grey marble

May 18, 2004


The Promised Land

Today I stood upon Mt. Nebo and looked out to the Promised Land! Then I went to the mall and bought a new pair of shoes.

This morning I woke up late and then made my way to the Abdali bus station. The bus for Madaba was leaving just as I got there. We drove west through Amman, then turned south on the Airport road.

Madaba is a small town noted mainly for its churches, which house superb examples of Byzantine-era mosaics. The most famous is the mosaic map, housed in a 19th century Greek Orthodox church which at one time detailed all major biblical sites from Lebanon to Egypt. What remains is merely a third of the whole. The main area of the map which remains is protected by a chain fence. A sign warns tour guides not to step on the map itself. In the corners, carpets protect other pieces of the map.

After touring some of the major mosaic sites, I looked at the map and decided to try making it to Mt. Nebo, some 10 kilometers away. Mt. Nebo, on the edge of the East Bank plateau, is where Moses is said to have stood and seen the Promised Land. He later died and is buried in the vicinity, but the precise location is unknown. Once I was alone on the minibus, the driver decided to talk to me. And so he jabbered away in Arabic and I smiled when he smiled and laughed when he laughed, and so together we made the pilgrimmage to the site.

From atop the mount, I had a view of the Dead Sea and clear into Isreal. The weather wasn't cooperating however. The day was overcast and cold, and while the Dead Sea seemed to call me, I was unprepared for a dip in its salty waters.

I hitched a ride back to town. A taxi stopped for me by the side of the road. It's western passengers seemed surprised. They had boarded the taxi in Aqaba for the trip up to Madaba. The fare was approaching 70 J.D. The man in the back asked I had hitched much in Jordan and I said I had. The buses don't seem to run quite as often as one would like, or sometimes even where one would like, I told him. He shrugged and looked thoughtful.

Back in town, I completed the mosaic tour and boarded a bus back to Amman. It dropped us off at the outskirts, much to the dismay of some other western passengers. I crossed the street and asked about a bus to downtown. A man told me to wait and moments later it arrived. From there I took a taxi to Abdoun circle. An affluent part of town, the houses look like palaces. I walked to the Blue Fig cafe and had lunch. I was the most underdressed person there, as businessmen took their meals and made cell phone calls. I can see how at night it could be a cool place to hang out.

After lunch I took a cab to the Mecca Mall, a newer looking mall far to the west of town. I ate a frozen yogurt and browsed for shoes. The pair I had brought with me had been torn to shreds. I tried on various pairs, and finally decided upon one, slashed 40% from its original price.

Heading back to town I decided to stop and thank Luna, the woman who had recommended the jewelery store and the mall. Stopping in her shop, I found she wasn't there. I asked the attendant, and she said that Luna was at university today, but offered to pass along a message. I wrote out a note and then started chatting with her. She told me that her fiance owned the store, and that he was Luna's brother. She told me her name was Rita, and when I asked her wedding date she told me August 1st and then invited me to the wedding. I thanked her but told her I'd be back in New York by then. We chatted about this and that and about travelling. She told me she was a kindergarten English teacher. I asked her about property costs in Amman and she told me the price of her house and the approximate cost of houses in Abdoun circle. She told me that when her cousin from Australia saw the houses in Abdoun she was shocked. They don't have houses like that back home, she told Rita. And while they don't have houses like that on the East coast, somehow I could see that architecture suriving quite well in California. Posted by eku at May 18, 2004 7:37 PM
Search


Archives
Recent Entries
Links