Air in Jordan

This site was supposed to be all about me watching the Arabic news; but just for the next few months, I am in the Middle East itself. I'll be smack in the middle of the Arabic news! I haven't watched any of the news channels yet, but I can tell you this:

The previous times I came to Jordan, as soon as you stepped out of the airport, a gust of sweet gas-laden air would come wallop you in the face and creep up your nostrils to suckle. I never used to mind back then, because I, like most children, loved the smell of gas! But I understand now that this can cause cancer and many other respiratory complications.

Now it is fourteen years later, and the first thing I noticed when I stepped out of the airport was the absence of that diesel smell, or at least, it's much weaker. Also, there is an entire lack of the old, 1970s slugbugs. I guess during the decade and a half that passed, many people bought newer cars with better air quality checks. Also, if you own a car in Jordan, you have to get it inspected once a year, and not every car will pass the inspection.