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Jordan Middle East

Wadi Rum Part 2

Early morning in Wadi Rum, Aqaba Province, Jordan
Early morning in Wadi Rum, Aqaba Province, Jordan

I was woken by the sound of farm animals (roosters and goats) making their morning sounds and got up at about 5.30am to go for a walk. It was still very cold but walking warmed me a little. I couldn’t actually see the sunrise as it was on the other side of the mountain and would have taken me hours to climb over or walk around the mountain. Everywhere there is soft sand that you sink into making walking for me a slow affair. It was wonderful though to watch the sun hit some of the surrounding mountains and then make its way down those mountains as the sun rose.

Categories
Jordan Middle East

Wadi Rum, Jordan Part 1

I had contacted Wild Wadi Rum Desert Adventure website by email and ended up corresponding with a young Bedouin man called Salman. I remember saying at work

‘Guess what I just did at lunchtime?’

No answer.

‘Emailed a Bedouin!’

‘What’s a Bedouin?’, was the answer.

I caught a taxi from Wadi Musa (Petra) to the visitor’s centre at Wadi Rum (it cost JD40 = AUD80) and met Salman who turned out to be a 22 year old Bedouin whose family lived in the Wadi Rum Village. He informed me that the Bedouins don’t really live in Wadi Rum anymore as they have all moved into the village. He was very enthusiastic and told me he had studied at university to become a primary school teacher but had not found work yet.  As we drove out into the wadi (valley) my jaw started to drop. It was both immense and beautiful.

Welcome to Wadi Rum!
Welcome to Wadi Rum!