Seeking Santa in Amman (Last Year)

Living overseas, especially in the Middle East, might lead you to think that picture-taking-Santas skip this region. But luckily, you would be wrong… sort of. As our oldest daughter was two-and-a-half last Christmas, we figured it might be the first year she’d start to “get” the idea of Santa and Christmas, and ironically enough with the help of her Jordanian nursery school, we were right! Suddenly she was recognizing Santa’s image everywhere! Grocery stores, malls, billboards, books; for weeks everything was, “Santa!” yelled with great glee and accompanied by lots of pointing. I’m not certain exactly what they told her about him in school, but they made darn sure she’d know him by sight.

The previous two years we did the obligatory pictures-with-Santa thing. Her first Santa was a gorgeous stand-in at Harrod’s in London. We’ll just skip over the whole spewing vomit all over the Disney princess wing of the store the day before, leading us to sneak in the back entrance the following day and keep our heads down as we paid our entrance fee to Santa’s fantasyland. But a picture was captured, bemused at best, sans vomit, so all was good.

By year two, we were in Jordan, and we gladly took part in the pictures-with-Santa opportunity provided by my husband’s employer. This photo captured the tears and screams of a confused 21-month-old. No fault to Santa himself, he tried.

So, next comes year three. And in addition to a Santa-seeking toddler, we have the twins’ first Christmas, so I was feeling some pressure to capture the moment. As we did the previous year, we signed up again to have pictures with Santa at my husband’s job. But when photo day arrived, we had a toddler and one twin dragging with fevers of 102, so we nixed it.

This suddenly left me with the need to find Santa in Amman. I reached out to friends on Facebook and was given a few leads. Santa had been spotted at the mall, at Hamleys toy store, and even at Marriott. Great! So many options.

I started with the mall. I wandered the whole mall, all levels, looking for the “Santa scene.” You know, the big chair, the backdrop, the festive accoutrements. I found what I thought might be it, but it turned out to be a car display. Then I found a large sign stating “Santa’s Village” but there was nothing there but an oversized present and a huge Christmas tree. So I went to the Information desk, figuring they’d know the big guy’s arrival dates. I asked this young Jordanian, “Where is Santa?” He looked at me with such cavernous blankness I could almost hear the ocean. “For pictures? … Pictures with Santa?” Still nothing. He may have blinked. I thanked him for his “help” and wandered off.

Next attempt was to hit Hamleys. I had heard that Santa would be appearing at “all” Hamleys. So I visited one of the smaller branches. There were two very nice employees who said that Santa wasn’t there; the store was about the size of my kitchen, so that fact was fairly obvious. But then they took the initiative and called the main store. After a lengthy conversation, I was told he was going to be at the Abdoun branch tonight from 5:00-6:00pm. In addition to posing for photos, the kids could also do a craft and would I like to reserve some spots? I said no to the crafts, but yay for Santa. So I called my husband at work and asked him to get home by five o’clock so he could help us with our little motley crew.

We got everyone all dressed up. The toddler was in her red velvet dress, shiny black shoes, white tights, two little puff pigtails and excitement oozing out of her. The twins were equally festive, in a red Christmas dress, and a blue sweater with tan pants, though being six-months-old their enthusiasm was notably less. Hubby was home on time, so we loaded everyone up and headed out!

Luckily we had the presence of mind to have my husband pop out of the car at Hamleys to confirm Santa was there and was receiving eager/unenthused children for crazy parental photo needs, before we unloaded everyone. I waited for an extended period of time, wondering what he could be doing in there, before he came out carrying a brochure. “We just missed him. He was here from 4:00-5:00.”

“No, he wasn’t. He was supposed to be here from five to six!” Yes, my refute was ridiculous, but you get three-under-three all dressed up with nowhere to go and see how you feel.

“But I got you a brochure which lists all his upcoming times and locations.” Well, that was something. So we headed home with the toddler spouting a phrase we’d be hearing for days to come, “Maa fii Santa.” (Arabic for “There is no Santa.”)

The next day I sat down and studied the brochure from Hamleys; which included a local book store, a grocery store, a home goods store and Hamleys (gosh, the guy certainly gets around). According to this, Santa was at the book store at the mall in two days at 5 o’clock, and then later at Hamleys (with Barbie, for some reason).

However, feeling mild annoyance at the incorrect information we’d received before I was not overly enthused to return to Hamleys, so I decided to try out other options. According to various Facebook postings, Santa had been seen at the Marriott downtown and at another mall.

I ventured out to a different mall and saw lots of Santa/Christmas paraphernalia; again the oversized chair, ottoman, and fireplace, but then the added oddities of a bunch of “normal” sized reindeer and elves strewn about. Regardless of the odd visuals, again we had “Maa fii Santa.”

Still wary of Hamleys, I opted for the Marriott as my next venture. I called first, spoke to a lovely gentleman who told me Santa would be available for photographs tonight as well as caroling. Yay! So, re-dress everyone, load them up, head on out on a dark rainy night. Locate the Marriott, stroller out, car seats in, carry the Bean, enter through security, smile with delight at the gingerbread village and trains, admire the large sparkling tree, get obligatory pictures and then start to wonder, "Where was Mr. Claus?".

"My First Marriott Christmas"

We wander a bit through the lobby, looking for signs or lines of happy holiday-clad children. Nothing. Maa fii, indeed. So I wander up to the happy clerk at the reception desk and smile with all my might and ask, “Where is Santa?” “Oh, he’s not here tonight.” Silence. Smile fades. Apparently Mr. Claus wasn’t feeling well, got lost, forgot his schedule, who knows. Bottom line, fifth attempt to see him; fifth "Maa fii Santa".

Okay, so I was running out of options here. Hamleys it is. Re-study large colorful brochure. Figure out he’ll be at the Hamleys on Mecca Street, so I call just to confirm; “Yes, Santa will be here Tuesday night at six o’clock.” Great, see you then!

December 23, not like we’re cutting it close or anything. Re-dress three children, re-load into car, re-corral husband from work, head out yet again on a dark drizzly night. We arrive just after six, expecting to see lines of excited children, gleeful parents, and a jolly old St. Nick himself. We saw nada. There were certainly children, and there were plenty of parents, but everyone was milling about and yet again, Maa fii Santa. So we inquired, “He’ll be here soon,” we were told.

An hour later, we were still waiting but now had two tired and hungry babies, so we prepped the bottles and started feeding. The Hamleys staff, for all their Santa ignorance, were very kind and got chairs for us and entertained Bean with bubble guns (that were coincidentally for sale right there). Waiting continued.

Finally we knew he was coming! How?!? Because the sound of bagpipes filled the air. And I mean, filled it; loudly. A parade of tall Jordanian-looking festive elves came marching through with bagpipes, drums, and great revelry followed by the great man himself, Mr. Claus. It was so “festive” (i.e., loud), that Bean and Sprout both burst into tears. I practically did too, but out of relief not anxiety.

Once the music finally ceased, the line formed and we dragged our crew to the end of it. By the time it was our turn for a picture, Bean and Sprout were calmer but certainly not in any frame of mind to be passed off to Santa or happy elves. So we passed off Rocket (who was just bemused by the whole thing) to the drummer elf, Daddy held Sprout and I held Bean and I handed my camera to yet another elf and we all got in the (damn) picture!

In the end, the picture was one we’ll probably never show to anyone (yeah, it’s that bad). But at least we got it, right? So for the next year I’m setting limits right now. Unless your fever reaches 104 and you’re spewing Harrod’s-worthy vomit, we’re seeing Santa at our first chance! Merry Christmas, everyone!

It’s a Date!

Ten years ago, a date with my husband-to-be involved excited anticipation, googley eyes, hand-holding that made my heart pitter pat, vanilla chapstick, a spritz of Chanel No. 5, and some wonderful first kisses under the oak tree. No, I didn’t wear a poodle skirt; yes, I was a bit of a dork. Fast-forward ten years, add in faraway lands, piles of blowing dust, a toddler, twin babies, and chronic exhaustion and a date is far less likely to happen, let alone rival a “Leave it to Beaver” episode. But it’s not out of the question!

Recently, my husband had the day off, Bean was back in nursery school, the babies were heading off for their morning nap, and the nanny was completely in charge. So we did the unthinkable! We went on a morning date.

We bathed, dressed up (meaning no mystery stains), I dug out some earrings, and we jumped in the car. Our goal was to have brunch at Hashem Restaurant in downtown Amman, and see the staircase with the umbrellas.

We followed the GPS, which got us close enough that we felt we could walk, not knowing the parking opportunities closer in. So we found a pay-lot near First Circle off Zahran Street and started our trek down the hill. We passed down the pet store street with the sad barking dogs and tweeting birds behind locked gates. This lead into gun alley, with the gun shops, also closed. It was almost 10:30am and yet the city was barely stirring.

I found myself wanting to look around and see the old buildings or peek into the doorways and alleyways we were passing, but the hill was too steep and the sidewalk too uneven and broken for me to take my eyes off of it for fear of a broken ankle. I was taking it slowly and at one point my husband looked back and said, “Are you sure those were the best shoes for a hike?” I looked down at my Sanrah croc sandals with the vamp straps and silver-tone circle cutout and answered, “I thought this was a date, not a hike!” It is true; romance never dies.

Twice, I nudged my husband to ask a passer-by if we were headed in the right direction. Twice, we were told some mush-mouth directions that involved “straight” and then “left”. We kept on trekking.

We finally made it to the bottom of the street where it intersected another street, chose the left fork and within minutes I said, “There are the umbrellas!” And there they were!

For some reason, some creative inspired person or persons took it upon themselves to adorn a steep set of stairs with an assortment of colorful umbrellas, hanging on wires. I have no idea who or why they did this, nor whether it’s done every year. But I loved it!

There’s something about colorful umbrellas that brings out child-like glee. Well, it did for me. My husband may have been gleeful inside, but he hid it well and when I asked if we should cross the street to take pictures, he said, “Let’s eat first.”

Luckily our destination of Hashem Restaurant was just around the corner. It’s alleged to be the oldest restaurant in Amman, and has been run by the same Turkish family for generations. Regardless of all that, it is a classic dive restaurant with great food. The plastic tables and chairs are set up in an alley, essentially. We wandered in and were offered a table, but I asked if we could sit in the shade. So the man lead us back to another table with a couple already sitting at it and indicated we should join them. So we did. He made a cursory wipe of the crumbs, then looked at my husband who said, “Two for breakfast.” No menus here.

We made chit-chat with the other couple, who happened to be visiting from Saudi Arabia, while we waited for our food and they finished up theirs. By the time they were done and leaving, our plates were coming out. First we both received a blank piece of paper. I quickly realized this was to be our plate. Then bowls of hummus, falafel, fuul (mashed broad beans), French fries, and a plate of raw onion and tomato landed on the table with great efficiency, and the empty basket was quickly filled with fresh warm pita. My husband opted for the tea with mint (there’s no coffee served), but it was too hot for tea, so I chose a soda. Meal received. Dig in!

As I see it, there are two reasons Hashem has been around for decades: They serve delicious food quickly. And as an added bonus, it was about $10 for everything. Can’t beat that!

After eating and paying, we opted to wander a little bit since we hadn’t ever explored this area of town on foot. It’s not far from the Roman Amphitheater (according to the signage), but we’d only just driven these streets. Walking opens them up for true exploration.

So we explored a little, stopped in a nut store and grabbed some American walnuts - because the guy told us, “They’re the best!”

We then headed over to the umbrella staircase. I feel it needs a better name, but I’m not coming up with anything lyrical currently. From the time I had first heard of it, a month had passed so some of the umbrellas had been off-set or blown away by the wind, but there were enough there to make it so very very worth it.  We climbed up, took lots of pictures, tried to get out of the way of other people taking pictures, and thoroughly enjoyed the explosion of color. In addition to the umbrellas above, the walls were lined with painted flower pots all holding geraniums. The whole thing was lovely.

Feeling I’d had my fill, we started the trek back up the hill towards our car. A few blocks in we made one final stop – at the paint store. I wanted a small pot of white paint. Purchase made, resume date.

The hills in Amman rival San Francisco. And while going down them requires some concentration, hiking up them requires a lot of huffing and puffing. And with our tummies full, carrying a bag of walnuts and a pot of white paint, and with the heat of Jordan’s summer blasting on us, we opted for a quick cab ride to the top of the hill. It took us a while to get someone willing to stop, but one finally did, drove us about five minutes straight up, we got out, paid and thanked him and walked the rest of the way to our car.

Since those early June-Cleaver-esque dates we’ve definitely gone beyond dinner and a movie. And as much as I love the movies, it just can’t top a date that involves a little getting lost, a chance meeting with some interesting strangers, some delicious food (even served on a piece of paper), great photo opportunities, and if we can cross an errand or two off my list, all the better. Here’s to more spontaneous morning, afternoon, or even midnight dates, Sweetie!

Lot’s Cave & a Really Low Museum

During your next weekend at the Dead Sea, if you get the itch to venture out beyond the pool, mud, and relaxation, you could consider taking a few hours to check out some of the local sites:  Lot’s Cave and Monastery as well as the Museum at the Lowest Point on Earth. Both of these can be found just south of the Dead Sea hotels.  Hop back on the Dead Sea Road (Route 65), and just keep on heading down, about an hour or so.  Along the way, you’ll come to the end of the Dead Sea, you’ll pass signs for Al Karak Castle and Shobak Castle (both great side trips, too), and eventually you will see signs for Lot’s Cave (or “Lut’s Cave”).  (The Google coordinates are: 31°2'48"N 35°30'14"E.)

At some point, you will come to a brown sign that says “Museum at the Lowest Point on Earth, Site of Prophet Lot’s Cave, 300m.”  Once you see this, stay alert.  There will be a road off to the left, with no indication that it’s where you should turn.  Turn here.  There is a large stone painting on the corner.  Follow this road until you come to a modern-looking rounded building on your left.  This is the Museum at the Lowest Point on Earth (the sign for it conveniently faces the other way).

The unlabeled turn off Route 65

The museum itself is a small but well-labeled collection of findings uncovered during various excavations.  It’s a relatively new museum, having opened in May 2012, and when we were there we had the place to ourselves.  It had a nice display of mosaics and how they try to conserve them; an exhibit on some textiles that date back over 1,900 years; and even a mummy on display dating back to the 3rd century AD.  It also has a small shop with items made from a local women’s cooperative, as well as decent public toilets.  And its parking lot had some shade, offering the perfect spot for a car picnic.

I will spare you the circular annoyances we went through in finding Lot’s Cave from here.  It’s right behind it.  You will literally follow the road that leads up the hill behind the museum.  Halfway up, you can park your car.  From here, it’s a climb equivalent to about 19 flights of stairs.  But it’s doable, even for those strapped down with babies or with wiggly toddlers (or both).  However, please note that as of Spring 2015, Lot’s Cave was undergoing significant renovation.  Meaning, after the hike up, we got to the top and basically got a view of girders and wooden planks.  Not much to see and no where to go.  However, the view of the surrounding area was excellent.

Had we been able to see anything beyond the restoration, we would have learned that the actual cave dates back to the Bronze Age (3300-2000 BC), and it’s now located within the ruins of a Byzantine church, dating between the 5th and 8th centuries; impressive factoids, even without any visual confirmation.

On your way back, if you feel like you want to cross one more thing off your Jordan-bucket list, you will see signs for the “panorama” off to your right.  It’s a windy set of switch-backs going up and up, but along the way there are pull-offs for some pretty spectacular views of the Dead Sea, Israel and surrounding landscapes.  You can catch this on the way down, or save it for the way back.

None of these sites will make or break your time in Jordan, but sometimes it’s nice to just to get out and drag the kids somewhere new.  And not to color your decision, but as I recently told my husband, “Sometimes you read a travel article to decide where not to go.”  On the other hand, these are perfect "all about the journey" destinations, which you can never have enough of.

Wadi Rum Camping… Well, Sort Of

Desert camping at Wadi Rum. It’s definitely on most people’s “really want to do in Jordan” list (if not, “must do” list). It was on our list too, however, it fell more on the “how can we swing this with toddlers?” list. In our pre-kids days, we had thoroughly enjoyed desert camping in the White Desert in Egypt. We literally lay out under the stars and slept next to our campfire as we watched the milky way glide across the sky. You throw in desert fox encounters, sandstorms, an armed guard, cars swallowed by the sand, and running on gas fumes, and you have tales for years to come. However, imaging this scene with a three-year-old lying next to us, never went well.

But friends recommended Wadi Rum’s Sun City Camp (http://suncitycamp.com/wadi-rum.html) and swore it was toddler-friendly. In fact, it proved to be so toddler friendly that it really wasn’t camping at all. And that was just fine for us.

When I called to make the reservations (email went unanswered, so I’d recommend a phone call or a text to make reservations; +962798996212 or +962795666673), Sun City Camp was extremely accommodating. I reserved two private tents with en suite bathrooms and requested cots for the toddlers. I also requested two private jeep tours, one in the evening and one the following morning. And finally (as if I wasn’t demanding enough already), I asked if they could accommodate vegetarians; they could. We were set!

When we arrived I can honestly say I was speechless when I saw our “tent”. It was more of a cabin on the outside, but then inside the ceiling and walls were draped in colorful satin, the king-sized bed was bedecked in fluffy white bedding, and the “cot” for the toddler was a wrought-iron twin bed with its own fluffy white bedding. There were plush robes hanging in the armoire and the en suite bath had a hot shower. Yeah, this ain’t camping, folks. (Thank goodness!)

They have 30 of these private tents, some with two twin beds, some with the double like ours. All can accommodate an extra bed and all come with the full bath. The rest of the camp includes a large u-shaped dining area, partially covered, where they serve a buffet-style dinner and breakfast. I’m told there is also a nightly music show following dinner, however under the life-with-toddler guidelines, the meltdown occurred before we could verify (or enjoy) that. They also have the cleanest and nicest public bathrooms I’ve seen anywhere in Jordan.

The jeep safaris are taken out nightly, with each car accommodating 6-8 people in the open back (depending on size and familiarity). You can drive your own vehicle and follow the caravan, however, it’s an almost guarantee that you will get stuck and everyone will have to wait as you get pulled and pushed out of the sand (so hire the jeep, please). They have a designated route where they’ll take you to see petroglyphs from the Thamudic period, let you and the kids climb a daunting sand dune, and then end up at a nice spot for sunset watching. From there, you’ll head back to camp.

For our tour the following morning, we liked our driver from the previous day, so we requested him again. This time, he took us out in the opposite direction and showed us some fabulous desert landscapes of rocks, sand dunes, camel pastures, etc. The highlight for the kids, other than flying (un-seatbelted) over dunes, was discovering Sparky the Beetle. Can’t beat a dung beetle for pure toddler entertainment value.

We made sure Sparky remained unscathed, then headed back to camp to gather up our things and head home. All in all, considering all our variables (namely toddlers), we had a fabulous time and would definitely return to Sun City Camp again. And next time, I might even take a break from the toddler-tantrum and venture out of the satin castle to get a glimpse of the milky way.

Petra by Night

Petra by night. Whether you want to add this to a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Jordan, a weekend trip to Petra, or whether you just want to go down for this exclusively, it doesn't matter.  It's worth the extra effort.

The gist is, on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday of every week, they open Petra from 8:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. for a special candlelight experience.  Tickets cost 17JD (about $24) per person, and kids under 9 are free.

For the mile-long trek from the entrance, down through the siq to the Treasury, your path is lit by luminaries and moonlight.

Then at the Treasury, there are hundreds of luminaries lighting the scene and there are blankets laid out for you to sit on and enjoy the 30-40 minutes of live music and storytelling.  When the show is over, you turn around and head back up.

But before you race off, here are a few tips:

1.  You can buy your entrance tickets through most hotels, or at the Petra gate.  But confirm this with your hotel first.

2.  Definitely try to get there at 8:30pm for the start of the walk.  You don't have to travel as a group and you go at your own pace, but the live show does start once most people have reached the Treasury and you don't want to miss too much of it.

3.  We were told this was offered year-round, however, like buying the tickets at the hotel, call first to confirm this before you jump in the car.

4.  Some people bring flashlights, head lamps, or use their flashlight phone app, but depending on the moonlight, it's not completely necessary.  But you do have to watch your footing on the uneven ground.

5.  Because of the low light, taking pictures can be tricky.  And if you're not used to taking photos with your SLR in the dark, practice first -- figuring it out in the siq can be frustrating and futile.

6.  However, one tip for getting good pictures at the Treasury is to wait for the music to end, and the story-teller to begin his tale.  Spotlights are then used to light up the Treasury and it can make for some fantastic photo opportunities.  But be forewarned, after the story-teller finishes his tale and says good night, everyone will suddenly stand up to take their pictures and you'll get a whole mass of heads.  So take your shots while he's talking, don't wait until the end.

But tips or no tips, it's a great way to see a whole different side of Petra.