‘Ayn al Qaţţār

After breakfast, we left Wadi Musa at 9am and drove two hours farther south to the desert region of Wadi Rum. (And yes, everything is called "Wadi" here because it means "Valley" in Jordanian Arabic.)

Most people are familiar with this region, just thirty minutes from the Saudi Arabian border, from the classic film "Lawrence of Arabia." Those real-life events occurred here, and the movie was filmed here as well. Now, the Wadi Rum desert is a protected area, and visitors come here to spend a night or two with the Bedouin tribes, sleeping in tents, and seeing the desert by 4x4.

We arrived at Wadi Rum Village at the edge of the desert at 11am, and met up with our Bedouin host. He put our bag in the truck, and we rode on a bench in the open truck bed. We spent the next four hours exploring and climbing up the different sites in the desert, including the rubble remains of Lawrence of Arabia's home, sand dunes, and several famous rock formations. I learned a few things:

1. Desert wind in an exposed open truck bed in the winter is fucking freezing.
2. All rock formations in the desert look exactly the same to me.
3. If I have to endure sand in my eyes, nose, and mouth, there better be an ocean in front of me.
4. There is no ocean in the desert.

Luckily, our drive took place during the warmest part of the day, so when the truck DID stop, it was a gorgeous day to climb on some rocks. Until the wind blew more sand up my nose.

We arrived at our Bedouin camp in the late afternoon, where we chilled in our tent and admired the stunning view of the desert. At 6pm we walked out to a promontory to watch the sun set over the red rocks. The last time we visited a desert, Egypt's White Desert, the white of the sand reflected the moonlight, and it wasn't very dark at night. Here, darkness is absolute, and not just a little disconcerting. Our very cool guide pointed us to the sunset promontory, a ten-minute walk in a straight line, and warned us not to get lost on the way back. We laughed at this "joke" until we realized he was absolutely not joking. We then mused on how many idiot tourists got lost and wandered in the desert for forty days and forty nights, and decided that would make a really good story. (Biblical joke)

The Bedouins made a traditional dinner for the camp, featuring zarb (roasted meat that is buried and roasted in the sand), and several types of dips and salads. I really like the food here- they offer lots of vegetables, including an "Arabian salad" that is like pico de gallo without cilantro or spice; chickpea salads and hummus; baba ganouj; and soft mild cheeses and yogurts. I will admit to being at maximum falafel tolerance, so when the wind ripped our small bag of lunch falafel out of Matt's hand and far into the desert, I wasn't too disappointed. Hungry, yes, but in consolation, I had a tub of halva hidden in my bag. Don't judge me.

So did you know that without lights, internet, or bars, there isn't much to do after the sun sets? After dinner, we sat around the fire drinking tea and listening to some truly awful Bedouin music, but by 9:30pm, we seized the opportunity to head back to our tent early, and read in bed while eating halva straight from the tub.

Tomorrow we drive all the way back up to Amman, while attempting to see as many things along the way as possible before the rental company wants their car back.Read more