a Geographer's Place

Probably my favorite mall feature: The animatronic T-Rex in Galleria Mall at  Christmastime. Notice Santa with pterodactyls. A bustling metropolitan area with more than 4 million people, Amman has lots of things to keep a Travelist busy. There are ancient ruins, museums, Arab souks, architecture, restaurants of all kinds (and price-ranges)...and the list continues. There are also no fewer than a dozen universities scattered throughout the city limits. And Amman keeps expanding. The city changes so fast that Google Maps can’t keep up with it. For example, where last month there was no road, unexpectedly there is one now, or where there were just a few pilings for a bridge last month, suddenly there is a new bridge. Their construction crews certainly work fast here! For some reason, malls have always fascinated me. It may be that I grew up without them, only visiting them around Christmastime with my parents until I was in college and lived in “The City”. Or it may...

After a good night’s sleep, we had a leisurely morning and then headed out to the Eastern Desert for a quick castle loop. While there are a bunch of castles east of the north-south-running Desert Highway, we focused on three main ones, all along Highway 40: Kharana , Amra  (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and Azraq . When you purchase an entrance ticket for 4JD, it also covers entrance to several other castles on the loop (Highways 40 and 30), so it’s quite the sight-seeing deal. The lesser-known & less-touristed desert castles are the focus of my personal research while here as a Fulbright Scholar, and I’ll post more about those explorations as they occur. Side note on the Eastern Desert Highways: Roadside mileage sign along Highway 40. Azraq (see below) is actually just 50 kilometers from the Saudi Arabian border. It's, umm...quite  exhilarating  to see a sign like this! The Eastern Desert Highways exist mainly for truckers transporting ...