King Abdullah of Jordan dines at Ginger
KING Abdullah II of Jordan flew in to Port Elizabeth yesterday to begin a journey along the Garden Route to Cape Town – on one of the many Harley-Davidson motorbikes he owns.
His private jet, an Airbus 340, was seen parked at the Port Elizabeth airport yesterday.
The heavily guarded king, who was apparently only spending one night in Port Elizabeth, spent the day riding around enjoying all that the Bay had to offer.
He was spotted riding his Harley-Davidson in the Cape Recife and Willows area.
He also dropped in at the popular Sacramento restaurant at Schoenmakerskop for a cup of rooibos tea.
Then it was off for lunch at beachfront restaurant Ginger.
Manager Jacques Lombard said: “He was very pleasant person.
“All he wanted was a hamburger and his partner had a steak.
“They were nice, but their security guards were a bit over the top.
“At least they tipped well.”
While attempting to get a picture of King Abdullah as he entered the Protea Marine Hotel, a photographer from The Herald was assaulted by the bodyguards.
The guards, members of the SAPS VIP protection unit, drew handguns as they ran across the hotel‘s parking lot towards the photographer. They forced his hands behind his back, ripped the camera from his neck and pinned him against a wall.
The king plans to leave at about lunchtime today on his Garden Route adventure.
Born in 1962, Abdullah completed his education at Sandhurst Military College in the United Kingdom.
He is married to Queen Rania and the couple have two sons.
Abdullah is a keen motorcyclist and used to commute by bike when he lived in England.
He is also a helicopter pilot.