GPS
by ano on Feb.16, 2009, under everything
There’s a slight difference between no plans and no preparation. While I had no concrete plans for the next 10 weeks, I hope I’m at least adequately prepared. Case in point: GPS. I have yet to find a single straight street in Amman. Very few of the streets have street names, and even fewer have street signs. Maps only have the major streets, and the directions you get from people or in guidebooks are something like this: “Cross the street from Hashem’s Restaurant, enter the unmarked alley, and it will be the third unmarked door on your left, go up three flights of stairs.”
The only thing that has kept me somewhat sane is my handhelp GPS which I preloaded with maps of Jordan and Syria that were generated by users. While not completely accurate and unlabeled, I can at least track where I’ve been and make sure I can get back. Also very helpful for dropping pins at cool cafes or restaurants (such as the one I’m sitting in now, writing this blog post). I will also be geo-coding my photos and placing them on interactive maps so you can see where things come from.
As an aside, pretty cool to know that the GPS works even on the plane (and is an approved device, don’t worry!).
584 MPH at 34,000 feet? Awesome!
