Sunset Camp
Trip Start
Sep 17, 2007
1
223
272
Trip End
Oct 08, 2008
Loading Map
Wadi Rum,
Jordan
Friday, July 18, 2008
The other problem was what to do when we got there. In a move with dubious motives, the government had erected the visitors center 7km from the village. You had to get off here to get a ticket. It was designed so that you had to arrange tours through the visitors center. This basically stole business from the shop-owners and tour operators in Wadi Rum, since there really isn't a reason for big tour groups to go there. This would be find except the tours are ridiculously expensive. To hire a jeep for a 4 hour trip is $120. An overnight stay costs a little under $40 a person. For just the two of us the cost was prohibitive. We needed a group.
The other option was Mohammed's Sunset Camp. He was recommended in the book as a local operator. We went to his website, where the tours seemed really cheap, and emailed him. His response directed us to his new webpage, where the prices were more expensive, but still a good deal. Only problem was the prices were, again, for four people. We still needed a group to make an affordable tour.
This was the advantage of the tourist bus, because there was a hope we could find a group on the bus. We only had to contend against the dreaded busboy.
Travis and Erin in Wadi Rum
The dreaded busboy was the tout on the bus. His job was to try to sell you on his dubious tour before you arrived at the visitor's center. I didn't feel like going through the spiel and rebuffed his prying questions by saying, "We don't need a tour, thank you." He found this very offensive and was slightly insulting. He then turned around and worked on the next person to get on the bus. In that annoying manner of arbitrary people, he claimed we had "reserved" the back (worse) seat. He forced the other two single guys to sit in the seat in front. This left a bunch of good empty seats which remained empty during the ride. This annoys me. A lot. Anyway, by extreme luck, the two guys in front of us were playing it by ear. So as the dreaded busboy worked from the front, I worked from the back, trying to enlist them to our cause. There was a moment when I thought the dreaded busboy would win, when the guy seemed to think that he might not be able to go with us because we had inquired about only two people. But the other guy threw in his support with us and he came around. I realized that I was just as bad as the touts I despised. Now I just hoped our somewhat shaky plans were going to come through and that we hadn't just screwed our new friends.
In the end, there was no need to worry. The bus pulled up at the visitor's center and a majestic Bedouin in a flowing white robe and checkered headdress stepped on the bus. "I am Mohammed Zanbar," he said, "Sunset Camp." It was discovered that all eight people on the bus were for him.
So we found our way to his shop for tea, while he explained his super tour (for the eight of us) for a good price.
Rum village
It included a six hour jeep tour, dinner and breakfast, and a stay in the desert. Great deal.A little after 9 we piled into two jeeps. Our jeep was an amazing thing. It was started with a "Bedouin key," twisting two wires together. The speaker was wired to the radio and sitting between the seat. The bumper was tied on with string and there was a plastic bag over the gas tank.
We made a few little stops on the way out of town. One was a Nabataean temple (read: boring pile of rocks). Then we had a hot climb up to a spring and a couple carvings. Then we stopped at Lawrence's Spring, mentioned in his book. This was another hot scramble up the rocks, but with good views. At the bottom were some Nabataean inscriptions.
From here we went offroad and onto the dirt tracks into the desert. The landscape became more beautiful the further we went. On the way out of town Erin demanded a stop so we could photograph the baby camel. We stopped at another inscription rock (there are ancient carvings everywhere here), then at a wonderful red sand dune. We tried to climb it but the sand was burning hot. Further on was the best of the rock inscriptions. There were several picturs of camels and a couple of humans etched into the rock. Pretty cool.
We continued on to Lawrence's House (they love naming stuff after Lawrence). It was also a pile of stones, but the desert views were great from here as well. We stopped at another amazing viewpoint, had some tea and ate some lunch. Everyone took a siesta.
into the desert
I walked around the corner for some wonderful views and a great carving showing a camel, an ibex, and some other gazelle-like thing. From here we visited a rock-bridge, and a couple of the guys scrambled up to the top. Further on we left the main protected area and journeyed into the White Desert. This path was apparently created by Mohammed, and at the visitor's center they call it the "Mohammed path." We climbed a dune for 360-degree views. Here the sand was red in some places, white in others, and yellow in others. A very cool effect. The pictures, unfortunately, could never do this landscape justice. You'll have to come out and see it for yourself. We made a quick stop at a stone which apparently looks like a chicken on one side and an elephant on the other. One more stop and then we proceeded to Sunset Camp in the late afternoon. Sunset Camp had a bathroom but currently only three 4-person tents. We spent the afternoon chatting and relaxing in the big tent, then climbed up various hills to watch the sunset over the mountains. We were joined by two other groups, so we formed the largest gathering that sunset camp had seen in days. We therefore had a huge and amazing dinner. Rice, bread, various plates of mezze (salads), and a lot of chicken. Our first real meal in days. I saw the full moon rise from directly behind our tent. We went to bed rather late.
After a nice sleep we got up for a small breakfast and then climbed in the jeep for the drive back to Wadi Rum. Here we hopped into a taxi that we had arranged with Mohammed since there weren't any buses to Aqaba, 45 minutes away. A wonderful trip. A little expensive, but definitely worth seeing.
~Travis
