So my brother Steve arrived last Sunday, April 14, although who can tell? The past two weeks are blurry. I whipped up a quick vegetarian biryani that night and Rana sent over a middle-eastern style rice pudding. I took Steve on a walking tour of campus and then he was ready for rest so we could start partying on Monday. We decided to do a morning jaunt to Sharjah and then head straight to Dubai. Who knew Nicole and Steve would be such great tag-team partners in the souks? They managed to get some good deals for my brother, who really liked the blue souk (aka, Islamic souk, aka Central souk) and got, among other things, a beautiful table cloth from Afghanistan. Tony, Nicole, Steve, and I spent the better part of the morning there, soaking up (theoretically at least) the a.c. for our walk across town, past the fish and livestock markets, to Al Maskoof, the great Iraqi restaurant in Sharjah City. My favorite thing there is the tea, which led to this classic language misunderstanding: After eating shish tawook sandwiches, bread from Al Maskoof's tanoor oven, and hummus, and enjoying some tea of course, I asked for the "check." The waiter said something like "for four?" and seemed surprised. I nodded, and he promptly brought four more teas. "Check" and "Shay" sound an awful lot alike.
Quick taxi ride into Dubai to the nearest Metro Station so we can jump on the train to the creek in Bur Dubai, where we rode the abras (only one dirham...about a quarter U.S.!), and walked through the old city, including even more souks. It was hot, but we had a nice time. Tony was generous enough to whip out his awesome new glass tea cups that night, when Rana and her daughter Majdoline came over to the apartment that night. So cool to introduce folks from two different sides of the world. That might be my favorite thing about family coming to visit the region when we're here.
Next morning, crack of dawn flight to Jordan for Steve, Tony, and me. The Emirates are interesting, but there's nothing like the Levant (Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Palestine) for hospitality and, in that regard, our Jordan jaunt didn't disappoint. Our driver, Alaa, took us to North Amman where my friend Dr. Rima was waiting. I met Rima at a conference last year and we've kept in touch. She and her husband Basel had stuffed zucchini and grape leaves, chicken, potatoes and salads, hummus and moutabel. Best of all: the most amazing kanafeh I've had--not as syrupy as most, so the flavor of the cheese was dominant. So good. Catching up with a colleague and friend as excellent as Dr. Rima was a treat. Her lunch put me to sleep much of the drive down to Petra. We spent much of the evening swimming and snapping photos.
Next morning, we set off early for the old city. Petra might be my favorite single place in the Mideast, and our drive made the great suggestion of starting well ahead of the crowds. Visiting old Petra involves hiking. Loads of hiking. Surrounded by the ancient stone structures on every side of you, the first goal is to make it to the treasury, the facade made famous by the third Indiana Jones movie that was partially filmed there. Our guide, Ali, was a cool bedouin gentleman who without irony said things like "people think you can't walk here," while pointing to a sign that says "do not walk here." All the way to the treasury, he directed us to the best nooks and crannies of the ancient Nabatean city, full of caves, graves, sacrificial spots, and residential structures (everything made from Petra's red stone). It's a lot of walking and worth every step. Petra gives you one beautiful view after another. The treasury affords a good resting spot where you can get some super sweet tea and chill out while taking the inevitable slew of pics. As is customary, our guide left us after we reached the Roman Road, a promenade of temples and ruins from the brief period when the Roman Empire held hegemony. So we climbed the approximately 900 steps up to the monastery, the other grand facade within Petra. We took it slow but made it and Tony and I continued to explore paths and diversions while Steve rested. We found some white knuckle views of the Tomb of Aaron (brother of Moses), the wadis (DEEP valleys), and the eerily named Sacrifice Point. We came across an old man making tea who shared some with us (tea is a big deal in Jordan and delicious too), then listened to him play a flute. Surreal. Spent the whole day in Petra, wandering, climbing, playing, taking pictures. Magical spot, no joke. More swimming that night, this time to help the joints and muscles recover from the hiking.
Next morning, to Mt. Nebo, where Moses glimpsed the promised land. The Byzantine church there is being remodeled by the Franciscans, but you can still enjoy the lovely views of Palestine and Israel. It was clear so we could see Jerusalem and Jericho with no problem. We then went to Bethany and the spot on the Jordan where John baptized Jesus. Said a prayer, got in the water up to our knees, and was amazed at the lack of security, given how close Israel is (maybe 25 feet across the river is Jericho). Luckily, the border here is peaceful unlike, say, Lebanon. We drove to the Dead Sea, where I wanted Steve to have plenty of time to enjoy the spa-like amenities. Tony and I wandered (common motif) and found a neat tavern of sorts that served arak, the Lebanese/Jordanian beverage that Tony wanted to sample. Cool place with the traditional Arab seating (low benches covered with cushions along the walls of the place). Bartender even sliced up a cucumber for us and squeezed some lemon over it. We all hopped in the Dead Sea and floated. We covered ourselves with the famous, therapeutic sea mud, but mostly we lounged poolside. Steve got a dead sea mud facial (didn't make sense, to my anyway to pay for something that was free down by the water itself!) and a massage. Couldn't have been more relaxing.
Next day we went back to Dr. Rima's for another amazing meal. Big pieces of lamb shank, more hummus and salad and coffee and tea and baked goodies. Highlight was most definitely Rima's kefta bil tahineh. Meat baked in a "gravy" made from tahini, lemon, garlic, and salt, thinned with water. Couldn't get enough of the stuff. We were all hooked. A great way to end our time in Jordan.
COMING UP...more revelry in the Emirates and then there were two
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