Snafu

Today we transfer from Egypt to Jordan and the day is filled with small snafus. Most are common travel glitches, but what makes them standout, I realize, is that the whole trip has been hassle free up until now. Royal Jordanian Air has us go through a convoluted check-in that includes issuing boarding passes, then chasing us down before we go through security to call us back to re issue them and to ok our credit card, then chasing us down again to take back the bag check stubs and re issue THEM. Arrival in Amman is held up by a security concern for the binoculars in my luggage and Lisa's (foreign spys carry binoculars in their luggage). After much back and forth, we are finally marched to the security office to see the head of airport security. In the office are the big man and two others, many half empty cups of tea, and a blue haze of cigarette smoke. We are asked to sit and are ignored while one of the men makes copies of our passports before the binoculars are finally released. Our guide, Ibrihim, hustles us out of there before they change their mind. As we tour the city, Ibrrihim tells us that he is a "bad Bedoiun" who grew up in the nomadic Bedioun culture but now  knows city ways. He is stocky but full of energy, has a sly wit, and is known as "The Beast" from his days as a welterweight boxer.  He constantly chats on his cell phone and greets friends everywhere as we move through the city. When we check in at The Grand Hyatt, we have been assigned smoking rooms, and it takes 40 minutes to get us reassigned to non smoking. Coming down with a cough that has gone through all of the Egypt travelers, I am too exhausted to eat dinner and am in bed by 8:00.