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Published: July 19th 2009
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Book says that Wadi Rum offers some of the most extraordinary desert scenery you’ll ever see. But in the middle of the day sitting on the back of a camel, extraordinary is not the case. When I was travelling South American 2 years back I read a book on Lawrence of Arabia written by a guy who read his books and other peoples books on him. A brilliant noval that made me wonder was travelling a full day around Wadi Rum really taxing?
Without a cloud in sight I left my hotel in the south of Aqaba my resting place for 3 nights on the Aqaba Straight. Public transport is limited so it was a process to get here. At the station the bus driver said, “It’s a four hour wait till the bus leaves for Wadi Rum at 1pm.” Instead of waiting I took a bus going to Petra that dropped me off at the intersection. A waiting van then took me to the tourist office to buy a ticket (2JD) and from there it was a hitchhike to Rum Village.
Once at the village I organised a camel and headed off. It goes through about 4 different
people before you finally get to your guide. That means that even though the price has been agreed on with all members, the rest of the trip you will be renegotiating the price.
Some tricks were - You have to pay for 2 camels one for you and one for the guide. RESPOND - “I agreed on 25JD for the day and you were walking. If you don’t want to walk take a bloody camel I don’t give a shit. I’m just not going to be paying for it… It’s up to you.” Change of Itinerary half way through is another but get to that soon.
Rum is basically huge boulders with sand around them full of tire marks. Jeeps buzz around you leaving me on the camel, very uninspired. I probably should have left at 3pm and done 4 hours. But I went at 1130 and intended for 8.
Lawrence’s spring was first up. Although dried out now, it was here that he drank from during the Arab Revolt in WWI. I already knew riding a camel was a bad idea after a few minutes but when I got to the spring I knew it definitely
was. Jeeps aplenty, guides talking, tourist chatting. Rum is supposed to be you with the elements. The only noise I wanted was from my camel groaning with every sit down and stand up.
My problem was that I wasn’t in the mood for it. I was thinking sea, SCUBA diving, snorkelling and when we got to the Red Sand dunes I was done. I thought it was some sick joke. This can’t be classed as dunes. Basically not much left and I wanted out. So a young Bedouin guy and I are arguing about prices whilst sitting still on camelback in the middle of Wadi Rum. Eventually I got my way - but maybe that was because I previously said: “Look if we don’t do it the way I asked for then I won’t be happy. And if I am not happy than I will not be paying and if I don’t pay than you won’t be happy. I don’t want you to be unhappy.”
We got back eventually on my terms and said our fond farewells. There’s no transport back so I yell down a car driving past and get inside. The driver says “I think I
saw you today in Aqaba at the bus station?” Turns out it was the bus driver from the Wadi Rum bus in Aqaba I didn’t take (1pm departure). So we chat, he tells me about his 8 children and I pay him the bus fare, which he missed out on. He found that funny.
He dropped me off at the highway where another random car stopped and took me for a minimal fee. By the time I got to the southern beaches of Aqaba it was getting towards sunset and enough time to swim in the sea.
Aqaba is a city that many pass through and if you just go via the city than you can’t blame them. It’s not much just the Aqaba Castle where Lawrence made his name. It’s a small castle where he and the Arabs conquered by land. All guns were pointing towards the sea. Looking at its rubbled state and the conquer seems like making a mountain out of a molehill without knowing the history properly.
But go south 20km and you’ll hit Saudi Arabia. Turn back 10km and you’ll hit the budget spot of Aqaba and the almost soulless beaches of
Jordan. Below the surface is some rarely explored reefs although the coral is dying. This is what was in order after the Petra’s one-day stand.
When I arrived to this new hotel the owners son said “we don’t have dorms.” I grumpily say, “FUCK!” I’d eventually go back after looking at other options and took a room. Sleeping outside in a Bedouin tent would not do it at this time. It had a pool, sun, a/c and the water across the road. It was resort style apart from them still building. Plus in the end the owners sons were good company ‘You wouldn’t believe it but this whole place was built with our own hands.’ They’d say.
I was the first person to come from Hostelworld. I didn’t book with them and told them that. They didn’t even know they were on Hostelworld until the next day. Amiel an Australian who had spent time working in Israel was the second from Hostelworld and arrived the next day so we hung out and chatted, snorkelling together, going into the city, playing games in the pool. We joked, “Man, why couldn’t the only other resident here be a hot female?
Instead I ‘ve got you, Shit!” …Enter 2 hours later a hot young intelligent American woman called Abby.
I got nothing out of the Wadi Rum experience apart from noticing that the Bedouin camels have got a different type of camel toe to what we are use to - not as defined. I think places that are really touristy, lose its appeal the more remote you travel. They have to be really special to be otherwise. Wadi Rum didn’t do it for me. Or maybe I should put it better. Going on camel back for 4 hours in the Jordanian desert sun with tourists buzzing around didn’t do it for me.
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