dispatches from here

The streets and alleys of downtown Amman are where all the action is, the hustle and bustle and chaos associated with a Middle Eastern city.  At night, things quiet down just a little and there is an eerie beauty to it.  The yellow sodium streetlights clash with fluorescent white escaping from people’s homes and blend with neon shop lights, all under the dim green glow emanating from every mosque’s minaret.

There are also LOTS of stairs.  Downtown Amman is built on hills that make SF look flat, and they are interconnected by long series of steep stairs.  Some stairs lead to other streets, while others just lead to people’s front doors or back yards.  Its impossible to tell which is which until you’ve already gone up/down the stairs.  Fortunately, Ammani’s are extremely nice and don’t seem to mind when someone wanders into their backyard.

the stairs home

dimly quiet

the front door to my "hotel" is in this alley.

closing up shop