I can't quite say I slept like a baby. They are massive fans of beeping their car horns here, at all hours. Nevertheless, my bed was so comfortable and the air conditioning was effective, yet quiet. So you can't blame Art Hotel for the traffic outside. Baher had said last night that I should see the Roman Ruins and Citadel today so I came out of the hotel, turned left and walked and walked. The hotel is surrounded by little boutiques and ‘looky looky’ men, ladies are mostly completely covered and the men a love a cigarette. I think I’m staying in the old town area. The city itself, to me, is an amalgamation of Egypt and Dubai. Buildings are only 2,3 or maybe 4 stories high and a dirty sand colour, but it's cleaner than the areas of Egypt I have seen. I turned left and somehow I found myself at the Roman Amphitheatre, with my back to the theatre, I could see the Citadel and Roman Ruins, very high up. I headed towards them. In hindsight, a taxi might have been a better idea, but I made it up to the top and it was the most beautiful view. As I looked South I could see hills of beige, low rise houses (some of which unfinished. Baher said that this because only when a house is complete do you have to pay tax on it, so people add the columns to give the impression that another level may be coming an also to accommodate other generations), with Jordan flag kites flying in the sky, unable to see their pilots, to the North sky scrapers under construction, which is why I think it reminds me of Dubai a little. I think Jordan looks like Egypt but has Western aspirations to be liked Dubai but they don't have the money- unlike Dubai though, they do have so much history. I entered the ruins off a dirt track and wandered around for an hour. They don't seem to have any regard for health and safety, nor preservation for the site, and there didn't appear to be any security, so I could clamber up onto the stone ruins and jump from the crumbling foundations. I felt like a kid on a school trip. As I wondered to another view point (an hour after entering the site) a security guard beckons at me ‘TICKET. YOU NEED TICKET’. The dirt track I had followed in was forbidden. Whoops. Can't help thinking ‘forbidden’ was an extreme word choice… I paid my 2 JOD on departure and jumped in a taxi and asked to be taken to the shops. The driver took me to the Taj Mall. He told me it’s a new modern one. The reason for going to the shops is because I forgot to bring pyjamas. Stupid thing to forget considering I’m sharing with strangers and trying to make my clothes last. As I walk in I see H&M, Starbucks, Karen Millen and a pop up promo stand for LG. It's full of teens wearing jeans and converse, women aren't covered- if they are its just a head scarf, they're wearing expensive oversized sunglasses and have fantastic Cara Delevigne eyebrows, and men are in leather jackets and Ralph Lauren-esc labels. 

Ok, so not proud of this. You can take the girl out of Maidenhead etc…I bought my PJs and headed for Starbucks. I got coffee (no, name wasn't spelt quite right- Rechelle) and an ‘Arabic Haloumi panini’- I tried. And made the most of the free wifi. 

When I returned to the hotel for the arrivals meeting I was told that my new roomie was a lady called Hazel who had been let down by Intrepid. She had paid for a single supplement and upon arrival had discovered that she was sharing with yours truly and wasn't pleased. Good start. 

The tour meeting started at 6pm. Our tour guide is called Ahmed. In the group we have:

• Me. 

• Hazel. From Inverness. A middle aged blonde lady who teaches people with learning disabilities to get back into the work place. 

• Anthea and John. A couple, I think in their early 60s who live somewhere inbetween Milton Keynes and Aylesbury. Anthea refers to John as the ‘house affair manager’. He's a house husband. I didn't learn what Anthea does. 

• We have a a fifth person, Peter, but he hadn't arrived in time for the meeting. 

Ahmed invited us all for a group dinner around the corner. We had this buffet of humous, breads and falafel with black tea with mint. Ahmed said that the restaurant was so popular that even the royal family had attended there…to me it looked like a ram shackle café with plastic chairs and tables. There was no cutlery, no plates and our breads were handed to us by hand. It was lovely. The bill came to 12 JOD for the five of us. 

After dinner Baher came to pick me up and he took me to Rainbow Street. We went to what seemed like a sports bar, smoked shisha and drank tea. We are big big fans of sugary black tea here. We left the bar/ café and Baher wanted to take me to his friends coffee shop. The shop was narrow, about 6 feet wide with large fridges to the right containing local sweet delicacies. Ayman, Baher’s friend and the shop owner, greeted Baher warmly, they kissed on the right cheek, then left, right and then the right again. Ayman makes his tea in hot sands. There was a large skillet full of sand with a large gold kettle full of ginger and water accompanied by smaller pots of water with different herbs for each order. Ayman handed me an espresso sized cup of a dark red tea and refused to tell me what it was until I drank it. It was a sweet cinnamon. He was right not to tell me because I don't think I'd have tasted it. He then handed me a cumin and lemon tea, this just reminded me of curry and I felt like I should have had some rice with is. My face betrayed me on this one and I pinched up my nose, so I didn't have to drink any more. A third cup of tea got thrust towards me, this one containing lemon, ginger and honey.  SO. MUCH. GINGER. I subtly handed that one to Baher to finish. And is if three cups wasn't enough, a large cup of green and mint tea came my way- this was actually the flavour I had ordered on arrival but I'd thought had been cancelled/ ignored. Ayman then asked me what my favourite of the bunch was and handed me another cup of the sweet  cinnamon. After consuming what felt like my body weight in herbal teas Baher dropped me back at the hotel. 

Oh also. It's cold and rainy.