Finally, Pictures!

Not a good picture, but several al-Qaida members are housed inside this jail. Jordan is a small country, but apparently King Abdullah's secret police are second-to-none. The al-Qaida members were arrested for plotting to kill thousands in Amman using chemical gas in April 2004. Four plotters were killed in the shooting, and three are held in this prison.







This is a Palestinian "refugee camp" outside of Amman. It's really more like a housing project. Palestinians that were kicked out of the West Bank by Israel live here. About half of Jordan's population of 6 million people are Palestinians. Most of these Palestinians want the right to return to the West Bank, but few would return if given the right. They have lived in Jordan for years; even generations, and it is now their home.




Wa'il tosses me a piece of candy. He was a University professor at UF in Gainesville, FL. His English is very good. A brilliant guy, and more like a little kid than an adult. He's lots of fun to hang out with. Caroline, Marlise, and I are at his house in Husn in this picture. I don't have a picture of his sister and brother-in-law yet, but they are the ones I was telling you about in my earlier post. He comes from a very nice family.





Marlise, Caroline, Wa'il 1, and Wa'il 2 hang out at the Golden Spoon in Irbid. From the name of the restaurant, you'd probably think either Chinese or maybe Jordanian. Not so - this was a burger-and-friends sort of joint. Things in Jordan are really cheap - an entire meal, including burger, fries, and a Pepsi cost around $3. The Wa'ils are good friends, and apparently there is a third friend. The three of them make up a "three amigos" group; they're usually inseperable (except that on the night of this picture, the third friend was out of town. Still haven't met him yet). Wa'il 2 is a nice guy, who was horrified at the idea that Carloline and Marlise were willing to smoke Arghela (scented tobacco smoked through a large device - same as a Huka). "very very very bad!" he said.

Will post on yesterday's crazy Egyptian chicken barbecue party tomorrow, so stay tuned.