Ahhh….(cough, gag, recover)…ahhh…Amman
Getting off the airline, which feels like it was built for a Sultan, in Amman was less of a shock than a relief. After Turkey’s almost sterile exoticism, here was bright, dusty, grease-stained desert city. Peugot taxis drive the streets honking for customers and dirty beige building cover the small valleys and hills of Amman. In most ways Amman is ugly. And there are no tourists.
Perhaps there would be tourists if there were anything to see in Amman. Aside from a Roman amphitheater and some anicient ruins, there is really no reason for someone looking to visit “sights of interest” to spend any time at all in Amman. There is a museum dedicated to the king’s collection of classic cars though…
But Amman is charming. Near the city center shops line the streets at night and sell everything from cheap lighters and houka pipes to t-shirts, bags, muslim barbie dolls, dishes, and knives. How about a Ronaldo jersey with your kilo of almonds? Just as you wish.
And at night lights come on and the apartments and offices that in the daytime were blocks of cement set down in close quarters around the city become beautiful. A little like a giant christmas tree melted over the city.
Walking today into a section of town on a hilltop, sprinkled with a few trees, we found a little Friday-only market. Little tents lining a narrow street sold paintings of Bedouin, face-painting (for the kids we presume), antique knives and money, homemade candles and that sort of thing. Not much different from something you would find in middle America.
At a tent selling little baked goods we samples some sweets and S decided to buy stuffed grape leaves. Just two. I sensed danger. In Thailand we often tried to buy just two pieces of fruit, but often walked away with two kilos. A kilogram is more than you think.
It looked like S might have succeeded this time, but confusion checkmated us again, and we walked away with two plates of stuffed grape leaves. Without S’s intense, unknowing negotiation though, I am afraid the plates would have been piled high instead of just covered. We ate every one of them.
-posted by Thrashin Badger
Tags: Jordan, Travel, Tag Index
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July 22nd, 2006 at 3:36 pm
Am I detecting a food theme for this journey? Haggis, baklava, airline food, stuffed grape leaves. Reminds me of your Grandmother’s journal of her trip by car (pre-expressway) from Ohio to California. The Grand Canyon was “just a hole in the ground”, while every diner and restaurant was described in detail. Bon apetite!
July 22nd, 2006 at 5:42 pm
I’ve always had this theory that Sarah is part Jewish. The food thing is pretty strong evidence.
Pictures please!!!!
July 22nd, 2006 at 6:04 pm
Stuffed with what???? x:)
July 24th, 2006 at 7:17 am
Stuffed with rice and olive oil.