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Most notably, and not surprising to me: Zaid's family all have huge hearts, a good sense of humor, and a lot of respect for Samir. Even strangers here have been so friendly and welcoming that they have on occasion offered a sort of brotherhood to us. It's very comforting and certainly special.
It's been busy since I arrived on Tuesday night. The airport was confusing and there was no bank machine available to get Jordanian Dinars to pay for my visa. Luckily I had $40 CAD in my purse that I exchanged for just enough JD to buy my visa- yikes! Zaid and I both assumed that visa/mastercard would be accepted everywhere, but many services are cash only here. Surprising, since Jordan is quite advanced in communications- most of the country has 4G network coverage and everyone has one (or more) blackberries...
Day 1 (March 30): My first view out the window at 7am was pretty amazing. My first thought was that it is reminiscent of California- bright blue skies, palm trees, red clay tile roofs... Warm and sunny. Such a nice change from the recent Edmonton cloud and slush. I had bayed (eggs), khubz (pita bread), lebne (cream cheese) and zaatar meniquiche (thyme mixture on bread) for breakfast. Zaid, Hala (Zaid's Mom) and I went to a market downtown. It seemed geared towards tourists in the type of merchandise sold (knick-knacks, cheap jewelry, ornamental ouds, keffiyah, huttas, etc...). Zaid bought a few gifts and a backgammon set (touleh). I didn't buy anything, but couldn't resist a cute ~6 year old boy selling roasted fresh chickpeas still in the pod. They tasted like edamame but had a nice fire-roasted flavour. My hands were black by the end of the bag and I joked that it might help in haggling :-) One section of the market is known at the "gold market" and had marble walkways lining the rows of small shops filled with gold jewelry. The items sell by the ounce, so the craftsmanship is not included in the price. We didn't price anything. In general everyone was very friendly and I did not feel like anyone was judging me any differently.
We picked up some shwarma on the way home and ate lunch at the apartment. Zaid's dad was out of bed for a bit that day and the 3 of us played Touleh, each with 1 win, 1 loss.
Zaid's cousin Ghassan took us for dinner at the Japanese restaurant Esaki with his wife Lubna and Zaid's other cousins Renna and Selwa and Renna's husband Samer. One of the best meals we've had! Good company and food. The food came in waves that didn't stop- lobster, crayfish, salmon, sushi, crab salad, deserts...Drinks flowed non-stop also. At one point I had 2 types of wine and a shot of jagermeister on the go. Finished with shots of green kamakaze. Good digestive ;-} It was a very memorable first night in Jordan and was great to meet some of Zaid's cousins. We got home around 12:30am and chatted with Samir in the kitchen for a while, as he had a midnight snack.
Day 2 (March 31): Started slow with a bit of a headache, but after eating a bunch of khubuz and lebne, downing a coke, and drinking coffee, we were good to go out sight-seeing. We drove with Hala and Zaid's cousin Alia to the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. We walked some trails through the valley seeing some ruins along the way. This area is thought to be the baptism place of Jesus Christ. We walked around the ruins of churches built in ~500AD, which were designed for baptism ceremonies. We ended our walk on the east shore of the Jordan River, where there was an armed soldier. I was glad to have his protection though, as we only had 20 feet of river between us and Israel :-} There was a guy on the other side that was taking photos of Zaid- perhaps he thought he made a good Jordanian model. I wanted to pose with the foot soldier, but my better judgement kept me from joking with him.
We then had lunch at the Marriott resort at the Dead Sea and proceeded to the beach for swimming. Some hotel staff stopped us and wanted to charge $40JD each for swimming (~60 CAD), but the Jumeans possess a rare talent for bartering and it seems everywhere they go they know someone, so we got quite the deal. The sea was so salty that you float really well, and it was fun for a little swim, until... a rogue droplet of sea water hit my eye and burned like mad. I tried to hold my face straight for a few photos but shortly my face also began to burn. By the time I was out my face and eyes were burning badly and my skin was red and blotchy. I showered and toweled off and took out my first aid kit. After some Polysporin, I felt pretty good. Later that evening, back in Amman, Zaid's Uncle Nasri, Aunt Ronda, and cousins Gheith, Ayman, and Aymad all visited.
Day 3 (April 1): A more quiet day for us. Alia took us for brunch at the Blue Fig restaurant with her mom (Zaid's Aunt Amal), friend Renna (who is also distantly related), and cousins Samar and Tallah. Everyone was really nice. It was very hot (29°C), so we enjoyed the patio at the restaurant. Coming home, we played a game of Touleh and I won. After some time transfering photos and starting this entry, we decided to walk to the Swefieh market nearby. Along the walk we stopped into a gelato shop/arabic bakery and we each got single scoop waffle cones (that's right Michelle, I kept it to single this time!). Their pistacio gellato is better than any of the stuff I've had back home (and it's not made with green ice cream either!). The shopkeeper was about our age and was pretty chatty- he said he became good friends with a Canadian a few months ago and welcomed us that we should tell him if we need anything. As we walked, there were many feral cats feeding at trash cans at the road side. At one point, I nearly stepped on a dead cat and screamed (like a girl), jumping back in shock. It was really gross, but my dramatic reaction left us both in laughter. The Swefieh market is basically a few blocks of strip mall with mostly shoe stores- overflowing with beadazzled and shiny stilettos. It's also a good source for fur scarves and I photographed a fur poncho especially for Carrie :-} Zaid was looking for a bakery he saw last week, but we didn't find it that trip. Zaid's uncle Nasri, Aunt Ronda, Aunt Insaf, and cousin Zein visited for a little bit with us and Samir while Hala was out shopping/eating with Alia. I was told that I should refer to Samir as "Umo Samir" (a traditional way of greeting elders) when I am in front of others, and have had a hard time making this change after calling him Sam/Samir for ~6 years :-( I fear that I will appear disrespectful, but hope everyone understands that this is all new to me. I think I will try to call every elderly male "Umo" even when talking to Zaid or Hala, if that isn't too presumptuous, and I should then form the habit better...
We finished the night with the two of us returning to the Blue Fig for a few cocktails and a shrimp dish with hot chili oil and a tomato-feta salad. They have WiFi there, so it was a perfect place to plan a 3-day trip to Petra and Wadi Rum, which we may do next week.
Returning home ~12:30am again gave us the chance to catch Umo Samir awake in bed, so we talked with him a bit, which was really nice. Zaid and I might have to make a habit of these midnight chats with him :-) I hope to hear some stories from the old days, as I am sure there are many.
Today we have plans for lunch with Aunt Amal and I hope to meet more of the family and enjoy more Arabic food. My vocabulary is building, but nearly all of it is food related :-)
Hope all is well back home and we miss everyone lots!
- comments
Susan & Gavin Great pictures! We are so happy that together you're being able to share in this amazing experience.
Charlene Thanks Mom and Dad! You guys saw them as I was still editing the album :-)
Chris Wait a second... isn't Zaid's family from Taiwan? Are you sure this isn't some sort of elaborate ruse?
Sherry Thanks for sharing, it is so interesting. Happy that all is going well, enjoyed the photos.
Bonny and Neal Watch out for those cocktails! Great to see you two together having fun!