JoHealth.com

Asking someone to write the destination country in Arabic can help avoid things going astray. It's safest to ignore the street post-boxes and instead send your mail from larger post offices, all of which have a box for airmail marked in English

To Europe, stamps for postcards currently cost 200 fils, for letters up to 10 g 300 fils; to North America and Australasia postcards are 300 fils, letters 400 fils. If you're unlucky enough to have to send anything larger than a letter, you should come financially well prepared. Sending a small packet of 1 kg to Europe costs JD6.800, to North America or Australasia JD9. Parcel post is horribly expensive 2kg to the UK costs JD12.900, to North America JD16.500 and to Australasia a mighty JD20.900. Incoming mail (at least to Amman) is some- what faster than outgoing -things can arrive in a matter of days from Europe. Mail addressed to you at "Poste Restante, Amman 11118" will drop into the little tray outside window 11 at the Downtown post office -you're free to riffle through the tray whenever you like. Bulky envelopes or packets sent to a post restante address will be stored out of sight, with a small slip with the addressee's name left in the tray instead; show the slip (and your passport) to collect your package. The Amex office in Amman will keep mail for Amex customers (i.e. you only have to be holding Amex travelers' cheques) sent to PO Box 408, Amman 11118. International courier firms are well represented in Jordan, most of them with offices in Amman and Aqaba Prices are sky-high (for example, JD45 for 500g to the US), but there's no danger of items going astray.