Amman 21/05/2008 - Champions League Final Edition

Today was strictly business until the evening. After the first couple of sessions of our inter-plant meetings in the hotel, we were taken to the Amman plant for a tour and and then on to a restaurant (Qaryat Al Nakheel). Other than many more Laughing Doves and a Hoopoe on the way, the only other birds I noted was a mixed group of Alpine and Pallid Swifts overhead as we entered the restaurant. After the delicious meal (meze with lots of mixed salads, humus and similar stuff with flat breads, falafel and then spiced lamb kebabs and grilled spiced chicken) we returned to the hotel. After a quick shower I was back in the bar for a swift Amstel (the only beers on offer seemed to be Amstel or Heineken, which I hate, or bottled Corona and similar). we then took a short taxi ride to the Champions Sports Bar attached to the Amman Marriott Hotel with the intention of watching the final. We arrived to a thriving and packed bar full of Jordanian youth bearing their Man United and Chelsea shirts, shouting and screaming at each other and singing football songs. Didn't expect that! We then embarked on a liver-threatening intake of Amstel (8 pints) whilst watching the game and enjoying a bit of banter with the youth. They were all very knowledgeable about the British game, even being aware of LCFC and their plight into relegation. I have to day that if I'd been at home this game would have gone unwatched, but in the surreal circumstances and with the beer flowing it was surprisingly exciting - I would have preferred Chelski to win though. We got back to our hotel very late and I eventually got to bed at 02:30 after a couple of large Glenlivets (no Macallan or Laphroaig on offer).

Al-Hussein National Park - Amman 20/05/2008

On waking this morning with an Amstel hangover, I immediately noted that it was very sunny and fucking hot. It's the sort of intense dry heat that doesn't give you time to sweat - it all dries up immediately! Anyway, I had a little time to try and get out but not enough to really make the most of this business trip (no chance of getting to Petra or Wadi Rum). That's the trouble with business trips - never enough time to take in the sites and culture. A quick internet check revealed a place called the Al-Hussein National Park on the western side of Amman. A quick taxi ride and I was there. It was immediately clear that the park was not a green oasis with lots of birding potential, but an arid scrub plantation with straggly trees clinging on to life.

Lush green and pleasant land.

Mosque on the mound.

The desert equivalent of a conifer plantation.

Absolutely

The park is on a hillside giving excellent views of this side of Amman. Which is much the same as the other views of other sides of Amman!






Commonest birds here were, annoyingly, House Sparrow and Linnet. No warblers and very little else other than plenty of Turtle Doves. To be honest it was crap. Even a quick walk through Leicester would yield more species. The only bird interest really was good numbers of Crested Larks and Laughing Doves. Also loads of lizards - albeit fucking quick and jumpy lizards! Not too many butterflies and dayflying moths either.


Crested Lark


Laughing Dove - just about.


Laughing Dove


Turtle Dove


Some sort of lizard.

Our man in Amman

Having never been to anywhere in the middle east before, I really didn't know what to expect on arriving here last night. As it happens, it was dark so I still didn't know what to expect although I did notice though on the drive from the airport was that the western capitalist machine has certainly been embraced in Jordan. McTakeovertheworld, KillFuckingChicken and Pizza Shite were all noted. The views from the hotel pretty much sum up Amman - a huge sprawling building site in the desert!





I guess Jordan, and Amman in particular, is not fully representative of the middle east as a whole. The hotel itself is a very swanky and westernised Sheraton with plenty of facilities that I won't use apart from Wi-fi and a bar.

A slight lie, as this is the pool I was sitting around whilst blogging with a beer!