Making memories in Jordan
Waking up
from the soft bed and taking off the fluffy white duet took every bit of will
power in my body. My body was sore from all the flying from the south of Asia
to the west of the Arab nation. But it had been my dream to revisit this
wonderfully serene and picturesque country. The glory of Jordan struck me very,
very deep when I last visited it ten years back with my parents. I had a two
weeks off work, so I planned to take my dream adventure journey to Jordan.
Thus, here I am in Hotel Torledo all alone enjoying my bubbling bath in room
no.247.
The hotel
itself had changed a great deal since I last came. A decade can do a great deal
to things, excluding me of course! Since I had downed a mug of coffee during my
bath I had enough caffeine kicked stamina to skip the five Jordan dollar coffee
the hotel bar offered. And mind you, one J.D. is two hundred and fifty LKR ONLY! One thing that Jordan had not changed about itself was its climate. The
sun in Jordan was so merciful towards you unlike that in Sri Lanka. Though it
was sunny even in the evening it was never scorching. The cool breeze
accompanied by the sunlight at the right temperature somehow persuades you to
take a scroll through the clean roads that boasted of the luxurious country.
Since I was
more than ready to explore the country I so loved, I set out. The fact that
every single house in Jordan was built of limestone not only gave it a beauty
but a look of unity too and suddenly I remembered the words of our tour guide
ten years back, “The richness of a house is not measured by the look of it but
by the people who live in it.” Wise man, now must be an old man. Had I
forgotten about the friendliness of the natives of the country, I should have
been ashamed of myself and surprisingly that was another fact that still
remained in Jordan! Also, never forget that a tan skin along all pearl whites
never fails to attract!
The evening
was so pleasant that I decided to scroll a little further into the city. I know
that Jordan is most famous for its Dead Sea. Yet I always wondered why people
never admired it for all its glory. For more than the Dead Sea the citadels, tombs,
mosques, palaces and simply the cities itself were breath taking. I remembered
that Firas Circle was the closest shopping area to the hotel, so I thought to
go window shopping and get acquainted with the style of the present Jordan.
There wasn’t much to witness though, the same American style as with most
countries that had been governed by America at least for sometimes.
I had no
idea of buying souvenirs or gifts. All I'd planned to do was to enjoy the
luxurious Arabian cuisine, taking memorable stills, sleep peacefully and most
important of all revive memories. Yet my shoes seemed to have a different idea
and right when I passed the second floor of the mall my converse planned to
come off. "Really? You wanted to make me spend four thousand bucks instead of
two, didn't you?" annoyed I
asked my shoes but the audacity of it! It kept quiet! As the only way to teach
it a good lesson was to dump it in the bin and buy a new one to replace it, I
entered a shoe shop on the second floor.
The dollar
sign that shined in the owners shop told me that he had identified me to be a
tourist. So much for being tan! “Salam Madame, all kind shoes we have. What you
want? Heel high?” It was evident he was eager to sell off his most expensive
stuff to me. Hah! He never knew the bargaining skills of Sri Lankans! One plus
point of knowing English when you speak to person who doesn’t know it, is, at
the end of the day you win the argument, thanks to the language of course. And as my owner brother was a native Arabic
speaker, I had more points in my hand. “I want a converse” “Colour Madame?”
“Dark blue or red?” “We have all Madame, we have all! He climbed up a ladder
and brought three pairs of my perfect size. Wow, so he checked me out without
my knowledge? Smart but man he’s hot too, just lacking a little in the muscle
area. I chose the red one and asked for the prize and there it was. The dollar
signs from his eyes put into my hands.
“Twenty
dollars?” I gasped. All those torture from drama class has found some use
finally. “A normal converse costs only ten brother, I asked a couple of shops
before and since they said twelve I came to you expecting justice and see what
you do to me!” I hung my face leaving the shoes on the stool nearby. “No, no
Madame, this originale. Fine, fine white price Madame, fifteen. Best price
Madame.” “Eleven brother, fair price for you and me, I buy converse all the
time!” “No fair Madame, cost eleven, sell eleven where profit?” Oh, I know the
profit you make my man! “Ok brother, I’ll see another shop. Thank you.” “Why
Madame? Wait Madame, Twelve, twelve then!” I shook my head with my best smile
and he fell for it and I win! “Have a nice day brother!” “Nice day Madame.” I
don’t know if he meant, “You too” or “Nice day indeed after you shattered all
my high hopes”. But that man, made fat profit and I knew it from experience of
buying converses. So he had no reasons to be sad and nor did I.
I sat near
the bin that I had dumped my shoes to where my new ones and thought about its
life time. Born somewhere, used in Colombo and resting in collision in Amman.
“You should be proud to have had an owner like me though I never washed you
often, I never left you feeling lonely.” And with those consoling words to my shoes
I departed from the mall. But after about half an hour of fidgeting did I
realize that I was lost inside the mall. It wasn’t a big deal all I had to do
was get the direction from somebody else. The first people who caught my eyes
were two guys, probably teenagers laughing at something they were seeing in
their mobiles. I stood in front of them but they were too into their phones. So
to get their attention I “hey”ed them.
I don’t know
what they expected from that foreign accent but I surely didn’t expect what was
in store for me. I actually smiled at them started asking about the exit but
all the morons did to me was see each other and give a look over. Suddenly one
boy wiggled at the other and started whooping. I was really disgusted with
their show that I really wanted to puke. But it seemed like the other one got
his senses back and he started speaking something in Arabic. “Superb, I should
have known that these two were idiots when I understood that they were hitting
on me mistaking my size with my age. Not all slim girls are teenagers morons!”
I said them (all with a smile plastered to face of course, I didn’t want to be
arrested for affronting a native. Did I now?). Suddenly, I heard an uproarious laugh behind
me.
On turning I
saw a man about three to four years older than me laughing at us. On sensing
that we were seeing him, he composed himself but when his eyes landed on me he
set off again. Then it all registered to me. So this gentle man was
eavesdropping my words? “Awesome you’re going to explore the Jordan Jail this
time.” I congratulated me. After he really composed himself, he came up to us
and spoke to the boys in a beautiful Arab accent and I took this time to check
him out. Chiseled pearl face, dark brown hair, black denim trousers, plain
white T-shirt, black jacket (unzipped), simple but stylish black watch, black
ankle length converse and a black helmet poised on his hips. Okay, so he was a
dream of every girl’s “BOY IN BLACK”. Suddenly the “boy in black” turned
towards me and that’s when I remembered that he was here to put me in jail and
if he catches me checking out him, he might add more charges.
“Hello, my
name is Zaid”, ‘boy in black’ spoke and the guys left after giving me a sorry
look. So English knowing “BOY i……” no
let’s call him Zaid. “Hello” “Sorry for the trouble my natives caused you
Miss.” “Shana, and no I’m fine with it unless you won’t put me in jail for
insulting your natives”, I elucidated my worry. He laughed again. He had a nice
laugh, not that I noted. “Me and my observations!” I was starting to get angry
with myself and then Zaid started “No Miss. Shana why would I ever? Actually if
those guys had understood what you told them it would have been useful for
them” then I realized, “You didn’t translate did you?” “Of course not but I can
help you if you want anything.” He smiled. Sweet fellow. The world need more
people like this. So, I asked him the direction for the exit. He said that was
leaving the place too and asked me to join him. Since I had no other option I
did. “So how come you know English? You a foreigner too?” “No, I am a proud
Jordanian. I studied in UK. Completed my masters in interior designs. So you
from Miss?” “Sri Lanka”, I said with a smile and while I was thinking, “No
doubt he has the awesome British accent”, we got to the exit. It was dark and I
knew I had to get to the hotel before eight or I’d have to feed on the
leftovers of the buffet. “Thank you Mr. Zaid. Pleased to have met you”, I said
to the “Boy in black” and left him with a smile.
All the way
back to the hotel I mused over what had happened today evening and I couldn’t
help but feel happy with the memories I had made for one day. Whatever happens
in life, let them be funny, irritating, terrifying or even annoying, later
would surely become a golden memory that you would treasure for the rest of
your life. The dinner was splendid as ever in all Arabian cuisine with the
olives, kebabs, tandoori, rotti and Jordan’s special halwa. When I entered my
room I saw that the house keeping department had done quite a neat job by
replacing all the mess I had left. After changing into my PJs I hit the bed
with a smile. For though I was exhausted from all the adventure, I felt warm
and happy. “Maybe I should ask boss if they had a branch in Jordan.” was all I
thought before I entered the widespread arms of mother sleep.
Author: Badurdeen.Fathima.Ayesha
