Crown Lounge at Amman Airport

I have already done a post anout Queen Alia Airport and it wasn't a really nice one. So I want to correct a little bit.

We are on the way to Bangkok (am really excited) and it's just really a shame that Royal Jordanian forgot to tell us that we were 3 hours delayed... Well anyways, now that Bobsy is finally sleeping and Bibs is nearly there, I thought I would share a couple of pictures of the lounge.

Having access to the Crown Lounge does change a little bit one's experience of Amman's Airport.

It is very spacious, with several seperated seating areas, a bar, several tv's (some are individual), a buffet which isnt that bad - they even refill on the sandwiches at 2am! There is a kids area and a billiard table.

The pictures are not the best, but I can't really move!

Queen Alia Airport: Top 10 worst airports

I was not even half surprised when I read this article about the world's 10 worse airports and that Amman International Airport was also on the list.

The article talks about a few things, including the un-cleanliness of the toilets. I haven't even tried the toilets and it's still one of the worse airports I have been through. The current terminals are ugly and dark. A new terminal is in construction - by ADP (Aeroport de Paris), let's hope they make a better job than with Charles-de-Gaule, Paris' main international airport... funny enough that airport is also to be found on "the list".

Well arriving to Amman is kind of ok. You spent some time queuing, but then you do that everywhere. You queue for the visa (20JD), you queue for the passport control. When you are done with that you enter a horrible lounge to pick up your luggage. Porters are easy to find. One luggage scan and you are allowed out of the place. However,  if your luggage is not there, then the fun starts, in a country where nobody knows how to queue. It happened to me once when I came on a connecting flight over Istanbul, with a very tired then under-one-year old Bibs. Not funny. There was about 100 people squeezed into a little space behind one of the belts trying to get the attention of one of the 2 agents sitting behind a counter... who didn't speak english. So imagine me, Bibs in a stroller, climbing over bags and people to get into this tiny space and trying to explain to the guy that I actually don't have a clue what my luggage looks like: Black or grey? the brand? my name on there? Yes maybe. Surprisingly enough it only took 2 days for the luggages to appear again.

But the true side of Queen Alia Airport, you see it when you leave Jordan. Once you have demonstrated to the customs guy that you are willingly walking into the airport (by showing him the flight tickets and passport), you need to have your luggage scanned. 2 or 3 belts and lots of people and lots of luggage: a few tourists, but mainly Jordanian or people from the gulf who again have no idea what queuing means. They arrive with 10 supersize luggages and just jump the queue. I don't know if they actually don't understand the concept of queueing or they just think you won't realise. I tell you it takes time and patience. A lot of patience and a bit of shoulder fighting. The ladies lane is a bit better but really not much. So through with all your luggage, your are trying to get to it. Remember the guy who jumped the queue with his 10 supersize pieces of luggage? well he is nowhere to be seen but all the suitcases are actually blocking the belt. Finally, you manage to get to the check-in counter.

Then you have to queue again: for the passport control. You have those who are standing nicely in the lanes, having no choice really and then those who are trying to discuss their way through the diplomatic lane (even though they are not much more of a diplomate than I am). It takes a good 20 minutes. They check that you haven't over stayed your visa (if you have, don't worry they will let you out - you just need to pay 1.5JD /day). Once you are done, you think it's over.

You arrive to the duty free shop which is one of the most boring ones i have been in, unless you are after really cheap cigarettes or dates. Then you need to find a counter at which you can actually pay - some are open but have no change, some are open but the cashier is busy arguing about this or that with a colleague. You can also get magazines and a little food and that's it.

Then you need to find the gate. You thought the scanning was over and done with! But no, you need to scan all the hand luggage, one more time. Once you are through there is no coming back, and beware there is not a shop, you can't even get a bottle of water. And it's depressing. Dark and gloomy with even lower ceilings - or so it feels.

A little bit more "non"-queueing and finally you are in that plane and you are happy, because it takes you away from Amman Airport.

I am maybe exaggerating a bit, but not much! There are so many things in Amman more enjoyable than the airport.  

Nothing is never easy in Jordan...

I grew up in South of France where NOTHING is easy - you have to work yourself through the administration for the smallest thing, the plumber says he comes at 10am and your are lucky if he shows up the next day at 4pm - ok i am exaggerating a little bit, but not too much. Well welcome to Amman it's the same story! Some examples:

- When you land at Queen Alia Airport: need to queue to exchange some money, because nobody tells you that you need 10 JD/per person to queue to get the visa; then you queue with immigration... and finally you queue to show your passport... Don't you just love it??

- If you are to be resident you have the whole blood test/police station thing - which I am sure must be a pain in the butt (excuse my french) should you miss one tiny piece of paper... I wonder when we will get ours. Nobody can really say how long it takes, I guess it all depends if Bob's employer pushes for it or not. And then to get your things out of the port of Aqaba, should you have send some, is probably very interesting as well! We have somebody from the hotel doing it for us, otherwise it is a drive to Aqaba (about 4hours with a baby) and some lengthy talks with somebody who goes through every single thing that you wish to bring into the country and one to pay import fees. I know somebody who was asked to pay 2000JD to get their stuff, they bargained it down to 800JD, still to get your own used things...

- Our dishwasher has arrived! Youpi! well it is still in the middle of the kitchen because it wasn't the right tap, and though the tap has been fitted now, well I don't really know when the guys who should get it up and running, are going to make a reappearance!

- When we moved in 3 days ago the heating was still not quite working, we were told it could take some time because the floors are so cold - good thing we are in Jordan and not northern Europe! The central heating button was on, but one day, two days went past and the floors remained stubbornly cold! So this morning an engineer from the hotel came and... the valves were not open. And as you can see there are a lot of valves. I guess there is one for every room/bathroom/cupboard in the apartment!

- We have a little red light that shows that the water level is low in the building. Well it as been on since we moved in... and last night no more water! So we call our favourite handy-man (and yes the guy-without-a-name will get his own post soon, he really deserves it) and up he comes, Bobs shows the tap: goes no water?? and he bla bla bla in Arabic (Mr Handy-man not Bobs)... Off he goes and 5 minutes later he is back and so is the water. Well apparently the tank was closed! Why don't know?!? And there is just so much one can understand when taking with the hands.

And finally this has nothing to do with the administration, or the apartment... When you are going grocery shopping: 2 things... First don't assume that because a supermarket had something last week that they will have it next week: if you like it, buy it!! and... people just randomly stops in an random aisle and speak with random people (no ok they probably know the persons they stop and talk to): so there you are heading for the tomatoes and suddenly you have these 2 guys chatting away about random things in front of your tomatoes...

Patience, patience is a key word in Jordan!