Surrendering to the magic of السلام عليكم

For a lot of reasons this trip to the Arab Lands couldn't be more different than Clinton's and mine to Morocco 10 years ago. In short, I've been humbled. And you'll be proud to know, Dear Reader, that I've applied all the lessons learned on that fateful trip—for although Jordan is nothing compared to the swelter, crowds and outrageous guile of every scoundrel we met in Morocco— there's always the unexpected 'situation' you suddenly find yourself in. These 'situations' must be dealt with calmly and gracefully, or your whole day will be spoiled. An example. Two days ago during my prepaid, pre-booked, 2 hour 4x4 excursion in the desert of Wadi Rum, lo and behold, we come across some Bedouin and their camels. Naturally, we stop for the obligatory round of greetings and within a minute or two I'm obliged to enjoy a short camel ride. And since I'm now the epitome of suave and graciousness and have all the time in the world, and after many a generous "salaam" and "shukran" a price for the camel ride is agreed upon, and off I go. Half an hour later I'm not surprised when the jaunt ends at The Siq of Lawrence, in a humble Bedouin camp, I'm invited in for tea and the inevitable souvenirs of a desert sojourn are brought out. (Damn! They've got me again!) So, while we sit and enjoy the tea in the deafening silence of The Siq of Lawrence, in the desert of Wadi Rum, I'm naturally charmed by the idea of acquiring a little tin of musk or ambergris. "Take your time and enjoy Sir. More tea?" I loved being addressed thus.

BTW, The Siq of Lawrence was the very spot where T. E. Lawrence lived for some years under a rock overhang during the Arab uprising against the Ottomans in 1916. A siq is a narrow cleft in the mountain that provides shelter and a place to hide. My driver points out two weathered portraits of Lawrence carved into the rock in 1919. Watching Lawrence of Arabia again is an absolute must when I finally get to Sydney. The antiquities department in Jordan does a good job of preserving everything from Dolmen tombs (4000BC), to this kind of commemorative history and everything Nabatean, Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman in between.


Aqaba in 1916

All this pleasure comes from the mere learning of one greeting: "Salaam Alaikum!" السلام عليكم, which means Peace be upon you, (or variations thereof). This always invites a conversation and most often a solicitation, but the politeness of this salutation leaves a person no option but the utmost polite response. So when you're not interested in whatever it is they're selling, they gracefully withdraw, finishing with a smile and a "you're most welcome to Jordan". Far better than the grim, head down, marching-past-and-ignoring-them-routine that I once practiced, and still see most tourists doing. It's so impolite, and they're missing out on a genuinely pleasant exchange and in some cases a joke.

Another example: In Amman last week I was in the downtown souq, or market—a Hell hole, I might add—taking an irresistible photo of a row mannequins all dressed in similarly ghastly style, when the proprietor ran out and yelled at me in mock anger, "You take a photo? 15 Dinar!" I responded with a defiant "15 Dinar? No! Impossible! السلام عليكم" He laughed, shook my hand, asked where I was from, which led to a joke about sheep at the expense of both of our countrymen. I then asked him the directions to the restaurant Hasheem, and he set me straight. A couple of hours later when I just happened to be in the same street, he spotted me and shouted out from across the street, "Salaam Alaikum, Kiwi!" with a huge grin and a wave. I wish I had asked to take his photo.

Of course this is Jordan, not Morocco or Egypt . . . stay tuned.


This photo is worth 15 Dinar

I'm presently in Aqaba hoping that the 'daily' ferry to Nuweibaa, Egypt will sail tomorrow. It didn't sail yesterday, or today, because of the weather—I was informed. So I'm sitting around the pool having a beer on a beautiful, warm, sunny day, perfect for ferry for sailings, looking out at the ships anchored in the gulf of Aqaba on the sparkling Red Sea. I can see Eilat, the Israeli resort town only a mile or so west of here and I can almost touch the mountains of Sinai, Egypt, only another two miles further on. If the daily ferry doesn't sail tomorrow I'm going to walk.


Aqaba today.


Apparently ferries can be cancelled because of good weather.

السلام عليكم