The Joys of Jordan: Amman

Robert Louis Stevenson once said, "I travel, not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move." Well, I haven't moved from Riyadh in the past three years and I would be lying if I didn't say that I felt the need to stretch my wings a bit. I already scheduled my long-awaited trip back to the Philippines for June but I had made an earlier commitment to join our District Toastmasters Annual Convention (DTAC), slated at Amman, Jordan that late May. Having said that, this is admittedly, an overdue post. Nevertheless, let me share with you the joys of Jordan in a two-part series: the first will be about the city of Amman; while the second part will cover my trip to Petra, the Dead Sea and Mt. Nebo.

Ready to do some virtual traveling? Here we go.

Let's begin with a short introduction of Jordan:

"The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan can be found in the midst of Saudi Arabia, Syria and Israel. It is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and it is one of only three members of the Arab League that maintains a diplomatic relationship with Israel (Egypt and Palestine are the other two). It is ruled by a constitutional monarchy with a representative government. The legal system in Jordan is based on the French code law system via the Egyptian civil laws while Islamic law is limited to civic status legislation for Muslims."*

I also learned that Jordan is primarily a nation built on a mountain, hence the weather is beautiful with cool winds to sure swift by in the evenings. It's an "open" country where you can find cinemas, un-divided restaurants and of course, the tourists spots that they are known for. 

The posh poolside of The Landmark Hotel, where the DTAC was held.

Anyway, I arrived in Jordan not necessarily in the best circumstances as a fellow Toastmaster who flew to Jordan with me was denied entry upon our arrival at the airport. Due to the stress of the situation and granted that I was about to spend my first night in Jordan alone, booked in a conspicuous yet cheap hotel downtown, the organizers of the event who met us in the airport thought it best that I stay at the hotel where the event was going to be held - the famous Landmark Hotel. I was supposed to stay with other Toastmasters who had rented an apartment in Amman, however they weren't arriving until the next day. Tired and hungry, I eagerly accepted the room that they offered, free of charge -- an admirable gesture of hospitality from the Jordanians, right off the bat (More on the lovely Jordanians in my next post). 

Here I am during the opening of the District Toastmasters Annual Conference 2011.

Getting over the hoopla of the first day and finally meeting up with the rest of my housemates got me pumped up to finally enjoy Jordan and what it had to offer. Oh, and I was also excited for the Conference! It was my first time to attend at the District Level and I was interested to see how other Toastmasters were like outside of Saudi Arabia. During the registration, the initial meet-and-greet was filled with natural high! Just imagine a gathering of the most extrovert and/or talkative people in the region and that was it. :) 

Though quite admittedly, the Conference took a backseat for the most part of the trip as my housemates and I were leaning towards exploring Jordan more. My fellow Toastmaster, let's call him Dr. D, served as our personal fairy godmother throughout our sojourn in Jordan as he has visited this country more than once, the last being back in 2003. 

We had the whole itinerary set for our Jordan escapade, inserting a few educational sessions of the DTAC here and there. First off, we visited the Jerash site - which is a highlight, should you decide to discover the city of Amman. There is an entrance fee of about 5JD and prepare yourself for a lengthy walk (as this is required of almost ALL of Jordan's tourist spots).

What greets us at the entrance. 

The Jerash happens to be the second-most visited tourist spot in Jordan (next to Petra) and it is home to the some of the most preserved Roman ruins in the Middle East. I was astounded as I first sighted these huge creations and was at awe at how someone, from a time and place with less technology than what we have today, was able to erect these monumental sights that have obviously, stood the test of time!

The first pathway that will lead you to enter the site.

One can go back in time and witness a Roman Chariot.

A jousting tournament is also put on for show.

There is a re-enactment show that features the Roman Chariot experience plus a Jousting tournament inside the Jerash grounds and there is a separate fee for that. However, since my friends and I were on a tight schedule and we were set to walk all the way through the Jerash grounds, we had to sadly refuse the show. Fact though: If you know the movie "A Knight's Tale" starring the great, late, Heath Ledger, this is where they filmed it!  

The view on our way up: strong pillars remain standing.

Once I reached the top, this was the view from there.

What appeared to be a fountain site. 

It was exhilarating to view these grand creations. I made sure to touch each and every one of them. Unfortunately, we had only scheduled three hours of our time to explore the Jerash site and we had to run all the way back to the Landmark Hotel to take part in the prestigious Banner Parade of our Toastmasters event. It happens to be one of the proudest moments of my Toastmasters journey - carrying the banner of my beloved club amongst all the other Toastmasters clubs in the whole of Middle East. 

Strutting through the parade with PRTC's banner. 

A photo-op with other leaders of Riyadh-based Toastmasters.

The next day, the group and I were set to visit the old part of Amman where there were other ruins to be found, particularly in the highest point of the Amman area called the "Amman Citadel." It was a beautiful day to walk around the city and since it was a weekend, we couldn't find any commercial stores open. Hungry and hoping to fill ourselves up for the long walk ahead, we enjoyed some authentic Jordanian street food - which cost us only about 2.5JD for a group of five people! A stark difference to the 17JD per person that we paid for in the breakfast buffet of The Landmark the other day. Here are just some of our sweet street captures:

I would say that this part of Amman felt like what "Batha" is in Riyadh.

Traffic is a global phenomenon.

A by-the-street food stop. Where the cooks don't wear gloves and yet the food tastes great!

Hummus. Yogurt Dips with Eggplant. And Eggplant with Chilli. Perfect with Khubus!

After a morning feast, we began walking down the Old Amman area to find the old Roman Amphitheater and the The Jordan Museum for Popular Traditions. It was another sight to behold as I imagined that place to be where theater plays were portrayed, or possibly gladiator fights, and the rows of people who must have sat and screamed as they enjoyed the entertainment. I thought, this must be where the Master of Ceremonies stood:

F na F ang pagiging Toastmaster.

I climbed up til the first row and man, was that HARD! No rails!!! 

Inside the Museum of Popular Traditions, we found bountiful items that reflected the many cultural aspects of Jordan and its region. Here, we have the large cooking pan that they use to cook "Mansaf" which is the national food of Jordan. 

Mansaf is made of lamb, yogurt and rice. A delicious dish, but wasn't available in the museum.

Gems and stones turned into jewelry.

The fasyon in neighboring regions.

Masks and adorations for the face of hunters and leaders.

Silver bangles, anyone? I think Kim Kardashian has a similar line.

After exploring the museum, we then headed up to the Amman Citadel. It's a very clean and seemingly organized archeological site where you could probably take a date on a stroll and enjoy the view of the city from the top.  ;)

We made it!

The Pink Tarha in Jordan!

I am so insignificant compared to these!

A restored gateway.

The entrance that won't lead you anywhere, but at least it looks grand! 

This is what remains of the pillars that used to stand.

A beautiful view of the city below. (That Roman Amphitheater was where we were earlier).

Yo, we got playahs in Jordan too! Represent, represent! 

What makes these two sites amazing is that you need not go far off the Amman area to find these historical places. They are nestled and preserved right within the urban setting and it will have you admire them for having kept it this way all these time. Can you imagine how these would have been treated in the capital of the Philippines? It's a sad truth that our own cultural sites have not been as highly maintained as these places (but hey, this segment of the sentence can make up for a totally different blog entry). 

Our tour of Amman had us engaged in a beautiful marriage of the old and new Jordan. On one end, there is the flourishing of luxury and a bustling city, while on the other end, stood the guarding of the past, still relevant and respected, calm and quiet. More to come on my next post on Jordan, as our DTAC event comes to an end and where I'll be bringing you the sights of the Dead Sea, Mt. Nebo and the tale of the most excruciating walk of my life in the City of Petra! 

xoxo,

E

*Taken from Wikipedia article.