Expensive taxi ride

Maybe I should have changed my way of seeing things when I left Thailand behind. And I should have remembered stuff from my first days in Jordan.

Everywhere you go in this country, when you get a note bigger than 5 $ out to pay the bill, someone asks : don't you have change? I mean, that is not a lot, when you have a 10 $ note, considering ATMs only give 50 $ notes.

Anyway, most drivers were offering to get me to the airport for 15 $. They all gave me their number so I could call them. But I told myself I would flag one on the corner of the street, knowing what a reasonable price is.

My bad! Fell on a driver who couldn't speak (or pretended he couldn't) english. He didn't look like he understood the airport word. Not even the signs I was making to mime a plane (in Amman downtown).

Another driver came to my rescue, translating for both of us and helping me negociate. When the man accepted to drive me for 15 $, I got in the car.

But obviously, he used the language barrier to charge me 20. I ended giving up. I gave him a 50. But he didn't have change, except for a 10 $ note.

He tries to make me understand (at least that's what I believe) that he will get gaz and comme back with the change. But I have no time to wait. I'm already late. 40 $JD for a taxi ride (at least 50 $CA), it's expensive.

Security


In Amman airport, I went through the metal detector before check-in. This time, nobody can blame my look for the problems. They didn't like what they saw on the X-Ray and I headed to the inspection area.

I had to open the bag I closed with difficulties. The only question they asked : "What is that?", pointing to my earplugs. Looks like they had never seen anything like this.

After immigration and a serie of security measures later, I was on a plane to Cairo for a layover. I can technically say I will have been on every continent, except Antarctica.