Rain - all or nothing

Well, like so many places in the world that have water issues, Jordan seems to have an 'all or nothing' situation - nothing for most of the year, and then torrential downpours for a few days in the depths of winter. And of course, because the city isn't built to withstand rain, the streets have become rivers and are literally being swept away. I've seen manhole covers that have been swept down the street, and the holes hidden under half a foot of water are wreaking havoc with my car's suspension. Look at these photos from the local papers over the last couple of days ...





I can now understand where the whole Noah thing comes from, I feel the urge to find pairs of animals and birds to keep me company as the water rises ....

And now, relax ...

To cope with my busy lifestyle of ... er ... scooting around the Middle East having adventures, I needed to find something to deal with the aching bones and muscles (and to give my brain a rest from trying to cram Arabic words into it - it's hard, honest!).

So, al hamdu lillah for the Turkish baths ... Now, there are several kinds of baths, and I think I've done both ends of the scale now. At one end, there are the old-style communal baths, which historically were where people went to clean back in the days when they didn't have loos or running water of any kind, much less bathrooms. These places are pretty basic, usually very hot and steamy, and full of people doing every kind of preening in full view and in complete nudity - not relaxing in any sense, but you can a good scrub in there and come out feeling a bit cleaner than you went in (although some of them don't feel entirely hygienic ...)

Then at the other end of the scale, there are the luxury baths - these are designed purely for pleasure and relaxation, and are generally a bit pricier but you get what you pay for. And not only do we have several such places in Amman, but I hear that we have one of the best in the Middle East - result!

So here's how it goes - you turn up to the outside cafe area (above) where you can sit and have a tea, coffee and/or nargileh (the hubbly-bubbly or hookah) while waiting for your friends. The baths are all ladies until 5 or 6, and then all men until midnight, although you can book for a special mixed session between 5 and 6 if you want to.

Then when you're already, you get ushered into the baths themselves where there are a whole gaggle of women who tell you what to do and where to go. First clothes off and into a swimming costume (or at least the bottom half of one), and then you're led into the main baths area - the one in Amman is not from the Ottoman period but has been built in the same style, complete with domes, lanterns and the modern addition of a jacuzzi in the centre.

Then it's into the steam room with an ice-cold towel on your head to keep it a bit cooler and a pomegranate slushie - the idea is to stay in the steam room as long as you can to really soften up your skin. I like to come out every 5 minutes or so for a nearly cold shower, the contrast makes you feel pretty amazing! And if the steam room gets too much, you can always come out and cool down or soak in the jacuzzi instead.

Next comes the scrub - on a stone slab at one end of the room, a lady dons a glove and gives you the scrubbing of a lifetime. It's not quite sandpaper but almost, and they always delight in showing you how much dead skin they're rubbing off! Once they're done they soap you down and rinse you off, so that you're all shiny and new and ready for the next stage ...

... the massage. The picture above is an 19th century painting that I like, and I have to admit that we don't quite have the same standard of tiling and marble, but otherwise it's not far off my experience here. My baths have a few different women, mainly from South East Asia and Morocco, and I think I've been massaged by all of them now and enjoyed them all (but with my favourites of course!). The massage is full body with oils and lasts about 30-40 minutes (depending on how busy they are), with a short head massage to finish. You then roll slowly off the massage table - no sudden movements possible by now anyway - and shower off before a final stint in the sauna room and a nice cup of tea ...

There's the option of another sit down in the outside courtyard area with the fish in the fountain and maybe an arabic coffee before you pay your monies and leave, or if you're feeling the need for something different, the baths are slap bang in the middle of the closest Amman gets to a bohemian quarter - galleries, coffee houses, bars and restaurants a stone's throw away. Or just get in a taxi and go home to fully savour the yummy feeling a while longer ...

Linguistic oddities

I love the way that languages reflect the culture and society of a place and people - all those food-related words in French, all the English words for 'not doing very much' (pottering, pootling, bimbling, mooching, faffing ...) , the very descriptive Scottish words for various kinds of rubbish weather ...

So here are a couple of oddities from the Arabic language that I've come across, not sure if this says anything about Arabic culture though ...

- there is no proper translation for the word 'censorship', the only word anyone can give me also means 'observing' (as in 'election observer'), 'supervising' or 'keeping an eye on something' ...

- there is also no word for 'cynical'- the closest they get is a word that means 'mocking' or 'satirical'

- they do, however, have a word for 'ironic' ...

On the road again ...

I had a bit of a bad start to the weekend last week - had organised a trip to Damascus with a couple of mates to have some fun and attend the Canadian Snowball on the Friday night. However, after a slight hiccup with my visa (mainly due to my inability to count), I got as far as the border and then waved my friends goodbye and turned tail for home ...

Still, never one to be dragged down by a little thing like getting chucked out of a country, I decided to go on a mini-road trip heading in the general direction of very warm and sunny Aqaba, with a bit of floating in the Red Sea at the end of it to cheer me up. Having persuaded a couple of friends into coming with me, we set off to do some bits of road that I hadn't done before and see more of this amazingly country.




And we were not disappointed. First up was the initial stretch of the Kings Highway (the world's oldest continuously used trade route) from Amman through Madaba to Karak. Most of the road was winding through gentle rolling hills, which are green and carpetted with flowers at the moment for the short period when Jordan has some rain. But the highlight was Wadi Mujib, a valley in the middle of the journey that just appears out of nowhere, literally - one minute it's olive groves and little villages, then there's a cliff edge and the road winds down down down, from 1200m altitude to -400m in about 3km ...








There was an amazing contrast between the very barren hills around the Dead Sea and the sudden expanse of water at Mujib Dam at the head of the valley, and it is amazing to see how the locals use every drop of water to grow food against all the odds, with plants growing in what looks like completely barren earth.





After lunch in Karak, we headed west down the Wadi Karak valley (taking care not too fall off into the ravine gaping beneath us) to join the Dead Sea Highway. This road runs along the shores of the Dead Sea and then through Wadi Araba all the way to the Red Sea at Aqaba.











This road goes through the Rift Valley, with the mountains that run down the spine of Jordan on one side, the hills of Israel on the other, and the valley between changing from sea to scrubland to desert, sand dunes and all ... silent and desolate, with Bon Ivor providing a perfect soundtrack ...

Inspiring arts

I've already talked about the beauty of mosques, and part of the beauty of these places for me is the art on the walls, floors, ceilings, everywhere you turn. But the beautiful geometric patterns, carvings and carpets are not just restricted to holy places - every house from a simple Bedouin tent to a palace will have at least one wall covering, or fabulous carpet, or carved wood panelling, or beautiful calligraphy work somewhere, and often all of the above.

So what a treat it was to visit the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum in Istanbul - if you only visit one museum about the region's artforms, can I please suggest that you find your way to this one. Not only does it have an amazing range and quality of items, but it is in a beautiful old palace the Blue Mosque, and has a fantastic anthropology section too (one not to miss for all the quilters and weavers out there in particular).

So here for your delectation is a selection of the many many gorgeous items that had me and my friends wandering around with mouths open ...

The first part of the museum is ordered chronologically, and has a variety of stone, bronze and wooden items for throughout the ages - from doors to teapots to candleholders to water bottles to pencil sharpeners, there are examples of every kind of household item made in the most beautiful way. And although these are obviously from the richest and most lavish palace households, there is an attempt to introduce some kind of beauty to many everyday items - for example, every restaurant uses the same little brown pottery bowls to serve houmous, with some sort of goemetric or squiggly design ...





Then came the calligraphy - some of these examples were religious quotations, like the stylised 'shahada' on the left, which says 'there is no god but Allah and Mohammed is his Prophet'. Other writings and books had practical purposes, like this illustrated book which was a record of legal affairs, but done with the most details beautiful script and decorations.






Even the Sultan's signature (below) was a thing of beauty (although I guess he didn't need to sign a cheque at Sainsbury's ...).


There was also what seemed to be purely artistic calligraphy, such as this example on the left - this wouldn't look out of place in the Tate Modern, and yet actually dates from 1550 ...

And then we had the carpet room - there were a few smaller examples in the corridors leading up to it, but as the carpets got bigger and more elaborate they obviously needed their own great hall - quite something to see these carpets towering above us and yet so finely made and minutely detailed ... and imagining all the feet that have shuffled across them over the centuries. People walked on these works of art!




I thought this carpet was particularly wonderful - you can see the tree motif in the middle with what looks like roots reaching out into the surrounding motifs, and the colours are just divine ... this carpet was one of a pair as well, can you imagine having a huge dining room with these carpets down either side? Pouring mint tea from that wonderful teapot, with brass candle lanterns for light and a wooden sculpted coffee table to rest the delicate china cup on ... Ah, it's nice to dream ...

Freaky weather (or Don't Read This Mandy)

So, only 15 days ago we were worried about getting stuck in snow drifts, and today in almost exactly the same area ...

Go figure ...

Food Pt10 - Turkey Special contd.

So the sweet offerings in Turkey were pretty special, but I did also want to mention a few of the many savoury highlights.

First, the humble kebab - I tell you, I will never again even think of succumbing to a dodgy doner on the way home from the pub in the UK after the qualit of some of the kebabs I've had here (anyone who has had a tropical banana will know what I'm talking about ...), and I think I had the most delicious one so far in Turkey ... behold, the pistachio kebab;

I had never thought of such a combo, but i can confidently state that it is divine, and yet so simple - just half veal and half lamb mince, with a little salt and chopped pistachios, squished on a metal skewer and grilled ...

There were so many good things to eat, no room for it all really, but here are another few examples;

Kofta - more meat surrounded by bulgar wheat and deep fried or grilled ...

Bread - comes in every shape and size, often with sesame seeds ...

Lahmacum - a kind of very thin pizza, this one had pomegranate seeds and walnuts

(and yes, more meat)

So, not always a great place to be a veggie, but if you're not fussed there is plenty to tantalise the tastebuds ...

Rainbow City

Istanbul was a great city to visit for so many reasons - such an interesting blend of Eastern (mosques, the call to prayer, some headscarves) , Western (cafe culture,jeans, MacDonalds, young people snogging in the street), and other elements that seem to be pure Istanbul. And of course we've already touched upon the food ...

But one of the things that struck me most was the riot of colour everywhere, probably even more prominent to me after Amman where the buildings are all various shades of white and the clothing various shades of dull ...

So here is a little medley of the multi-coloured feast for the eyes that is Istanbul ...

Two of the things that Turkey is perhaps most famous for - spices and belly dancing - made for some of the brightest colours around - peach jangly skirt anyone?


Even on a cloudy, the mutli-coloured housing on the banks of the river weere such a contrast for me to white white Amman ...


I don't think these colour lamp globes are as 'authentic' as the bronze ones, but they look amazing nonetheless ...


Coloured and painted tiles, on the other hand, are something that you see everywhere, from the walls of the most sacred mosque to the kitchen of a normal home ...


And the ubiquitous bowls ... again, don't how authentic they are (some reminded us of Bulgarian pottery?), but so easy to fall for the riot of colour ...

Now that's what I call spiritual ...

I am a big fan of mosques - whatever you may think personally about this or any religion, I don't think I have ever been to a mosque that I did not find at least beautiful, and I often find them uplifting and awe-inspiring. The architecture, the minarets pulling your eyes towards the sky, the geometrical designs in every corner ... and from the bustling heart of a city to most basic villages, there is a always a mosque nearby to provide an oasis of calm. It is a pity that this does not seem to lead to introspection or meditation on the part of so many of the people there, I'm sure the world would be a happier (or at least very different) place with less blind devotion and more active consideration of the basic messages of almost all religions - love thy neighbour, peace on earth, you know the kind of thing ...

Anyway, to return to the aesthetics of mosque; in my short visit to Istanbul last weekend, I saw what must count as some of the most beautiful mosques in the world, and I just wanted to share some of this beauty with you ... maybe it will inspire you too ...

Mosques dominate the skyline in Istanbul, but are also lined along the banks of the Bosphorus that cuts through the the heart of the city - I really liked this one in particular, which must have a lovely cool breeze running through it even in the height of summer ...

Every mosque (and many houses and other buildings) have quotes for the Koran and other sayings in beautiful Arabic calligraphy on the walls, ceilings, almost wherever you look ... and while I'm not keen on too much gold, there seems to be a good balance in most mosques between large fairly blank spaces and domes and then occasional panels of writing or decoration, such as this example above a door.

And in my book, this was the most amazing mosques of them all in Istanbul - the Blue Mosque in the centre of the old town, built opposite the equally impressive Byzantine Aya Sofya but contrasting imposing opulence with elegant simplicity and the classically Turkish cascade of domes. But if you think the outside is impressive, have a look at the inside - I went in with a friend Magali, who had never been in a mosque before, and this just knocked our socks off ...

WAW5 - the world's first bit of tat?

So, is this the earliest example of a tacky seaside souvenir?

Answers on a virtual postcard please ...

Food Pt 9 - Turkey (not the bird) Special Edition Part 1

Well, I knew I was going to enjoy my weekend in Turkey when the shop above was almost the first sight to greet me on my arrival ...

... and it does seem that Turkish people like their sugar and/or bread based products, with little guys selling sweetened bread on every corner, and the wildest variety of fattening sweeties imaginable; from Turkish Delight to make any one of us a slave to the Winter Queen (below right), through variations on the biscuit / baclawa / yumminess soaked in rose syrup theme, to a lovely range of nut-based sweet stuff (although you have to get past the fact that some of them look like condoms ... they taste great! honest!)

Oh ...


my ...


Lord ...

But Turkey isn't just about the sweeties ... stay tuned for part two of our special edition; Revenge of the Kebab ...

It's not all sun sun sun you know ...

It has occured to me that it might seem like I'm living in a land of sun-drenched beauty 24-7 ... and yes, I have been sunbathing in January, it's true.

But, as Mandy unfortunately found out to her cost during her trip here last week, this is not always true! The weather is sometimes rubbish here too! And I now have the photographic evidence (as normally I seem to forget to take my camera with me on rubbish days, funny that eh ...). So, let me tell you about one 48 hour period last week, when two girls hit the road and experienced almost every conceivable season and type of weather on the way ...

It started on Thursday last week, when I rushed home from school as fast as I could considering the weather conditions - alternating sun, snow, cloudy and hailstones! And it was freezing, creeping around 3-4 degrees and with a biting wind to boot. So, it was definitely time to hit the road, and by 2pm we were on the main highway heading out of town ...

And would you believe, within about 15 minutes we were in full sunshine - Amman is at nearly 1000m altitude, and the Desert Highway running south goes downhill and slightly east into the desert, so it's not really so surprising, but was still a pleasant and unexpected change from the foul weather in town - so we kicked back and looked forward to the warmer climes of southern Jordan.

However, I was driving and felt like the car wasn't holding the road as well as normal, but after checking the tyres at a roadside garage and finding everything OK, I decided that the road must have deteriorated even more since my last trip and carried on. It was only further on when Mandy and I decided to swap drivers that we understood properly what was going on - the strongest winds I have ever seen here were sweeping across the highway, and must have been pushing us around. Mandy actually couldn't open the door on her side, it was so strong, so she slid over and I walked round ... and nearly had the door ripped out of my hand when I opened it! For the rest of our journey down the Desert Highway the wind just seemed to get stronger and stronger, and we were forced to creep round lorries being pushed into our lane. But it was OK, our turnoff was coming up ...

As we approached the turnoff, we noticed that there had been a dusting of snow on the tops of the mountains on our right, the mountains we were turning into, and we commented on how wierd it was to see desert and snow at the same time. We even stopped just after turning off towards Shobak to take a photo ... but of course, we hadn't figured on the fact that the tops of the mountains that we could see were the same altitude as the road further on, and as we headed into the mountains on the last stretch of the journey the clouds got thicker ... and the snow got a bit deeper ... and night slowly began to fall ...

We were over halfway between the last outpost of civilisation and Petra when we realised that yes, we really were driving through a blizzard on mountain roads in the Middle East, and that really we should have thought about snow chains ... curiouser and curiouser! Even more strange though, and slightly reassuring, was the sight of snow ploughs on the road (better prepared than the UK!), and taxis and tour buses were still coming in the opposite direction travelling at stupid miles an hour, so we reckoned if they could get through, so could we. By the time we realised that the snow was probably a good half foot deep on the road, and we had been forced to slow to about 10 miles an hour to avoid careering off the road into an abyss, we were both having second thoughts about the whole thing, and the worst moment came when we stopped the car to swap drivers again and the car wouldn't move ... great, stuck in the snow in the middle of nowhere in the dark on the Kings Highway! Still, being the ex-Girl Guide, I had a car full of water, food, medical supplies and clothes, and a full tank of petrol, so we reckoned that the worst case scenario was that we could wrap up and use the car's heating system to get us through the night ...

But we were not done yet, and after a few deep breaths, gentle acceleration and some jiggling of the steering wheel (for want of a technical term), we started moving again, and crept down to Petra which we reached about 45 minutes later - hooray for luxury hotels with fully stocked bars! Personally I was flooded with adrenalin after the effort, and it took a while to calm down and fully appreciate that we had arrived safe and sound. We were slightly peeved by the announcement by our receptionist that the Petra site might be closed the next day - after all that! - but the joy of survival was stronger and we went to bed full of optimism.

And rightly so - even though the days started cloudy and the hills around were covered in snow, Petra itself was fully accessible and, due to the weather, almost completely empty, which was a great way to see it (the photo above was the busiest we saw it - when you've seen the horrific heaving crowds of high season, you'll understand!). The cloud steadily lifted during the day, so that we managed to do the trek up to the monastery and see the views all the way to Israel, and we had a fab day exploring almost unmolested and with fires and tea in various caves along the way to warm our cold hands.

The weather the next day was even more of a contrast - snow-capped hills and blue skies, a gorgeous day to drive through. We had a brief moment in the clouds south of Petra where we carefully looked out for crossing camels as advised, and we drove past lots more frozen fields and fences of ice, but Wadi Rum and Aqaba were beckoning - were we going to get luckier this time?

Yes we were - in the space of half an hour we went from snow and ice all around to sunny desert wilderness, and half an hour again after that we were on camels plodding into the wide spaces of Wadi Rum feeling the warm sun on our faces. We both took off our coats (although Mandy's camel then decided to sit on hers - a cheap way to get a real camel hair coat!), and although the wind picked up a bit on the way back, we still managed to catch the sun and arrived in sunny Aqaba with pink noses and smiles ... and to think only 12 hours before we had been shivering and sliding around the road ...