When we arrived at Amman International airport, we were met by Ahmad, who would be our driver throughout our stay in Jordan. Ahmad is a Bedouin with a wife from Venezuela who teaches English. He was very keen to help us learn some Arabic and about the cultural and customs of the country. In return he was keen to improve his English. Although his English was good to begin with, the nuances are difficult – we soon learned that the road is “closed” meant that it was very busy. As well as the Arabic for please, thank you etc, he also taught us the word “majnoon” which he used frequently to describe some of the “crazy” fellow road users. As a former police officer he had a knack of ensuring that we were waved through the numerous police checkpoints with no more than a “welcome to Jordan” and a smile.
He introduced us to Turkish coffee (Jordanian style) which is sold at petrol stations and roadside cafes. It differs from the original in that it is flavoured with cardamom- after two weeks it became addictive. He took us to local shops and roadside stalls to buy lunch snacks, ensuring we had chosen the best quality fruit and were charged local prices.
Ahmad made a big difference to our travels; looking after Mr Tim and Mrs Sarah whilst telling us about the health benefits of eating particular local foods and spices. He was Mr Best Driver and Dr Ahmad, who got his own health tip from Sarah about giving up smoking !
Shilli-Fully Travels 