What do you mean there is no wine?
Jordan is predominantly Muslim with at least 90% of people
being Muslim. Muslims do not drink alcohol… ever! And since the hotel we were staying at in
Amman is owned by Muslims there is no alcohol available. Travelling with a group of predominantly
women this presented a problem. We could not foresee a week without wine.
Returning from our rainy trip to Jerash yesterday we
sent Joe (our fearless leader), on a mission to find us a couple bottles of
wine to smuggle in. And, good sport that he is, he set out in the rain
returning with 2 bottles of red and two bottles of white wine produced in
Jordan. Now, I did not have high hopes for wine from a country where 90% of the
people do not drink!
On the top floor of our hotel is a rooftop lounge and
restaurant and part of that is a Hookah Lounge.
Of course, we are all eager to see this and experience it… and to show
how cool we are!
Like a bunch of giddy teenagers sneaking Daddy's beer we
smuggle our wine up to the lounge. We gather around hiding our bottles under
the table.
They bring us several silver hookah. The hookah contains a bowl with tobacco and a glass jar filled with flavored water. Flavours like watermelon mint and green apple.
On top is a piece of foil where they place several chunks of smoldering charcoal which heat the liquid and send the vapor through the long tube.
The distance of the tube cools the vapor as you inhale the smoky vapor.
We take turns sucking in the hot vapour and
exhaling a cloud of smoke. I discover my lack of expertise in this area. Try as I may the best I can manage is a little puff of smoke. I watch in awe as Gayle breathes out great dragon-like puffs and Aimee sends smoke rings rising in the air. Guess I should have smoked more in my youth!
Sitting around the low slung tables on comfy sofas we sip
our wine, eat fresh strawberries and take turns trying out the hookahs,
snapping shot after shot and laughing till our sides ache.
We feel daring and exotic and cool and can’t wait to
shock our friends and families back home.
We feel daring and exotic and cool and can’t wait to
shock our friends and families back home.
No comments:
Post a Comment