Reflections on Jordan
As some of you will know from my prior post about heading to Jordan, I was a big scaredy cat about heading out on my own. Well, I thought I'd reflect on the trip and on facing a few of my (admittedly irrational) fears.
Firstly, I did not get murdered. Which is one of my primary goals in life. Hooray! Honestly, at no point did I feel unsafe or unwelcome. We were well-corralled and spent our time in tourist areas, but I doubt the situation would have changed in any average neighbourhood. Everyone we ran into was very friendly or polite - sometimes SUPER friendly!
Secondly, I did make friends easily/aggressively! I didn't even have to bribe anyone with candy and tried to keep showing photos of my kitties to a minimum. Despite arriving at the hotel at about 1:30 am, I made myself get up and hit the breakfast by 8 am in hopes of catching a few fellow travellers and maybe one or two folks from my upcoming group. I noticed one person sitting by herself at breakfast and blurted out "Are you in the G group meeting today?" And she was! So Pram and I discussed plans for the day. When heading up to my room to grab my day bag, I noticed two guys finishing up breakfast and blurted the same thing out at them "Hi! Are you in the G group meeting today?" They were too! So an intrepid group of four was formed when the two Australians (Matt and Paul) were on boarded.
It seriously reminded me of how toddlers make friends all shouting random things in excitement: "Hi, I like frogs and orange is my favourite colour! Do you like ice cream? LET'S BE FRIENDS!!!" Fifty percent of the time, it works every time.
That evening, the mass of people were sorted into two tour groups. I think my new tourmates and I found ourselves in the unique situation - for the first time ever in all the guided tours I've done, the group comprised entirely solo adventurers. I believe we immediately bonded and the group dynamic was great. I wouldn't have traded anyone in our group and earnestly enjoyed spending time with everyone. Call it luck or call it Kismet, but it worked out wonderfully. Much better than the suspect other group departing the same day as us... ;)
Thirdly, taking the advice of G Adventures and respect for the local customs to heart, I believe I dressed conservatively and appropriately (also probably incredibly dorky because that's just me all the time) for the duration. The rest of the ladies in my group were WAY more stylish than I was and also appropriately dressed. I was super jealous of their style and ability to wear jeans and scarves and not die of heat exhaustion. A temperature of 28C is sweat city for a polar bear like me! I will likely never get the hang of dressing well, at home or abroad, but I can dress appropriately. It wasn't hard at all when t-shirts and capris will do the job in almost every situation. If you're visiting a mosque, just keep in mind to have to your wrists and ankles covered as well and bring a scarf for your head.
I noticed a handful of other tourists wearing shorter skirts/dresses/shorts and those wearing tank tops or cleavage bearing shirts not in line with the request for women to have our shoulders, back and knees covered. Although I did not witness any one of these women being harassed or scorned, I did see many disapproving or uncomfortable stares from locals. Please don't be one of these tourists! The local Jordanians were so kind and respectful to us and it's a small courtesy to be prepared for and respectful of local customs.
Something that I did struggle with was the pervasiveness of smoking. I'm always shocked when confronted by a smoke-friendly culture considering smoking is very strongly regulated in Canada. Here, you can't smoke in indoor public places, offices, most hotels, within a certain distance of doors or entrances to buildings, and in enclosed vehicles with children. Most provinces have display bans where shop owners have to conceal tobacco - they're not allowed to display the packages - and a pack which is littered with graphic Surgeon General warnings about the harmful effects of smoking will cost you an average of $12 for 25 in Alberta which is about 65-80% taxed. You have to be of legal age (18 or 19) to buy tobacco products. So less than 18 per cent of the national population smokes.
When I visit a country where smoking is permitted nearly everywhere, it takes a while to get adjust to both the shock and the smoke. According to the latest statistics, about 45 per cent of the Jordanian population smokes (although only around eight per cent of women). Asthmatics and those with respiratory issues bare in mind, it's going to be a smokey visit. I did get a bit of black lung... which I think was a cold I caught on the plane but exacerbated by the smoke. But I'm a big wuss when it comes to smoke.
While the smoke was noticeably present to me, what I found notably absent were the women. Not a judgment by any means, just an observation. I saw many groups of young boys and teenage boys out together, but only saw one group of girls together at a monument and a local man selling souvenirs came over to assure me that the girls were there with male relatives. I saw mothers and daughters out with their families, but no groups of girl friends out and about. I asked a couple questions about where the women/girls were and learn that boys and girls go to separate schools and their schedules for breaks like lunch and dismissal don't always align. A group of girls heading home from school were kind enough, although hesitant, to give me and a fellow female traveller directions in Amman. Additionally, traditional gender roles dominate the culture. Wikipedia does a much better job of explaining the socio-economic and cultural status of women in Jordan if you want further (accurate) detail.
I also heard that many Jordanian women have a post-secondary education, but it does not necessarily translate into employment due to cultural perceptions of and competition for certain more honourable jobs. I found an interesting article outlining the gender parity gap. Again, to be clear, women have parity under the law and access to education, but culture and custom prevail under Shari'a law.
Gender parity and politics aside, I found Jordan to be safe, steeped in millenia of history, full of interesting critters, the people welcoming, and it didn't require me to dig my car out of the snow and shovel the walk three times a day...
To answer the big questions:
Did I have a good trip? You bet!
Would I recommend it? Yes, highly but 9-10 days is enough to see everything.
Would I go again? Probably not simply because I saw what are considered the main highlights of the country. If I went to the area again, it would be for something like a scuba live aboard or multi-country tour.
All in all, I'm grateful for the experience and probably disproportionately proud of myself for going on my own. That too is an experience I enjoyed, would recommend and would do again.
Firstly, I did not get murdered. Which is one of my primary goals in life. Hooray! Honestly, at no point did I feel unsafe or unwelcome. We were well-corralled and spent our time in tourist areas, but I doubt the situation would have changed in any average neighbourhood. Everyone we ran into was very friendly or polite - sometimes SUPER friendly!
Secondly, I did make friends easily/aggressively! I didn't even have to bribe anyone with candy and tried to keep showing photos of my kitties to a minimum. Despite arriving at the hotel at about 1:30 am, I made myself get up and hit the breakfast by 8 am in hopes of catching a few fellow travellers and maybe one or two folks from my upcoming group. I noticed one person sitting by herself at breakfast and blurted out "Are you in the G group meeting today?" And she was! So Pram and I discussed plans for the day. When heading up to my room to grab my day bag, I noticed two guys finishing up breakfast and blurted the same thing out at them "Hi! Are you in the G group meeting today?" They were too! So an intrepid group of four was formed when the two Australians (Matt and Paul) were on boarded.
It seriously reminded me of how toddlers make friends all shouting random things in excitement: "Hi, I like frogs and orange is my favourite colour! Do you like ice cream? LET'S BE FRIENDS!!!" Fifty percent of the time, it works every time.
That evening, the mass of people were sorted into two tour groups. I think my new tourmates and I found ourselves in the unique situation - for the first time ever in all the guided tours I've done, the group comprised entirely solo adventurers. I believe we immediately bonded and the group dynamic was great. I wouldn't have traded anyone in our group and earnestly enjoyed spending time with everyone. Call it luck or call it Kismet, but it worked out wonderfully. Much better than the suspect other group departing the same day as us... ;)
Thirdly, taking the advice of G Adventures and respect for the local customs to heart, I believe I dressed conservatively and appropriately (also probably incredibly dorky because that's just me all the time) for the duration. The rest of the ladies in my group were WAY more stylish than I was and also appropriately dressed. I was super jealous of their style and ability to wear jeans and scarves and not die of heat exhaustion. A temperature of 28C is sweat city for a polar bear like me! I will likely never get the hang of dressing well, at home or abroad, but I can dress appropriately. It wasn't hard at all when t-shirts and capris will do the job in almost every situation. If you're visiting a mosque, just keep in mind to have to your wrists and ankles covered as well and bring a scarf for your head.
 |
| High style (and me) high on the mountain |
 |
| May I present... a dorky tourist! |
I noticed a handful of other tourists wearing shorter skirts/dresses/shorts and those wearing tank tops or cleavage bearing shirts not in line with the request for women to have our shoulders, back and knees covered. Although I did not witness any one of these women being harassed or scorned, I did see many disapproving or uncomfortable stares from locals. Please don't be one of these tourists! The local Jordanians were so kind and respectful to us and it's a small courtesy to be prepared for and respectful of local customs.
Something that I did struggle with was the pervasiveness of smoking. I'm always shocked when confronted by a smoke-friendly culture considering smoking is very strongly regulated in Canada. Here, you can't smoke in indoor public places, offices, most hotels, within a certain distance of doors or entrances to buildings, and in enclosed vehicles with children. Most provinces have display bans where shop owners have to conceal tobacco - they're not allowed to display the packages - and a pack which is littered with graphic Surgeon General warnings about the harmful effects of smoking will cost you an average of $12 for 25 in Alberta which is about 65-80% taxed. You have to be of legal age (18 or 19) to buy tobacco products. So less than 18 per cent of the national population smokes.
When I visit a country where smoking is permitted nearly everywhere, it takes a while to get adjust to both the shock and the smoke. According to the latest statistics, about 45 per cent of the Jordanian population smokes (although only around eight per cent of women). Asthmatics and those with respiratory issues bare in mind, it's going to be a smokey visit. I did get a bit of black lung... which I think was a cold I caught on the plane but exacerbated by the smoke. But I'm a big wuss when it comes to smoke.
While the smoke was noticeably present to me, what I found notably absent were the women. Not a judgment by any means, just an observation. I saw many groups of young boys and teenage boys out together, but only saw one group of girls together at a monument and a local man selling souvenirs came over to assure me that the girls were there with male relatives. I saw mothers and daughters out with their families, but no groups of girl friends out and about. I asked a couple questions about where the women/girls were and learn that boys and girls go to separate schools and their schedules for breaks like lunch and dismissal don't always align. A group of girls heading home from school were kind enough, although hesitant, to give me and a fellow female traveller directions in Amman. Additionally, traditional gender roles dominate the culture. Wikipedia does a much better job of explaining the socio-economic and cultural status of women in Jordan if you want further (accurate) detail.
I also heard that many Jordanian women have a post-secondary education, but it does not necessarily translate into employment due to cultural perceptions of and competition for certain more honourable jobs. I found an interesting article outlining the gender parity gap. Again, to be clear, women have parity under the law and access to education, but culture and custom prevail under Shari'a law.
Gender parity and politics aside, I found Jordan to be safe, steeped in millenia of history, full of interesting critters, the people welcoming, and it didn't require me to dig my car out of the snow and shovel the walk three times a day...
 |
| Stupid winter wonderland. Brr! |
Did I have a good trip? You bet!
Would I recommend it? Yes, highly but 9-10 days is enough to see everything.
Would I go again? Probably not simply because I saw what are considered the main highlights of the country. If I went to the area again, it would be for something like a scuba live aboard or multi-country tour.
All in all, I'm grateful for the experience and probably disproportionately proud of myself for going on my own. That too is an experience I enjoyed, would recommend and would do again.
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