We left Friday morning on a University-provided coach bus, and the trip from the University to Wadi Rum took roughly four and a half hours to complete. While it does not take long at all to reach vast expanses of desert outside of Amman, the area around Wadi Rum looks far more distinct as a desert due to its rock formations and rose-tinted sand in places, kind of resembling the American Southwest in an area like Monument Valley.
We spent most of our time at a Bedouin camp, which seemed geared towards tourists and visiting Jordanians. For those that don’t know, the Bedouin are an Arab nomadic group that has managed to live in the desert for thousands of years. Bedouins can also be found in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, and when my friends and I climbed Mount Sinai two years ago, we were led by a group of Bedouins.
The Bedouin Camp, adorned with Jordanian flags
After stepping off the bus into the extreme desert hear, the day began with some fairly easy rock climbing, although some students were more prepared for this activity than others based upon what they were wearing. We just climbed the easier parts of the rock formation right next to the camp to get better views, and different groups seemed to call it quits at different heights. I was with the group that wanted to go all the way to the top, but it seemed as if we hit a dead end at one point, and I was running low on water. The little water I had left was the same temperature as lukewarm soup.
Me, after some rock climbing
After descending from the rocks and cooling down, we were offered camel rides, which seemed to vary wildly in price depending on the guide you talked to and required a significant amount of haggling for those interested in longer rides. I decided to wait until the University staff that accompanied us managed to get a reduced price, although we still ended up paying 4 JD ($5.50) for a camel ride that lasted about 5 minutes. At least I can say that I did it now, and I don’ t think I’d want to spend too much longer on a camel since they’re not the most comfortable animals to ride.
We then got ready to go on what we were told was a jeep tour, but a pickup truck tour would be more accurate.
Regardless, I really enjoyed this part, as we traveled around the desert in the back of a pickup truck through beautiful scenery, occasionally stopping to better examine things such as rock carvings…
A carving of King Abdullah I from when he stopped by Wadi Rum in 1917
A carving of T.E. Lawrence (better known as Lawrence of Arabia) also from 1917. I assume they were on the same trip
Carving of Camels from 500 B.C., if I recall correctly
And to climb sand dunes.
The sun began to set during this part, which made the area even more tinted red. We stopped and climbed rocks to get a better view of the sunset.
After this, we ate dinner and hung around the camp for a while, and there appeared to be a good number of Jordanians there as well. The Jordanians seemed to be visiting the camp just for a general party, as they had a DJ (that we nicknamed “DJ Bedouin”) blasting Arab Pop music and many Jordanians danced in a circle.
We then departed for Aqaba, a city in the extreme south of Jordan. Aqaba is on the Red Sea, and is Jordan’s only port city. Therefore, it has been made into a “special economic zone” where shopping is much cheaper. However, I didn’t get to do much shopping myself (not one of my favorite activities), and instead opted to spent most of the day at the beach.
The view of Aqaba from the hotel
The beach is on the Red Sea, which features some of the clearest water I’ve seen in my life. However, this lost a bit of its lure when I noticed the multitude of tankers and freighters in the distance, since it makes you remember that you are at a major port area. The thing I found coolest though was the geography of the region, as Aqaba is wedged between Egypt, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, and you can see all three from the beach. The city of Eilat, Israel, is surprisingly close to Aqaba, and at first I thought it was just more of Aqaba since it was definitely within walking distance or even swimming distance (if borders didn’t exist, of course).
The Red Sea, with Egypt on the right and Saudi Arabia on the left
Eilat, Israel
Panorama, with Taba, Egypt on the left and Eilat,Israel on the right. The boats are in Jordanian water. Click the image to make it bigger.
Jordan also boasts the World’s second-largest flagpole (North Korea has the largest), which bears the Flag of The Arab Revolt – the symbol of the Arab Armies that fought alongside Lawrence of Arabia against the Ottomans in WWI. The flagpole can be seen from Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Egypt.
After a nice day of relaxing at the beach (and getting sunburn in the over 100 degree heat), we returned to Amman on a long, 6-hour bus ride.
