We had a walk back to the car after lunch so we stopped in at Duke’s Diwan on Al Malek Faisal Street. The Duke’s Diwan is the oldest building in downtown Amman open to visitors. Built in 1924, this historic townhouse has served as a post office, a ministry of finance, and a hotel. A Jordanian businessman, who happens to be the duke of the village of Mukhaybeh, purchased the property and restored it with period furnishings. There is a collection of old photos and newspaper clippings giving a glimpse of Amman’s history. 

Our last stop of the day was to a shop called Gypsy Spirit, located near Rainbow Street. This eclectic shop has a unique and ever-changing collection of art, décor, and much more. I found a couple gorgeous table lamps to take home!. Think a vase-shaped brass lamp with a design cut out of the brass. A lightbulb fits inside the base and illuminates the lamp’s pattern onto the table or wall. Google Arabic lamp images and you’ll get a much better visual but suffice to say they are gorgeous! Exit Gypsy Spirit to the right and walk down the street for a photo op in front of the painted stairs. 

We had reservations for dinner at Levant Restaurant which is a white tablecloth Armenian restaurant. I did not pack nice clothes and felt out of place and underdressed in my Eddie Bauer hiking pants and fleece pullover. Thankfully, I was the only one feeling this way and, once seated, realized there wasn’t an enforced dress code. (If I had it to do over again though, I would dress a little nicer for dinner here. Nothing too fancy, but jeans and a nice blouse would feel more appropriate.) The ambiance would be appropriate for a business meetings or a lovely date night.

We were served freshly baked pita bread with our hummus and fried halloumi appetizers, both of which were fantastic. I ordered the Siniyat Kufta for my entrée which is described as Angus beef kufta served with tahini sauce. Unfortunately, this validated that I am not a fan of beef dishes in the Middle East. I am not saying that the dish was bad by any means, but there is a seasoning or spice commonly used in beef dishes that is too strong and pungent for my palate. This is not especially surprising given that, in general, I don’t typically order beef dishes when I travel internationally because I rarely enjoy them. I am so accustomed to how beef is seasoned and prepared in the US that I don’t generally enjoy it elsewhere. Again, nothing wrong the dish, it simply wasn’t for me. The rest of the experience at Levant was delightful and I would absolutely go back though I would stick to chicken for my entrée. 

Today was my first real experience with how traffic works in Amman and it is … interesting. Though I never saw an accident, drivers don’t follow any set of rules I have ever heard. As my friend described it, “driving in Jordan is a beautifully choreographed ballet of chaos” and I cannot think of a better or more accurate description. People change their speed from 70 km to 40 km because they are on their phone while driving. There seems to be no concept of a traffic lane and, to be fair, there are no lines painted on roads. It’s common to see a road that is meant to be two lanes wide actually be used three or four lanes wide.

One of my friend’s coworkers made the statement “I’m Jordanian, I park here” and that is also accurate. Jordanians seem to not like walking (I fully admit to making an assumption here and intend no disrespect) and they get creative with parking; it is not uncommon to see cars parked on the sidewalks and in all directions in parking lots. Horns are used, and frequently. It seems to be an expectation that the car at the front of the red light isn’t paying attention so the second car gives a polite tap of the horn to alert the first car to go. There are also less polite horn taps; those are entertaining and usually accompanied by a hand gesture. All is forgiven if the offending driver puts their hand out the window and waves politely. I would have expected the city to be a constant traffic jam of accidents given the lack of adherence to traffic rules but the Jordanians have figured it out. I am grateful to have had a built in driver for my first visit and will work up the courage to attempt driving when I return. 

After a few days in Jordan, I consent that it looks and smells different from the US. The buildings here are mostly the same color and building material. The people look and dress differently and you will encounter cigarette smoke. You will also encounter whiffs of sewage at times. That being said, you are just as likely to encounter the smell of sewage walking down a street in D.C. or Seattle. I have found the people here to be very welcoming overall, and have not questioned my safety. Even walking back to the apartment after dinner at night I have felt safe. I wish more people would visit and experience this beautiful country and her citizens rather than make assumptions based on news reports.