Blogs from Wadi Rum, South, Jordan, Middle East

Our next adventure was an overnight stay at Wadi Rum In a stunning desert. We stayed in a Bedouin style camp. They are dotted everywhere including one that has pods looking like round space ships. The film , The Martian, was filmed at Wadi Rum. Our tents had an ensuite and tiled floors which made them very comfortable. Also wifi. We had a ride in jeeps out to the sand dunes to see a number of ancient carved inscriptions and pictures. We then went to see the carvings paying tribute to Lawrence and King Abdullah. We waited then for the sun to set before getting on our camels to ride back to camp.Lots of laughter involved. We had a lovely dinner of lamb which was cooked in a pit in the ground. Unfortunately the weather changed ... read more

Jordan springs to mind a laid back, desert with humble people living off the Dead sea, the lowest point on Earth (423 m, 1,388 feet below sea level). It is a region which has given rise to three religions which have spread extensively. I had four days to explore this wonderful place. Jordan is a country with so much aridity that a little greenery is welcomed with hope. Nomads of Edomite tribes named Nabateans (originally from Saudi Arabia) settled down near small springs in the arid deserts. Water meant everything. However, I found that the bleak desert also has its own beauty. The big eyes with long eyelashes of the graceful camels or the green fig trees sprouting in the crevices are delightful. I flew Royal Jordan Airways and enjoyed the spicy breads for breakfast. We ... read more

Our Bedouin camp at Wadi Rum. October 19th the final adventure. We are leaving the remains of ancient desert nomads behind to join living nomads inhabiting the desert today. From the Nabataeans to the Bedouin. They inhabit Wadi Rum which is also a UNESCO world heritage site. A 'Wadi' is the valley of a dry river hence Petra is in Wadi Musa. The &Rum& part I don't know about! Mind you, many of the men there could be family to Pirates from the Caribbean.... looking little Jack Sparrows, so who knows.......! 😎 Our driver was funny, fast talking, good natured with a thick accent. He obliged us by making photo stops as we left Petra. The desert landscape continues to impress and stun me. Who knew that barren land could be so varied... rock types and ... read more

After breakfast this morning, we all packed into our shuttle van for the 5 hour drive south to Wadi Rum. As we approached the outskirts of Amman, our guide Faisal gave us some background about himself and talked a little about Jordanian history and culture. Our destination today was the desert area of Wadi Rum and it's famous lunar landscape. Wadi Rum is best known as the setting for Lawrence of Arabia and most recently, was the filming site for Matt Damon's The Martian. First stop was at the Wadi Rum Visitor Center where we had just enough time to stretch our legs and have our first views of the amazing rock formations in the area most notably, the Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Here, a few of the guys took the opportunity to purchase a red ... read more

I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world. - Mary Anne Radmacher It was nice having a later morning than usual this morning, but we were woken up at around 4:30 by the very loud call to prayer. We had a leisurely breakfast in the hotel and then Susan and I went for a walk around the streets of Aqaba around our hotel. We found a liquor store that was open so we bought a small bottle of gin, a couple of cans of tonic, and a bottle of Arak (the brand name is Haddad!). Turns out the brand name Haddad is very common (arak, rum, wine, etc). We left the hotel about 10:30 for the drive to Wadi Rum. The scenery was lovely the whole way, ... read more