Kitty in the Wadi

Today I dropped off Jada at kitty hotel, because tomorrow I leave for Japan!  I wasn't expecting the drop-off to be such an adventure, but it was a really cool drive and visit.  Across some really rural parts of Madaba and beyond with cacti and palm trees and stretching desert all within eyesight.  I was worried I'd never find the kennel, but finally I come upon this gated house in the middle of a deep wadi.  As I pulled into the driveway, I saw dogs everywhere--the house was more of a compound than a singular house--and all kinds of interestingly shaped buildings and building materials scattered throughout.  The kennel/house is owned by a couple, the woman is British, the man Palestinian. I met Nabil, the husband, on an elevated porch and from up there he pointed across the hills to where we could actually see Jerusalem.  He took me inside the house and it was incredible--he's built all of these indoor screened rooms for the cats.  Jada's going to have as much fun as me.  Here in Jordan, the role of the host is incredibly important.  After I'd filled out the appropriate forms and settled Jada into her room, Nabil brought me a can of Mountain Dew and insisted that I sit down.  I was happy to oblige and hear about his interesting life.  I learned that his family is in the film-making business in Jordan and he's actually produced commercials for most of his life, here in Jordan and also in Michigan for the Arab-American community.  He'd lived in Amman (the capital city) before there were any roads or buildings.  He said his uncle bought 10,000 square feet of land for 300 dinar (~450 US dollars) in the 1980s.  Now, only 30 years later, that land is prime real estate and his uncle makes fun of him for not investing.  As a commercial producer and director for small, local businesses, he's also seen the fall of that industry as large Western corporations come in and pay millions of dollars for commercials with better-known actors and fancier techniques.  He says he enjoys his life now breeding and caring for animals.  He says animals listen a lot better than people, and now his dogs can bark as loud as they want without the neighbors complaining.  He also says his dogs are so well-trained that his neighbors ask if they can send their children to him.  I am pleased Jada has such a nice place to stay, as I set off tomorrow on my adventure farther East.  Tomorrow I'll catch a plane to Osaka, Japan with pit stops in Dubai and Korea.  I'll travel alone to Osaka and stay there one night before meeting up with my friend from college, Annie, in Kyoto.  Wish me luck as I travel 30+ hrs through 4 countries, try to find my hotel, catch a train to Kyoto and meet up with Annie at a hostel!  I'm going to try to update as regularly as possible, but am not yet sure how outlets/wi fi is going to work out.  Either way, next time you hear from me, I'm sure I'll have exciting news to report!