JordanMapMay 47, 2008 The entire country consists of sandstone. An ordinary coin is all you need to inscribe a cultural missive from Russia here. ![]() And people have been taking advantage of this since ancient times. ![]() Only back then, people lived inside the mountains themselves, and now they just cut building-sized blocks out of them. ![]() Jordanian cities look somewhat strange—like tidy swallow’s nests. ![]() There are a few ruins dating back to the Roman Empire, and tourists gladly come to see them. ![]() Although Jordan isn’t exactly geared towards visitors. There’s no English once you go beyond the tourist sites. ![]() And at tourist sites, they forget about Arabic. ![]() This is the Dead Sea coast. A couple of kilometers of the seashore have been turned into a resort area. The sun sets in Israel as a waiter sets the table for a dinner organized by the French Embassy. ![]() There’s absolutely nothing to do here, plus there are too many Russians. Russians tend to ruin any place, because there’s no point in making any effort for them. Trash cans wait in the wings. ![]() Oh joy—a trash can at work. ![]() Trash cans in Jordanian cities usually hang on poles at chest level. ![]() More or less like the post boxes. ![]() King Abdullah II is everywhere, as it should be in an Arab country. What differentiates Jordan from its southern neighbors is that the king is wearing European clothing instead of a headscarf in half the portraits. ![]() A traffic light. ![]() A utility pole serving as the base for a streetlight. There’s usually a frame at the top to which the wires are attached (like in Egypt). ![]() I’ve never seen anything like this before: a pole that consists of two parts attached to one another via plates at a 45° angle. In order to secure the bottom part first and then bolt on the top? It’s a mystery. ![]() The highways are numbered. What’s curious is that the roads not only have numbers, but also their own shield shapes, like in the US. ![]() Some of the trucks are painted, but very timidly—it’s a far cry from India. ![]() A distinctive feature of the local pedestrian: he’s wearing down the second and fourth zebra stripe. ![]() It’s strange. ![]() Petra has its own variety, though. ![]() And the cops’ uniform is the most beautiful of all the ones I’ve seen. It’s all about the spiked helmet. ![]() Border guards carry out their solemn duty under a stationary sunshade as they await the Israeli military thugs. Ordinary highway patrol officers also have similar canopies, so they’re easy to spot from afar. ![]() An outline of a teapot advertises a roadside teahouse. They serve Lipton, the jerks. ![]() But overall, Jordan is a pleasant, calm, somewhat boring and relatively poor Arab country. ![]() |
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