Day 9: Aqaba, Jordan - I Like Jordan

The mean streets of Aqaba.

Despite arriving in Jordan under some pretty bad circumstances, I've quickly learned one thing -- Jordan is not Egypt. Cars stop when I cross the street. Police actually do stuff besides receive bribes for quicker checkpoint stops. Most importantly, I am not hounded wherever I go. When people ask me if I would like to buy something, they actually accept a casual "no thank you." No one ever asks for more payment or tip money. As much as I loved Egypt, I couldn't help but feel under attack sometimes. I don't feel that way here.

Aqaba is a medium-sized port city on the coast of the Red Sea, overlooking Egypt and Eilat, Israel. It's home to what must be the world's largest flag and flag pole (90 m x 60 m, 135 m high) and a very mellow attitude. People laze around and generally soak up sun and life. I'm not sure if Jordan is wealthy as a whole, or if Aqaba is simply a wealthy city, but much of Aqaba feels decidedly first world. Standards of living are drastically different from those in Egypt, and the people don't seem to have the same sense of desperation.

The mean beaches of Aqaba.

As a tourist destination, there isn't a whole lot to see in Aqaba. I spent the day walking around the city and visiting the castle. It's a medieval structure that was occupied by the Turks during World War I. Nothing too special, but it was something to see.

The mean castle of Aqaba.

After wandering around Aqaba, found a rather feisty little coffee shop to plop down in and watch the World Cup. Brazil is a very popular team in this part of the world because of their brand of beautiful football, and therefore Brazil games are always packed. I shared the shade of a make-shift lean-to and a large tree with about 200 people who were all served by the same coffee shop. Great atmosphere. Although the crowd was sad to see Brazil lose, they applauded the game.

The Ghana game, on the other hand, incited vicious hisses and boos. The crowd was pretty mixed at the beginning but leaned significantly toward Ghana at the end. And who could blame them. People here seem to place a great amount of emphasis on civility and politeness, and that ending was anything but civil and polite.

The mean World Cup watchers of Aqaba.

I've also encountered my first Chinese community. Because Aqaba is a port city, it sees Chinese ships with Chinese workers, and that creates a Chinese community. I was tipped off to its existence by the the establishment of many massage parlors and overdressed Chinese women walking around. While I won't be taking pleasure in any of these delights, I am looking forward to a Chinese meal or two.