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Published: November 18th 2011
Anyone visiting Jordan HAS to spend a night in Wadi Rum! The trip will be incomplete otherwise.
Wadi Rum is a majestic valley (wadi means valley) with mountains shooting out of flat ground. It’s the largest and arguably most breathtaking wadi in Jordan. The sandstone and granite rocks look like orange coral beds that have risen up to 2,000 feet. Seriously, the place looks like it was under the sea just a week ago. And the night sky is something else—so many stars! It reminds me of a village I used to visit growing up (family, you know where I’m talking about). The valley was a rest stop for Nabataean caravans on their way to Petra—thousands of years ago.
We (me and best friend) booked a tour with “Wadi Rum Full Moon Camp” and arrived at the wadi around noon on November 3. Wadi Rum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and, according to our guide, the Al-Zalabieh tribe owns the land. Only the Bedouins are allowed to give tours. There’s even a Bedouin village in the wadi and almost all of its inhabitants are involved in tourism.
Our guides were the Al-Zalabieh tribe leader’s sons and the
older brother is in line to be sheikh. Obviously, we scored big time. The younger brother, Tyseer, was our main guide and as it turned out a legit poet! He won eighth place in the biggest Middle East poetry competition, held in Abu Dhabi a few months ago. Oprah even interviewed him, as he proudly noted, since he was the only English speaker.
We connected with Tyseer instantly. He and B realized that they were kindred spirits when it came to their psychic abilities and beliefs in reincarnation. Tyseer was convinced that he knew me from somewhere. After his deep spiritual conversation with B he concluded that he must have known me in another life…perhaps?
Tyseer insisted that we stay an extra night (with major discounts) and not leave the next morning as originally planned. He claimed that we’d miss out if we didn’t spend enough time in Wadi Rum. He was right of course.
What was special about the experience—besides the view and fresh air—was that it didn’t feel touristy, despite Wadi Rum being a major tourist destination. We really felt like we were just chilling with Bedouins. The camp crew lit a fire at night
and everyone huddled around it. Our cups were constantly refilled with tea warmed by the flames. Faisal was the camp chef. He built a fire in a canister that had already been dug in the ground and placed pots of rice, vegetables, and chicken inside. Then he covered the whole thing. Only my pictures can purvey the deliciousness of that meal.
Friends from other camps visited throughout the night. At some point a visitor from Saudi Arabia came which made the atmosphere a little tense. He seemed uncomfortable by our female presence. So we went to bed. Okay so it was only 9pm and we were dead tired! The Saudi guy may have just been an excuse...
We spent the next morning eating a grand breakfast of hummus, eggs, and special spices, driving around the desert, and “scrambling”—which as we learned (too late) is something between hiking and rock climbing. B was not at all a fan of the activity but the four-hour journey was worth it: lots of laughs, tears, and a beautiful rock bridge. Luckily two of our companions, a French couple, were professional rock climbers and helped us throughout.
In the end we decided
to go to Petra the second night instead of stay in Wadi Rum. The scrambling experience had proven somewhat traumatic. But good thing we left. Otherwise we would have arrived at Petra at noon when the crowd is horrendous. All worked out.
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The Travel Camel
Shane Dallas
Beautiful
Great perspective, framing and colour - Wadi Rum is a stunning place for photography!