First impression of Jordan
(Previous) Jordan (Al udun), finally. As if all previous parts of my round-the-world trip had just been appetizers, while the main dish had yet to be served. “The Middle East” (alsharaq alawsat, forgive me for using such an Eurocentric term) had been the place I looked forward to visit throughout my undergrad years. All roads led to Jordan, or more specifically, the magnificent Nabattean temple of Petra, which ought to be the absolute highlight of my trip.
In fact, the entire trip was supposed to be only Jordan and Israel. All other destinations were kind of transit, layover or stopover points — just there out of convenience for booking the flights to “The Middle East”.
I have read a number of books (kitab), took a class about Israeli-Palestine conflict, and went as far as taking one semester of Arabic (alluqha arabiya) in Harvard to gain some knowledge under my belt. Now, it’s my time to explore the region.
Amman airport’s shuttle bus didn’t go all the way to the city center, but ended at a bus station in the middle of nowhere. As I requested a Uber ride (unclear about its legal status in Jordan then, to be honest) to city center, a group of taxi (sayalah) drivers, most of whom very aggressive, approached and nearly surrounded me. They insisted that Uber wasn’t legal, and I was supposed to take their rides instead.
Such scenario is probably common in many parts of the world, but shocking to a newcomer like me. I walked aside to avoid troubles, hoped to hop on the Uber and left the scene asap once it arrived. As I saw my Uber approached, one of the aggressive drivers, to my surprise, went ahead. A brief conversation was sufficient to shoo the driver away.
The man (rajul) came to me, aggressively, explained that Uber was illegal there, among other words to persuade me into his taxi. Given no choice, I admitted defeat. He appeared victorious and turned on the car right away.
On our way, the man started by asking where I am from, and made jokes about the length of his penis. Seeing me with absolute no interest about such information, he quickly changed topic, offering to take me on a tour to the Dead Sea for “only” 50 Jordanian Dollars (or sth like that).
“Just take me to the national mosque (masjid), please.” I felt mentally exhausted by his shenanigans. At the end, I was overcharged with 5 (hamsa) Jordanian dollars (the trip should have only cost 2–3).
“The Middle East” had been exceeding my expectation so far.
Featuring the iconic blue mosaic dome, The National Mosque of Jordan (King Abudullah I Mosque) may have been the first mosque I entered and visited.
A small “Islamic Museum” was right by the mosque. I don’t remember seeing much exhibition there, but the most interesting of which were probably those related to the Jordanian Hashemite royal family (fun fact: they are descendants of Prophet Muhammad, Peace be upon him).
With such a negative experience with taxi, I decided to walk from here to my hostel, which was approximately a one-hour walk, also a good chance to see the city. Amman was a very yellow city (madinat safra). Not only was it built in a desert, the buildings were mostly with such vibe as well. However (Lakin), as I took pictures of random buildings, security guards ran to me a couple of times, asking me to delete them right away. After the 5th time, I would take a picture, saw a security guy smile at me, and immediately realize what he wanted before he even spoke: “Sir, no photo, photo no”
My first impression of “The Middle East” had been really overwhelming. At one point I messaged Wiew, told him that I wanted to leave “The Middle East” right away.
“Jordan River Hotel” (actually was a hostel) was the place I stayed in Amman. After checking in, I met Intaro, a chill and experienced backpacker from Japan. We went for a walk around the area. I figured this guy seemed to be a very seasoned traveler. Perhaps he could show me a better way to explore Amman, and “The Middle East” in general.
“I had a habit to always go to the same place for breakfast while in a new city. On the first day you didn’t know anything. But gradually, you became familiar with the place, the food and people working there.” said Intaro.
The hostel was very close to the Rainbow St, an area with artistic stores, exquisite boutiques, fancy restaurants and bars. Not something that would normally be associated to the country of Jordan.
Intaro also seemed to have a keen interest in street graffitis. Indeed, I later learned that graffitis could be highlights in this part of the world, particularly those with political tints (huge bonus for knowing some Arabic).
There were actually much more on the Rainbow St, including some historically important buildings, which I didn’t know at the time. We then went to the nearby local market. Now this is the “Middle East” I was looking for.
The market, full of all kinds of colors and smells, was restless until late night. Ancient Roman relic lied right in the middle of the street. Prayer calls broadcasted from the mosque went through the street, the market, the ancient and the modern, into people’s everyday lives. Till this day, Amman still holds a special place in my heart.
We went to the most famous outdoor restaurant (maTam) in downtown Amman for dinner. I probably didn’t remember its name without looking at the photos, but it was “the” outdoor restaurant in Amman, that Im sure all travelers who had been there would know. The restaurant boasted authentic Arabic cousine with a very low price.
Seems like I shouldn’t give up Jordan, or “The Middle East”, just yet.
Maa salama
