I like Jordan. I don't like Tutenkhamun's Revenge.

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After our adventures in Cairo, I decided to book an organized tour to Petra.  Though I toured Petra solo, I immediately bonded with a young couple from New York while making fun of an overanxious, "I have tourist written all over my forehead" father.  It was rather embarassing, actually, and he became the source of much mockery throughout the trip.

Petra is awesome.  Amazing.  The rock formations, the valleys...wow.  And the manmade city is even more mind-boggling - I now understand why it's a modern wonder of the world.  You could never capture Petra on film; the pictures are a mere reminder of its imposing and awe-inspiring nature.

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On my way back to the bus I made friends with a bedouin police officer.  I told him my dad is Arab, but that he never spoke Arabic to me and that I'd like to learn.  So he started teaching me.  By the end of the trip I could count to ten; introduce myself; declare "I am a bedouin!;" and say other random words like 'beautiful' and 'how are you?'

My overall impression - Jordan seemed less gritty and more inviting than Egypt.  Maybe Amman is just as gritty as Cairo.  But judging by what I saw and the people I met in one day, I liked the country and the people.

Treasury Building
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Things I do not like: Contracting stomach bugs in third-world countries and dealing with them while touring Jordan. It was not fun...but in the end, Petra was worth a little discomfort.

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Ok.  Here's what I hate: when 72-hour stomach viruses dominate your body for twelve days.  Upon my return to Israel I kept thinking, 'oh I'm getting better,' and then nope.  Not at all.

I tried everything over the counter: pepto, immodium...and then I finally tried asking people for names of doctors and instead kept getting, 'oh have you tried pomegranite juice?  It's medically proven to work,' or something to that effect.  After nearly two weeks I finally found a doctor across the street and booked an appointment.

"So what's the problem?"

Besides having lost about 6 pounds and slowly but surely gaining the Kate Moss appeal?

"I was in Egypt two weeks ago and have been sick ever since, and I've tried everything over the counter and nothing seems to work."

After a thorough examination, she started writing a prescription.  "OK, I give you ammodium."

What part of "I was in a third world country and have been sick for two weeks" do you not understand?

"No, I need antibiotics."

"Oh, you want antibiotics?"

"YES."

"OK, I give you antibiotics."

Finally.

Within hours, my problems were solved.  Hallelujah.