Driving in Jordan

During the past week I have hopped all around Jordan and Israel following the conclusion of the Arabic program for which I have been working this summer. Last Monday H, art historian friend from Cairo, arrived in town. We rented a car (aka the Chevy Freedom-mobile) and hit almost everything between Amman and Petra. This was my first time driving for an extended period in Jordan. I have several tips for those who might follow in my footsteps.

1. Avoid stopping in the Ghor Al-Hadith without male "guardians." H and I had spent the day at the Marriott Dead Sea, and then decided to head along the Dead Sea Highway until we hit the Ghor, from which you can pick up the King's Highway through old-guard tribal towns like Karak, Shobak (both of which have great castles), and Tafileh. Tafileh really has nothing great, and its residents are analogous to Cletus in bad Northeastern Brahmin humor (i.e. Why does the Tafilan Navy sail in glass-bottomed boats? Too see the rest of the Tafilan Navy.). Anyway, back to my original point. The Ghor Al Hadith is GHETTO. It's one of the poorest areas in Jordan. I've only been down there with Yo (a very tall man), and even then the shebab (young sex-deprived men) and the wild dogs that roam the area emerged from the woodwork to see what we were doing there. I normally would not have stopped with just one other woman in my company. But by then, H and I were running out of H2O and we needed to pick some up. I stopped at the first dukan I saw and went in to pick up some water. The galabiyya-clad shopkeeper was sitting at the counter with his wife and a baby. I busted out my Islamic greetings, a real exception to the rule, but I realized I was not in Amman anymore. All three looked at me listlessly, then the man got up to exchange the warm water bottles I had taken for two colder ones, for which I was grateful. I smiled at the baby. Then, as the man was changing my five pound note (he didn't even overcharge me for water like a lot of Jordanians do to tourists) I looked outside and saw our car, with poor little art historian H still in the passenger's seat, being rocked by 5 or 6 12-year-old boys who were yelling, "Money, money, money!" I turned to the shopkeeper and asked him with dismay, "Hathool awladukumm (Are those your children?)?" "Yes," he responded, then corrected himself, "Actually, just two of them." He did nothing to stop them. The car alarm went off. I rushed out and we beelined it down the highway, children trailing behind us, as I tried to figure out how to disarm the car alarm. A good half mile elapsed between us and the hellions, and I stopped to inspect the alarm further. No sooner did I get it turned off than they appeared again, and we sped towards Karak.

1.a. Similarly, when you reach Qadisiyya, go LEFT at the detour, not RIGHT or STRAIGHT.
Keep doors locked when you see Children of the Corn approaching.

2. Be careful on the road to Azraq. It is full of large rocks and Saudis returning home. They both drive like bats out of hell.



3. Watch out for animals on the King's Highway.



4. Count on paying an arm and a leg for gas. It's about JD 40.000 to fill the tank of a midsize car (about $60.00, way more than the last time I drove, which was in the States before oil prices skyrocketed).

Otherwise, it's pretty easy to get around and Amman, though full of windy, un-gridded streets, is pretty difficult to get lost in. We had a great time on our trip. Here are some photo highlights.

AMMAN

Jafra Cafe, across from the Post Office downtown:



Hashem:


RGB (which has a reputation as a gay club but which draws a wider crowd due to the fact that it has the best dance music in town):


Tannoureen:


Starbucks Drive-Thru:


Best peaches ever:


Near Rainbow Street:


Some very interesting graffiti:


DEAD SEA







CASTLES

Karak:



Hallabat:



Azraq:


Amra:



Harraneh:



PETRA







MADABA




It was great fun to have a friend visiting in Jordan (ahem, other friends minus H, this is supposed to make you feel guilty). All of the tourist stuff suddenly became fun again.

Hopefully this post makes up for my lack of posting all summer.