Bits & Pieces....
Discovered today that I have been linked to by a Jordanian blog 'collective' called "I heart Amman" (sorry, can't do the little heart graphic!). On the list of other new bloggers I discovered one called Cacopolis - his little bit of 'blurb' at the top "Half-random thoughts from a half-Arab who's spent half his life away. And now lives in London, half the time..." struck a note with me (not that I am half Arab or live in London) but it sums up how may of us live our lives - i.e. not in the country of our birth, travelling a lot - either for business or pleasure and although seemingly settled, still a little in limbo.
Still in Jordan, I see from the Jordan Times, that yet another development is going up down at the Dead Sea - >"The Bahraini Grand Real Estate Projects Company plans to build and operate a full-fledged tourism resort on the shores of the Dead Sea at a cost of $100 million. According to the company's representative Jamal Hafez, the project will set up 650 chalets and 24 villas with different recreational facilities. ". I realise that tourism is the second highest revenue earners, I realise that the Dead Sea is an amazing attraction and from a point of view of somewhere to go to relax there are few places on earth to beat it....but I seriously hope that someone will soon put a stop to all this development going on down there....one of the reasons for it's beauty is the fact that it is not over developed. The Movenpick is at least subtle and sympathetically designed, the Marriott looks like a penitentiary and with it's glaring red Marriott sign stands out like a sore thumb, the Dead Sea resort (the original) is more subtle - just because it is older, the Kempinski I cannot really comment on as it was still half built when I left...When I first lived in Jordan in the 80's the Dead Sea area was not developed (not even the road to Amman was built) because the area was still a military zone due to the ongoing 'coflict' with Israel.
Via , Hadoosheh everything you ever needed to enjoy your argeelah!! I remember during Ramadan evenings driving around Abdoun circle with everyone sitting outside the coffee houses and smoking their argeelahs...the smell was wonderful - predominantly apple, with a hint of strawberry and a slight smokey undertone....
Also from Jordan, one of the other websites on the same list is an American exchange student who has some great pictures of her time in Jordan..on her site, click pictures, click on the Wadi Mousa, Petra collection and then go to the second page....Petra by night...a wonderful experience...after sunset you are led down through the Siq which is lit by little tea lights in paperbags and finally out of the Siq in front of The Treasury, again, all lit by tea lights where you sit and listen to a Bedouin tell stories and drink sweet mint tea..the story etc is all a bit touristy but it is well worth it to see The Treasury in candle light....fantastic. I remember taking a friend to Petra (they hadn't been before), I took them on the candlelit walk the first night and then early morning the next day....they couldn't believe how beautiful it was.
All change at the top in Jordan. King Abdullah seems to have decided that it is time to move on from the previous 'middle of the road' philosophy and start having a stronger attitude to terrorism - personally I believe he has felt that all along but both King Hussein and King Abdullah have had to tread a very fine line between what is expected of them by their country, what is expected by the West, what is expected of them by their Arab neighbours and finally, what they expect of themselves - not an easy task in life.
And finally....Wadi Rum....whilst unpacking my books the other day I found a coffee table book on Jordan which a friend gave me when I left..on the inside cover he had written "When ever you have a grey or rainy day...look at Wadi Rum"....so here you are...a picture of Rum..."Vast, echoing and God like" as Lawrence said...
Still in Jordan, I see from the Jordan Times, that yet another development is going up down at the Dead Sea - >"The Bahraini Grand Real Estate Projects Company plans to build and operate a full-fledged tourism resort on the shores of the Dead Sea at a cost of $100 million. According to the company's representative Jamal Hafez, the project will set up 650 chalets and 24 villas with different recreational facilities. ". I realise that tourism is the second highest revenue earners, I realise that the Dead Sea is an amazing attraction and from a point of view of somewhere to go to relax there are few places on earth to beat it....but I seriously hope that someone will soon put a stop to all this development going on down there....one of the reasons for it's beauty is the fact that it is not over developed. The Movenpick is at least subtle and sympathetically designed, the Marriott looks like a penitentiary and with it's glaring red Marriott sign stands out like a sore thumb, the Dead Sea resort (the original) is more subtle - just because it is older, the Kempinski I cannot really comment on as it was still half built when I left...When I first lived in Jordan in the 80's the Dead Sea area was not developed (not even the road to Amman was built) because the area was still a military zone due to the ongoing 'coflict' with Israel.
Via , Hadoosheh everything you ever needed to enjoy your argeelah!! I remember during Ramadan evenings driving around Abdoun circle with everyone sitting outside the coffee houses and smoking their argeelahs...the smell was wonderful - predominantly apple, with a hint of strawberry and a slight smokey undertone....
Also from Jordan, one of the other websites on the same list is an American exchange student who has some great pictures of her time in Jordan..on her site, click pictures, click on the Wadi Mousa, Petra collection and then go to the second page....Petra by night...a wonderful experience...after sunset you are led down through the Siq which is lit by little tea lights in paperbags and finally out of the Siq in front of The Treasury, again, all lit by tea lights where you sit and listen to a Bedouin tell stories and drink sweet mint tea..the story etc is all a bit touristy but it is well worth it to see The Treasury in candle light....fantastic. I remember taking a friend to Petra (they hadn't been before), I took them on the candlelit walk the first night and then early morning the next day....they couldn't believe how beautiful it was.
All change at the top in Jordan. King Abdullah seems to have decided that it is time to move on from the previous 'middle of the road' philosophy and start having a stronger attitude to terrorism - personally I believe he has felt that all along but both King Hussein and King Abdullah have had to tread a very fine line between what is expected of them by their country, what is expected by the West, what is expected of them by their Arab neighbours and finally, what they expect of themselves - not an easy task in life.
And finally....Wadi Rum....whilst unpacking my books the other day I found a coffee table book on Jordan which a friend gave me when I left..on the inside cover he had written "When ever you have a grey or rainy day...look at Wadi Rum"....so here you are...a picture of Rum..."Vast, echoing and God like" as Lawrence said...
posted by Madame Chiang at 4:54 pm
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