A Woman and Amman in Jordan

Whoo Hoo!!!!  We are finally in the Middle East.  I have been waiting for years to visit this part of the world and now that I am here I am positively giddy with excitement.  The past few days have seen me basking in the culture shock that I have craved while thoroughly enjoying all the simple, exciting and refreshingly new experiences my environment has allowed me.  I have been trying to grasp the euphoria that the Middle east holds for me, to better put it in words for our readers but it escapes me.  How do I encompass my feelings in a sentence or a paragraph?  Dan had made a point just the other day- one that I had entertained during our trip through Egypt in ‘09… If reincarnation does truly exist then virtually all of mankind has roots in the Middle East.  An interesting idea indeed… Maybe my love comes not from first impressions but from past lives.  Was I at one point a pharaoh or a slave in Ancient Egypt, or possibly a Bedouin making a life in the desert- who’s to say?  I do know one thing; there is a magic here that is hidden below the surface, it’s a feeling of deep rooted knowledge and power that captures and awakens something hidden deep within.  So, as we make our way through Jordan and into Egypt, I will try my best to show you all just how beautiful this part of the world can be, if you open your mind just a little.  Jordan- here we come!
So, I have to mention that Amman, the capital city of Jordan, isn’t what I was expecting.  Though Jordan is a relatively small country compared to it’s neighbours, I had read that Amman was a modern, bustling, metropolitan city.  In my mind I was picturing Cairo, with it’s steel high-rises, massive shopping centres and frantic nightlife.  Amman is quite the opposite.  The traffic is rather tame, shops close around 9 pm and there is not a single steel high-rise to be seen- shocking.  Instead, the city is hilly to the point of exhaustion- think Istanbul or San Francisco- and the people here are still rather traditional.  I love it!  Hopefully all of Jordan is equally as surprising.
Here are a some pictures of our first few days in Jordan.  First in the batch is food- which is extremely important.  Notice the absence of rice! :)  Now as much as I love the street food in this part of the world, our limited budget only allows us to eat 4 or 5 staples- hummus, fuul, felafel, shawerma, pickle and salad. Hmmmm.

For right now I am loving the fact that we eat the same thing everyday.  Is there anything better than a couple of fresh mezzes with mint tea?

After reading in our LP that this dessert causes otherwise respectable men to push, shove and get utterly rowdy to get their daily fix, we had to try it.  I’m not happy to admit that we have gone back every day since.  Salty melted cheese, shredded wheat, sugar syrup and pistachio – Yum.  Kanafa is my sinful new addiction.  

Fruit and veggie markets are still my favourite spot to get to know the culture and cuisine.  Since Jordan has a similar climate to back home they enjoy much of the same produce we do.

Cute chicks :)

The view of the city from our balcony.

Another city shot taken from the top of the Roman Theatre across the street from our hotel.

Dan and I at Qala’at ar-Rabad or Ajlun Castle.  The castle was atop a mountain which made for lovely views of the pine forests and olive groves.

One of the gates that lead to the Ancient Roman ruins in Jerash- a town about 60 km north of Amman.  Pretty impressive.

A snap of the ruins and the city of Jerash.   Notice the groups of tourists, or lack thereof.

One of the many Roman Theatres found in this part of the world made all the more special by Bedouin bagpipers- random?

A Bedouin dude selling coffee and tea.  Probably should have asked the price before we ordered. Pricier than Starbucks!