Meeting People Is Easy

Friday was only my second day off since I’ve been here and I woke early with a plan: Shopping the special Friday Bazaars. Most of the action takes place in shut down city streets in the old city, downtown. It’s truly a mixed bag from used jeans piled high in bins (like the old Filenes Basement, people rummaging through), second hand t-shirts hanging on racks in the street, knock-off belts laid out on tables, used (yes used) shoes spread out on blankets on the ground, etc. All the while the vendors themselves are yelling out what they have to sell. The vibe was very much like the Haymarket in Boston but with clothing instead of fruit and veg.

A block over was a different setup. Everything was spread out on blankets on the sidewalks, spilling into the streets. Total chaos. This was truly a junk-store experience though; Old and used watches, screwdrivers, radios, more shoes, cups and saucers, miniature statues, books, cooking wear, and miscellaneous sorted junk.

I wandered through this maze of stuff, sipping on a raw sugar cane drink (like guarapo in Colombia but without the limes) and stumbled upon a mob scene of people off of another side street. I go to check it out and quickly realize that I’m more out of place than ever. “Pigeon fancying” is something of a hobby here. All along the street are people with cardboard boxes and cages of pigeons. People are picking up the birds and examining them, talking to one another, bargaining. Very interesting, but they all look at me and wonder what the hell I’m doing there.

Interspurced among the boxes of birds are pushcarts selling lamb kebobs and fresh bread topped with za’atar. I come to find out that za’atar is an herb related to thyme that can only be found in Jordan. It is dried, crushed and mixed with sesame seeds and sumac (another unique spice made from the fruit of a sumac bush/tree). Mixed with olive oil it makes for a tremendous dipping sauce for bread or can be put on top of dough and baked like a pizza. I make it a point later to stop at a spice shop and by a kilo of it to bring home.

Wandering around a bit more downtown, but now away from the street market, I am approached by an older man who asks me if I am French and offers to help me do some shopping. My apprehensive New England attitude kicks in and I attempt to shake him off. It’s a good thing it didn’t work. Saad and I spend the rest of the afternoon together and he helps me bargain and buy a beautiful carpet. I find out later that he really did get me quite a deal and a unique piece at that.

After I told him that I’m looking for a carpet he takes me to a place that I had been earlier in the day. When I had been there before I tried my best to explain that I was looking for a ‘runner’ (2’ x 10’ or so). They blow me off and I leave. But when I go with Saad we are magically whisked upstairs to a private area where I am shown many, many styles of traditional Bedouin-style, sheep wool carpets. I find a style and color scheme that I fancy but it’s not long enough. No problem, they have a traditional weaving machine there and can stitch a couple together in a few hours. Thank you Saad!

After they get started on my carpet we head to a coffee shop for a little drink. Not a place that if I were to walk in alone they would charge me 2-3 JD ($4.50) for an Arabic coffee. Instead we’re charged 1 JD for both drinks. Thank you again Saad. Then we walk around a little more and have a late lunch at a great local spot that he recommends. I finally get to eat a famous Jordanian dish called mensaf. It’s lamb shoulder that is stewed until it’s fall-off-the-bone tender. Then the juice from the stew is mixed with dried out yoghurt to create a silky sauce. Traditional pita bread is placed on a plate, rice piled on top, the lamb over that, and finally the sauce over the rest. I’ve been dying for this and it’s worth the wait.

I find out that Saad lives in a tiny closet at a hotel downtown where he does some odd jobs for a place to live. The way he survives is by meeting tourists and taking them around. He speaks a handful of languages almost fluently and another handful good enough to get by. He hopes that the tourists buy him lunch or dinner, maybe some coffee, or just give him cash. I decide I’m going to buy him drinks and food for his services and he tries to not let me do so, but I know that’s the deal and feel it’s more than worth it. After lunch we still have some time until the carpet will be ready so he takes me to a drink stand where I have some tamarind beverage (dates soaked in water that produces a maroon colored drink), and then onto another coffee shop for a fresh lemon and mint beverage. Got to replenish those sugars because of the heat. Finally we go back to the carpet shop and somehow I’m still expecting to get ripped off. Not at all the case. It’s even more beautiful than I hoped and I’m super happy. Saad gives me his number and I hop into a taxi back to my hotel. Success. There’s a fine line between trusting people who are overly friendly, but here in Jordan it’s a quite different situation than in the States. All in all I spent an extra 6-7JD (~$10) for his services; more than worth it in the end.