• Steamed Red Bliss Potatoes
• Saffron Rice
• Cheese & Fruit
• A Selection of International Cheeses
• Fresh Fruit Basket
• Desserts
• Assorted Fancy Cakes

At first I thought I'd have the smoked duck and the chicken, but, in fact, when they came around with the appetizers, the plate had all four items on it! The main course was in fact a choice between the Beef, Chicken, Fish and Pasta.  The chicken was wonderful, as was the cheese and fruit, and I'd forgotten by then that there was more to come. Mango and Guava juices I enjoyed with the meal, and followed up with a coffee. Mmm.

For entertainment, we had individual fold out screens, showing five or six different films with the in-flight broadcast system, or we could ask for one of the portable Audio/Video On Demand devices, with yet more choices.

I got some reading done, some knitting (socks!) done, and watched one movie. I'll probably use the AVOD on the way home.

We got to airport in Amman, found where to change money (1 Jordanian Dinar = $US 1.40), and then purchase an entry visa. Then off to the baggage claim, customs, and to meet our driver.

He drove us to the hotel, and I learnt some things about driving in Jordan: Whoever is most assertive has right of way, and lane markings are suggestions.

We check in, and discover that the rooms don't have wireless, and internet access costs. So, with that in mind, I'll most likely be composing emails or blog posts offline, and then uploading them, to avoid spending too much time on the hotel network. I'll also see what I can do from the office, too.

We decide to get a little bite to eat, before heading to bed, and use the rooftop restaurant. I had a beetroot salad, some spiced lamb sausage-like things, and a chocolate mousse. Along with that there was complementary bread, garden salad, then fruit to finish off. It really was wonderful food.

Now it's time to get to bed, and get to the real work in the morning.