. . . should not involve traffic. I left five minutes before nine to take my kids to football (soccer) and basketball games this past Friday. My weekday drive takes longer especially at the second circle and sometimes the third circle. I did not expect any roadblocks. I should have considered myself tipped off when Lori asked me if I was at the marathon when she called.
My first trip attempt to cross the jisr (bridge) caught me off guard. Luckily I regularly enjoyed the scenic route under the bridge (Don’t worry there’s no water in Amman to block the way, just twisty turvy hills that don’t allow direct routes). We were only 5 minutes late but no one seemed to notice.
After football practice finished, I decided to take my son and his friend back home so they could play a bit before attending Friday prayer. That’s when I was faced with detour after detour! Again I couldn’t pass the bridge, nor could I go through my favorite backroads. I had to drive all the way to the fifth circle to get home. That’s when I encountered my favorite Jordanian roadblock. The kind led by a goatherder through the urban streets of Amman.
Now we were off to pick up my oldest daughter’s friend who lived right off Abdoun Circle. We knew we would never get close to that famous landmark. They regularly put up roadblocks to deter cruisers from jamming up this popular hangout. We had her meet us down the street and tried to get a close up view of the marathon. We got what we were after right at the finish line, a picture perfect ending.
