Amman, Jordan

I was excited to leave Sharm, which was developed solely for tourism and in doing so has no culture of its own, and arrive in Amman.

My guesthouse here is 'downtown', with a large mosque about 100m away and markets where really only locals shop. I have seen just three other groups of tourists, including some American men who turned out to be marines here for training. They are so easy to spot, with their huge arms, crew cuts and swaggers - yet they were surprised when I guessed immediately their occupation... For journalists, aid workers and security personnel Amman is the gateway to Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan, whether they fly or go by vehicle across the desert. 

Amman is a typical Middle Eastern city in terms of architecture, but culturally it’s modern, with women walking around in varying attire, from full burkas to headscarves to completely western fashion. I went to a shopping mall today that was full of the UK high street brands, but i had to walk through metal detectors and have my bag searched walking in, because here malls are symbols of western capitalism and therefore terrorist targets.

The attitude of men here is a welcome respite from my experience in Egypt. While I am still stared at, being a blonde woman walking around alone, instead of leering, men – and women – smile at me and say “welcome to Jordan”, before inviting me to drink tea in their shops. Where I have made purchases, the transaction is not complete until I’ve been offered tea or coffee and we have chatted for at least 10 minutes. In this culture it’s rude to not accept people’s hospitality. Having remained an Arab country for centuries and fending off any threats of European colonisation, many Jordanians speak only Arabic and have limited English. If my host has little or no English (which is still usually better than my Arabic which so far extends to 'thank you'), someone is sent to find a translator. 

Something i have learned the hard way is that Jordanians take their coffee one way – strong. A ‘chai’ here means two shots of coffee with no milk or sugar. Coupled with the cups of sugarcane juice people drink here like water (see photo for the long list of its benefits), you'll be buzzing for a week after an afternoon session on these bad-boys. I think it's as close to hard drugs that locals can get without risking a death sentence, though after my own experience a coronary seemed highly possible.  This morning however I discovered why these stimulants are so popular: evening prayers last until about 10pm, delayed telecasts of soccer matches run until midnight and morning prayers start at 4am, so no one gets more than about 4 hours continuous sleep. No wonder the whole region is constantly on edge.

A Roman forum in downtown Amman - view from the street

A typical Middle Eastern city

View from my guesthouse - markets and a mosque's minarets

Shops that make sweet pastries like baklawa are everywhere. This man insisted on me trying nearly every kind and wouldn't accept any money, such is the hospitality of locals towards foreigners.