We
spent four nights in Amman in an apartment rental via Airbnb. The
manager
of
our apartment, Sama'n,
also
manages many other apartments in the city which are listed on Airbnb
and on Gweet which is the Middle East's answer to
Airbnb and VRBO.com. Sama'n was a wonderful host and a very helpful
man to know while in Amman. It's a sprawling city that seems to have
no end.
While
I enjoyed the city and all of its diverse options of things to do,
see, and eat, it was a test in patience every time we left the
apartment. When we arrived in Amman, the first thing Katie and I
did
was return the rental car as I had heard nerve-racking stories of
driving in this capital city. The tales proved to be true as we sat in
bumper-to-bumper traffic on our ride into the city. No car meant that
we either had to take the public buses (which we were told were safe,
but that as ladies, we would be expected to wear headscarves if we
wanted to ride without incident) or we could
rely
on taxis. We took the taxi option which seemed like the lesser of two
frustrations (waiting for buses or trying to communicate with taxis
drivers). Every time we got into a taxi, we had issues communicating
where
we wanted to go and how to get there. Although most buildings in
Amman had addresses, they're not used and the taxi drivers we dealt
with didn't seem to know where major sights
or
streets were.
Every set of directions starts with which traffic
circle is nearest your destination (there are seven) and you have to
direct the driver onward from the circle. Giving directions from the
circle was difficult as our Arabic was limited and the taxi drivers
had equally limited English. Even when we would show them a map of
the city with our destination clearly marked, more times than not,
they would tell us that this wasn't a map of Amman and that they
couldn't get us to our destination. Once we were out and about,
getting home became the next issue. Looking back, I wonder if
the buses would have been less of a hassle even with the wardrobe
change before we left the apartment, the waiting around, and the
adventure of finding out how to pay the fare. There
is a third option for getting around town and out of town—hiring
a
driver for the day or for a set amount of time. We chose this option
when we visited Jerash, but compared to the taxi fare (about JD1-2
per ride across town), hiring a driver was very expensive (about JD30
for a four-hour time period). Keep in mind that most of these drivers
speak more English than your average taxi driver and once you find
one you like (and one who knows where you live), it's understandable
why you would keep calling them time and again. We found our driver
through another driver we met outside a tourist sight, but you can
also try your luck at hailing a yellow cab on the street.
Once
we made it to our destination and shook off the frustration of the
taxi ride, we really enjoyed ourselves. We visited the Citadel (JD2)
and the Roman Amphitheater (JD1). We ate amazing food that, in more
Western-style restaurants, cost about JD10-15 per person without
alcohol. We made the obligatory and delicious visit to Hashem and our
lunch only cost only JD2 per person. If you read anything about
Amman, you will read about Hashem. It's a small falafel place that is
super cheap, super fast, and super tasty. They bring each table a
plate of falafel, a plate of tomatoes, onions, and mint, pita bread,
and tea immediately after being seated. Hummus, ful, and falafel are available by order. There's no printed menu, but there
may be other foods available as well. Ask any local where it is and
they'll tell you. Hell, this is probably the only place taxi
drivers will know when you mention it.
|
Citadel in Amman. |
Everywhere
we went in Amman proved to be fun and interesting, but none of our
outings would have been possible without a smartphone helping us
every step of the way. I hope with time Amman will become more
tourist friendly.