Wadi Rum and Aqaba
Trip Start
Jun 16, 2008
1
10
13
Trip End
Aug 14, 2008
Aqaba,
Jordan
Saturday, July 26, 2008
The bus ride down to Wadi Rum took about 4.5 hrs. We made a few stops along the way. The first one was at a small, middle-of-nowhere convenience store/ coffee shop. Don't think of a westernized gas station convenience store. This was more along the lines of a 10'x10' area with shelves crammed with various types of chips and cookies. There was another section behind this 10x10 area that was the restaurant. We spent maybe 15 minutes here before reloading the buses and continuing on our way
Abu was tired after our trip down
. The rest of the journey was uneventful. I spent most of my time chatting with the other students or looking out the window. Although, five minutes of watching the scenery pretty much sums up the entire 4.5 hour trip. The landscape is dry, dusty and uniform. Although, I was able to see a wild herd of camels as well a man herding his sheep across the desert. We stopped once more along the way to get gasoline.After our 4 hour bus ride we arrived at Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum is a desert wildlife reserve. It is known for its incredible rock formations, sand and heat. Our destination in Wadi Rum was one of several Bedouin camps. Ours was called Desert Oasis Camp. Upon arriving, the first thing to be noticed was the overbearing heat. The second thing that was to be noticed was the sand- everywhere. At the camp site, we were greeted by the Bedouin caretakers and ushered into a large open-sided tent to sit and relax while we waited for lunch to be served. By this time it was about 2 o'clock in the afternoon and the heat made movement inconvenient. So we lounged on Bedouin couches in a Bedouin tent. For a while, we were entertained with Bedouin games. However, once lunch was served we lost all interest in playing games.
For lunch, we were offered several traditional, fresh vegetable salads
Setting sun
. The favorite salad ingredients were tomatoes, cucumbers and mint leaves. We were also served maglooba and watermelon. Lunch was very much needed as was the relaxation and rest that came with it. After eating our fill for lunch, we had a few hours of free time before we had to meet back at the main tent. We all separated and found our tents. The Desert Oasis Camp had rows and rows of canvas tents. There were some miniscule wooden one-person huts as well. The canvas tents, however, were for 2 or 3 people. Janine and I found a tent (#51) near the edge of the camp. Our tent, like most others, was for 2 people. There were two beds with all the necessary bedding- including a comforter. The floor of the tent was simply a tarp. Despite the overwhelming heat, exhaustion caught up with both of us and we napped for a couple of hours. Upon waking, we made our way back to the main tent.It was jeep time! There were 6 or 7 Bedouin style jeeps (by this I mean old, rusty Toyota trucks with seats affixed to the bed of the truck to seat 3 people on either side). These vehicles were to take us on a "tour" of the desert. Riding through the desert in the back of a truck and a pretty good speed was amazing. I particularly enjoyed our driver because he was a younger guy (although the youngest driver was maybe 8 years old) and extremely competitive. We weaved in and out of the paths of the other trucks
Janine in our tent
. Our first stop on our tour was a large rock and hill of sand. We ran/climbed/dove up the hill of sand first and at the top we ascended a larger rock formation from which we could get a spectacular view of the desert. From this point we walked a distance to a section of a stone mountain where we could see an ancient engraving on the face of the rock. It was an engraving of a person. As legend has it, this drawing is to mark the location of a treasure. Hence, around the site there are several ditches where people have brought bulldozers to excavate the area illegally in the dead of the night. We spent maybe 10 minutes here and then moved on. Our next destination was the top of a large hill. From the top of the hill we held 2 races (one for girls and one for boys) to see who could run down, touch the rock formation, and run back up first. While I didn't participate, it was entertaining enough to watch. From here, we walked back to the jeeps and were taken to a spot where there was supposedly water. Most people went back to catch glimpses of the water in the desert. I, on the other hand, saw some camels and decided that I'd like to get up close and personal. The camel saddled and tied down. It looked like it had been left there to graze (as if there were anything to graze on). I, along with Georgetown Alex, snapped some photos and tried to get in a picture with the camel
Janine in our tent
. I was terrified this thing was going to spit in my face. He looked a little disgruntled. Finally, we left this site and were driven to an even larger rock formation. We climbed to the top and took in the unobstructed view of the sunset. It was odd how all 60 of us quieted down for the sunset. It was a scene, however, that was worthy of silent worship. We all snapped some pictures and enjoyed the cooler weather and the slight breeze. After the sun had set, we climbed back down and loaded into the jeeps again to race (literally) back to the camp. At the camp, I emptied my shoes of a good amount of sand and then decided that barefoot was probably my best option.
At this time it was about 8 or 8:30 pm and we were starving. While we were waiting, the Bedouins had set up a party of sorts. There was a circular, stone area with a roasting pit in the middle that was lined with curved stone benches where we could sit. The stone floor seconded as a dance floor. There was traditional Arab music playing interspersed with some Latin and some American style rap (we all laughed about this). Occasionally the younger Arabs would get up and debke. Debke is a style of dance that involves holding hands, performing steps in unison and making your way around in a circle
Tents at the camp
. The men were very good at this- much better than the ladies (this almost never happens- particularly in dance!). It's true; several times I was pulled out of my seat to join in. Catching on to the debke wasn't that hard as long as you would watch the movements of the person leading or the person next to you. We were entertained for a few hours before our dinner was served at 9:30pm. We had pita, many fresh salads again, pasta salads, cabbage salads, two kinds of rice, lamb and chicken. By this time we were all famished so we filled our plates. After dinner, some went to walk in the desert while others went back to join in on the Bedouin dancing. I opted for the dancing. I got pulled in to try the debke again. Usually, the men and women have their own separate debke line. However, for this dance they were combined. I found myself linked with a young Jordanian guy who was patiently trying to teach me the right steps. We carried on a short conversation, half in Arabic, half in English in regards to where I'm from, etcetera. Before you know it he said something to the effect of "Your eyes are the color of the sky. You will stay here and be my wife." Clearly, this was a ploy to get to America. Regardless, though, I've never been a fan of bursting someone's bubble. But this time, I had no qualms about showing him the light. I stopped and walked away. I consulted my friend Katie about the situation
Getting ready for a jeep tour
. We walked briskly away to our tents. All in all, it seems it was a good idea not to accept this proposal considering I don't think he had any camels to offer. By the time we walked back to our respective tents it was about 12:30 am. I headed to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth and then head to bed. I slept pretty well through the night. I didn't need to use the comforter although I was woken once because of a slight chill. In all honesty though, the bit of cold felt nice.
At 7:00am I woke up, brushed my teeth, and walked out of my tent. It was an amazing sensation to see an early morning sky over mountains in a desert. Breakfast was served by the Bedouins. We ate hummus, pita, za'ater with oil, cucumbers and tomatoes. After eating breakfast, we loaded the buses and had left for Aqaba by 8:30am.
The drive to Aqaba took about an hour and a half which I spent journaling. Aqaba is Jordan's only port city on the Red Sea. The Red Sea is most often connected with the Biblical scene where Moses parts the Sea to help the slaves escape from Egypt. Directly opposite from Aqaba is Israel's port town on the Red Sea called Eilat
Brett was across from me on the jeep
. Our destination in Aqaba was the Mövenpick Resort. At the Mövenpick, we were dropped off by the buses and then had to walk through security before entering the hotel. At the front desk, we were required to present an ID in order to get our day passes. Immediately after being handed our day passes, we all flocked to the beach. It was already a really warm day- hotter than any day in Amman.
The Red Sea was beautiful. The water was a wonderfully cool contrast to the much much warmer weather. The Miami group swam for a couple of hours and laid in the sun in cycles. At about 12:30 in the afternoon we were all pretty hungry. I decided that I would shower and put on some clothes and leave the Mövenpick area because I wanted to explore Aqaba a little bit. So Brett and I (using my handy dandy guidebook) found a recommendation for a restaurant within the Royal Yacht Club and headed down the street a ways to seek it out.
The restaurant was completely empty save for the employees. Here, we enjoyed a quiet meal overlooking Aqaba's marina. The break from the sun was welcome as was the good food. Brett and I passed the time here chatting aimlessly
Desert
. After becoming properly rested, we wandered back out. Our intention had been to explore Aqaba. However, the weather became so overwhelming that we decided that our best option would be to seek refuge in an air-conditioned place. That's when we heard vigorous honking and a bit of shouting in our direction. It turns out it was our bus driver. He saw the two of us walking and stopped to pick us up. He cut down our walk time for sure and for this I was grateful. We were dropped back off at the Resort. At the Resort, I found one of the hotel's many little coves to sit and journal for a bit while enjoying a glass of mango juice. The 45 minutes or so of journal time was needed for sure. Then I was found by Brett, Janine and Katie. So we sat and talked until it was time to leave again.
The bus ride back was quite uneventful. Everyone was exhausted from the activities of the past couple of days. Most slept the majority of the way back. We arrived back at the University at about 10:30 that night.
Overall, Wadi Rum and Aqaba were two spectacular places. I wonder when I will again have the chance to camp Bedouin style in the desert or go for a dip in the Red Sea. In sha' Allah it won't be the last time.
