November 15th

November 15th
(brrr....)
It isn't actually that cold here but I bet it is at home....almost. Today, Mama and I weren't feeling well. The chocolate bar I ate right as we started off probably didn't help much either. We went to the Azem Palace. There are some rooms for guests, a loooot of rooms for famil and tow or three kitchen rooms. I wasn't feeling well for part of it and Mama hadn't been feeling well since we started so when we went to a restaurant for lunch both of us weren't feeling good. I didn't feel like eating much and Mama wanted to take a nap. Matthew and Papa wanted to see more souq so Mama and I went back. I read the book we got in a book store. Oh, and by the way, we're in Damascus now! Back to today, the book is called Greyfriars Bobby and it's about a dog whose dearest wish is to lie on his dead master's grave. But as no dogs area allowed in the churchyard he has to go through a set of adventures to do so. Then Matthew and Papa got back and we've sort of lazed around until now.

International Jordan Day, or as the Common Folk know it, November 19th
Location: Marhaba
Today is (Inter)National Jordan day because (so exciting) it was the day we got to Jordan! Before I go on about this I think it is worth mentioning that yesterday I got a...postage stamp. After we got out of our hotel we walked to find a taxi. Our most horrid mistake. It started off quite nicely. We went and found a taxi.
'To get to the bus station,' said the driver, 'is 400 pounds.
Papa said 'No way, Hose! 150!'
The driver didn't speak very much english so the storyline here is only more or less correct.
'Ha! I could buy a chocolate bar for that much! 300, at least.'
'Y'know, our hotel guy said 150 is the going rate so we could just get in another guy....' Papa told him. The driver was stunned No one was this persistent. No one.
Uh oh, Well, time for a trick, he thought.
Two hundred! My last offer!' he said.
Another taxi guy started to pull up and Papa started to turn to him and then the taxi driver seemed to give in.
'Alright, alright, 150! 150!'
We took his offer, to our misfortune. Once we got in the car and started off, he turned to Papa and said 'I'd like my 200 Syrian pounds now. It was Papa's turn to be stunned.
"You said 150! Stinker!
"No, no! 200"
"No! You said 150. You can have it when we get to the bus depot."
"No, 200 now!
This went on for 5 minutes. When we got to the bus station he just drove on by and seemed intent on driving us to Marhaba himself.
"No, stop here!" Papa said, but he wouldn't stop. Then he stopped and told us this other driver would take us to Amman. We were uncertain but he told us that it was perfectly okay and legitimate but we had to change he bags from his car to the other driver's around the corner.
"Well, why not here?" Papa asked.
The driver gestured suspiciously at the police men hanging around. Eventually the police did show up and made the driver take us back to the bus station. Anyway, after that we got here pretty drama-less, but now we are here safe and sound, so hurray!

Jonas