Our plane touched down well after sunset, so our first impressions of Amman, Jordan were the city lights that extended for miles. The drive in to our hotel revealed a cosmopolitan city with prosperous neighborhoods and international logos lighting up corporate buildings.
The next morning we met our driver & guide, Firaz, to begin exploring Amman’s much older past. Over the next two days, we toured the Citadel and amphitheater (Roman ruins in the heart of Amman), Jerash and Umm Qays (both Roman cities), and Ajlun Castle (an Islamic fort built to counter the Crusaders).
Our favorite of these was Jerash, an impressive Roman provincial town, with paved and colonnaded streets, grand public squares and plazas, fountains and baths, temples and theaters. The ruins have survived numerous earthquakes over the centuries, and had been covered in sand before its excavation around 70 years ago. Some restoration work that was done to the site disqualifies it from UNESCO World Heritage designation, which is unfortunate – lack of funding has stalled ongoing excavations, and our guide told us archeologists believe only 30% of the site has been uncovered. Imagine what remains to be discovered….
We also stopped at several Holy Land sites with religious significance. While the sites themselves were not necessarily impressive, the connection to history and remembering the centuries of struggles fought over this corner of the world made us pause at the weight of their importance.
A note on how we toured Jordan:
Based on a fantastic referral (thank you Michele & Jason!), we booked our trip through Jordan Select Tours. They helped us design our itinerary, and arranged our accommodations and transportation. Having a private driver for the duration of our time in Jordan was a wonderful way to travel; with many hours together in the car, we were bound to share some interesting conversation and become friends with Firaz. It was a unique opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Jordanian culture and people.
Firaz introduced us to Arabic coffee (like Turkish coffee, but spiked with cardamom), as well as delicious local pastries (semolina, cheese and honey), hot out of the oven. He shared stories of his family: his two eldest (both girls) excellent students with ambitions to go to medical school, and his littlest, a 3-year old boy, would occasionally call his traveling papa just to say hi.
We had candid conversations about politics and religion; Firaz like every other Jordanian we spoke to, greatly admires his country’s King (highly recommend watching this recent interview on 60 Minutes). We also happened to be in the country during elections for municipal offices – everywhere were posters of the candidates plastered on walls, billboards, etc. and a black inked-dipped finger was the telltale sign of a citizen who voted. This naturally led to discussions of our own country’s upcoming presidential election…
Plus, on the practical side, we entirely avoided the stress of driving busy roads and navigating based on Arabic signage. Even for locals, driving in Jordan is hectic – it involves a liberal use of the horn, fearless speeding, optional signaling, and a frequent disregard for marked lanes (Bedouins in particular, accustomed to the wide expanse of the desert, often forget to mind the border of the lane they are in). Instead, we were both free to relax and enjoy the scenery – and we savored it.
Now reading… Lindsay: Commonwealth, by Ann Patchett; Chad: The Eternal Frontier: An Ecological History of North America and its People, by Tim Flannery
Distance from Seattle: 6,776 miles
A Forever of Nows 
So interesting! An amazing opportunity! Brilliantly written!
Love ma
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