Blogs from Wadi Rum, South, Jordan, Middle East - page 5

Leaving Petra in the early morning, I caught a local bus to Wadi Rum, or rather to an intersection 20-25 kilometers away, since for me, it was the cheaper option, rather than catching the tourist bus. I didn’t have any idea if it was going to be easy or not to hitch a ride through the valley to the UNESCO World Heritage Site so all I could do was start to walk inlands towards the desert area and hope I could flag down a passing vehicle. 15 minutes and ½ dozen cars/trucks later a red-colored goat-hauling semi pulled over onto the shoulder ahead of me. I ran towards it and the driver kindly waved me in, which was easier said than done, as it was quite a climb up the vertical steps to the high cab ... read more

Crossing the Gulf of Aden is always a bit tricky especially this year as there has been a surge in pirate attacks. But between the presence of the Coalition forces and the preparations that Regent makes, we feel quite protected. After we left Oman we developed a generator problem so we weren't able to travel at full speed as is recommended by the Navy. As a result we had five sea days--which is great. It is a good time to get caught up on things, attend lectures, work on our blog, make cards and play tennis. Pam and Richard are on board now and they are ardent Hand and Foot card players. So we have been able to get a few games in. There is a special event taking place on board put together by PTV ... read more

En route to Wadi Rum I was able to take a panoramic view of the canyons that conceal magnificent Petra. I was able to identify the Siq that the earth ripped asunder, forming the grandest natural entry to a city I have ever wandered through. This early morning viewing took me back to the previous day's exhiliration and I recalled all that I had seen, touched, scrambled over and ascended. From here it was due south to the desert sands and surging rock formations of Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum was brought to prominence in the western world primarily due to the writings and exploits of T. E. Lawrence who, for a time, lived and fought in these Arabian lands. I just wanted to immerse myself in a natural desert landscape and hopefully meet a Bedouin or ... read more

Ahlan, So this is a continuation of my previous blog and the second leg of my trip in my last weekend of Jordan. After we found a really nice driver to take the four of us to Wadi Rum we were off. The ride was pleasant and before we knew it, we saw our other friends and the driver waiting to take us into Wadi Rum. In total there were 7 of us in the jeep plus all our luggage but we managed. The scenery even going into the valley was incredible. After we stopped to buy drinks for dinner we were off to start our desert adventure. Wadi Rum is famous for its scenery and most of the filming of the movie Lawrence of Arabia was done here. Actually T.E. Lawrence stayed here and remnants ... read more

The third destination was the spot where the movie Lawrence of Arabia was filmed, not because of the scenery, but because this was actually the place where Lawrence based his operatioins during the Arab Revolt of 1917-18. Yes, I did get this information from wikipedia, I never saw the movie of heard of this guy before I came to this place. Here's the description of Wadi Rum as one of the Worlds greatest deserts: Wadi rum is an outstanding desert landscape. Sheersided mountains of sandstone and granite emerge from open valleys to reach heights of over 1700 meters; and narrow canyons cut deep into the mountains, often concealing ancient rock drawings. This remarkable landscape is now a protected area covering 720 square kilometers and available for everyone to explore and enjoy! And boy did I enjoy ... read more