Good morning Amman!

I am always going to be grateful almost to the point of disbelief for the opportunity I was given to see the Middle East from a local perspective. Arriving in Jordan at my friend Mo's house I wasn't sure what to expect either from the city of Amman or the region in general. While I had some vague impressions of what things might be like, as always the reality is never quite as imagined.

The capital of Jordan is a polarised place; large parts of the city is under construction, as whole neighbourhoods spring up in a matter of years on the tide of foreign wealth (Jordan is something of "a high class refugee camp", as Mo put it, to this troubled part of the world). Malls in the western style are appearing, and strolling along these and resting in cafes you could be in many southern European cities - a sensation only really dispelled when the chants of the muezzin call the faithful to prayer.

However, you don't need to go far outside these wealthier districts to see something far less comfortable. A country like this, with little to no natural resources and minimal arable land, makes for a severe wealth divide. It makes for a place of contrasts - but no matter where you go in this country, or who you meet, people will invariably know at least one word in English - "welcome".

To have experienced that hospitality first hand, being welcomed into an amzing home by a beautiful family, served incredible home-cooked food, showered with the attentions of curious (dare I say cheeky?) local kids and to kick back and share an arguileh pipe and a "mexican" beer and soak it all in, is something I'll not forget.