Authentic Amman

Our evening in Amman begins when Banan pulls up to pick me up from the hotel.  Chic as always, she’s in jeans and an airy white shirt and beams at me as I jump in the car.  We hug and kiss hello, it’s been a couple of months since we’ve had a chance to catch up, too long, but life is busy as we both know.  Still, this night is special.

Tonight is a chance not just to spend an evening with my friend but to see the city that she grew up in, her home town.  This is something that we have both hoped for for a while.  I know she’s excited to be able to show me the place that she calls home, even if she doesn’t live here permanently, and I am equally excited to experience this city through the eyes of one of its daughters.  We both giggle with excitement.

My hotel, the very luxurious and very new Fairmont Amman, is located on Amman’s 5th Circle.  We drive in, past the parliament buildings to the 4th Circle and through the 3rd and 2nd Circles to get to Rainbow Street in one of Amman’s oldest districts.  We pull into what we think is a park but a quick conversation with the fairy floss street vendor indicates that we should use the car park around the corner as the police patrol car parking in the area quite strictly and we are not, strictly speaking, in a legal spot.

Banan negotiates a park in the parking lot and and we take off for a walk as I have requested an ‘authentic’ tour.  The street is lively and vibrant.  There are people out walking, shopping, dining and the ice cream shop is doing a pretty good trade.  The shisha vendor in the park is doing a roaring trade – clearly shisha is more popular than ice cream in this city!

We wander along, checking out the hip, redeveloped shops, little cafes and I seriously consider a Geraro (the Jordanian made ice cream) along the way.  I’m tempted but a combination of a late lunch and knowing that dinner will not be small or light, I decide to perhaps wait until next time.  Mlabbas sells funky Jordanian crafted souvenirs.  I check out an ‘Angry Arab’ t-shirt, an Angry Bird wearing a keffiyeh (the Arab men’s headdress) with a bit of a giggle.  The rest have to be explained to me!  I decide they’re beyond the children.

A little further along we duck into Sufra, a Jordanian restaurant.  The beautiful stone cottage has been turned into a mid summer night’s dream in the back garden which is filled with tables and diners reveling in the warm  evening air.  It does look delightful but we are really here so that Banan can point out the cottage – her grandmother used to live in a cottage just like this.  I can also see the memories floating through her mind.

From here we take a sharp turn down Uthman Bin Affan Street.  The streetscape is reminiscent of narrow European lane ways, stone houses, stairs up and down the steep landscape serving as the only access to abodes set high across the seven hills of Amman.  Balconies overlook the cars as they wizz around, narrowly missing those nestled up on the curbs.

We find another shop.  This one, the Urdon shop and cafe, sells local Jordanian crafts and handmade items.  We take in the views and check out the chairs and tables, made by a local artist.  The chairs have the names of the districts of Jordan inscribed on them.  A high table is decorated with a map engraved across the top.  Banan knows the artist, of course, for Banan knows everyone, and she happens to live in Dubai.  I pick up a couple of little locally made pottery mosaic souvenirs.

A little further along again we find Wild Jordan Centre.  This is another local craft shop/cafe cum tourist hub although I notice there seems to be a few locals hanging out here as well.  Who can blame them, the view is spectacular – right over the top of the Old Town and across to the Citadel on the hill opposite.  We sit and take in the views with a fresh juice and discuss life, friends, family and plans whilst gazing out over the city.

After a proper catch up we head back to the car, via a couple more shops and a detour downtown to find Paris Square (circle) in the Al Weibdeh district and specifically Rakwet Arab Cafe on Al-Baouneyah St.  The friendly waiter reserves a table for us and we wander over to Al-Shariaah College St., another revamped area with hip bars, cafes and restaurants.  It’s reminiscent of the more funky areas of Melbourne around Brunswick Street and Sydney Road with local hangouts full of artists and students.

One restaurant, Joz Hind, a small family run Italian restaurant, is already closed likely having sold out for the night.  Another place just a little further on, Rumi, is full.  It serves only tea, coffee and cake.  There are no free tables and people sit, drink coffee and smoke as the sweet shisha vapors waft along on the breeze.  Everyone is reveling in the balmy night air of Amman.  This area, too, has/is being redeveloped.  It’s both an attempt to preserve the old areas and its history whilst modernising the area for reuse and public enjoyment.  Seems like they’re doing a pretty good job of it.

Back at our reserved table at Rakwet Cafe, Banan orders us something to eat.  When our food arrives I’m completely relieved that I mentioned that I’m not very hungry, despite the already late hour.  If I know one thing about Middle Eastern hospitality it is “I’m not hungry” just isn’t a thing.  Never trust an Arab to order a light meal!  As always though, it’s delicious: hummus, chicken fattah (chicken with rice, bread and yogurt), kibbeh (a type of meat croquette), salad with labneh and galayet bandora (tomatoes with meat), not to mention bread, of course.  I wash it down with a tangy lemon mint drink eating way more than I should!

I also try some shisha.  Also lemon mint flavor, it leaves a fresh tingly taste in my mouth and is not altogether unpleasant.  I consider trying a little more but my head is already spinning from too many late nights and Banan is having a laugh at my attempt to get the inhale/exhale hubble bubble mixture quite right as it is.  I decide not to push my luck after I have a bit of a cough and splutter.  By now I’m laughing too much to try again anyway, I think I’ll stick to the lovely tangy lemon mint juice and leave the shisha to the experts.

By now it’s after middnight.  Banan needs to pick up the kids from her mum’s house and I need to get to bed or I’m going to struggle to make my morning flight.  I snap a couple more photos, this time of the beautiful colored glass windows in the doors of the cafe and we head off back through the city still alive with activity.

As we drive back out through the Circles towards the hotel, we discuss the long list of things to do in Jordan: Jesus’ baptism site is 20 minutes from here; Jesha, one of the best preserved Roman theatres is a 40 minute drive; the Dead Sea is on the way to Petra, we need at least a day for that but better to overnight.  Perhaps we should bring the boys and take the children together?  Despite what has not yet been experienced, I have to remember that tonight has certainly been an experience and a wonderful one at that.

We have driven past Banan’s brother’s high school, seen the falafel shop that her father used to line up at, with the best falafels ever (also to be experienced next time), seen the style of cottage her grandmother lived in and walk past some of Banan’s old university hangouts.  If this isn’t an authentic evening in Amman then I’m not sure what is.

This has been a very special evening indeed.

Would I Return?

Yes.  Besides the vibrant beauty of the old town, I only glimpsed the Roman Theater and Citadel.  There is plenty more to explore in these redeveloped Old Town areas as well as Down Town Amman.  Outside of Amman there is a long list of historic and natural places to visit.  I do hope to return for many more authentic experiences.