Day 15: Wadi Rum, Jordan
We awoke this morning in Aqaba, Jordan - the only ocean port city that Jordan has. Being on the Red Sea, it is also considered the "Resort" city for Jordan with lots of snorkeling and diving opportunities.
We were looking forward to breakfast to see if it was any different than breakfast in Egypt...well, we were wrong. It consisted of different types of, you guessed it, BREAD. The good news is that there was also cornflakes and yogurt, so we were able to spice up our life with some variety.
After breakie, we ventured into town for a walkabout and to look through the various markets. We also love to go to the local veggie and meat market, and Jordan's didn't disappoint. We found a great spice dealer that suckered me in for some free tea, and we saw some fresh goats hanging in the windows, still with the hair on their head and tails. Shopping was much more low-key than in Egypt - the vendors let you approach a store and "browse" without breathing down your neck to buy something (or anything that you pick up), and the "Where are you from? Canada - Dry" comments were of course absent. Awww, mourning for the good old days...
After our shopping excursion, we were all pretty fired up to start our first Jordan adventure - onward to Wadi Rum!!!
Wadi Rum is the desert landscape in southern Jordan. The area has been made famous by the stories of "Lawrence of Arabia". Here, we were going to be camping overnight with the Bedouin - the same nomadic people that populate the deserts in southern Egypt and northern Sudan. None of us knew what to expect when we were told "camping" but we were up for anything. Essentially, we stayed in a semi-permanent camp with tents made from a goat-hair type canvas. The camp could hold about 200 people - so really, it was a desert hotel...but it was great!
We awoke this morning in Aqaba, Jordan - the only ocean port city that Jordan has. Being on the Red Sea, it is also considered the "Resort" city for Jordan with lots of snorkeling and diving opportunities.
We were looking forward to breakfast to see if it was any different than breakfast in Egypt...well, we were wrong. It consisted of different types of, you guessed it, BREAD. The good news is that there was also cornflakes and yogurt, so we were able to spice up our life with some variety.
After breakie, we ventured into town for a walkabout and to look through the various markets. We also love to go to the local veggie and meat market, and Jordan's didn't disappoint. We found a great spice dealer that suckered me in for some free tea, and we saw some fresh goats hanging in the windows, still with the hair on their head and tails. Shopping was much more low-key than in Egypt - the vendors let you approach a store and "browse" without breathing down your neck to buy something (or anything that you pick up), and the "Where are you from? Canada - Dry" comments were of course absent. Awww, mourning for the good old days...
After our shopping excursion, we were all pretty fired up to start our first Jordan adventure - onward to Wadi Rum!!!
Wadi Rum is the desert landscape in southern Jordan. The area has been made famous by the stories of "Lawrence of Arabia". Here, we were going to be camping overnight with the Bedouin - the same nomadic people that populate the deserts in southern Egypt and northern Sudan. None of us knew what to expect when we were told "camping" but we were up for anything. Essentially, we stayed in a semi-permanent camp with tents made from a goat-hair type canvas. The camp could hold about 200 people - so really, it was a desert hotel...but it was great!
Tent Accomodations - Not Private, So wear Earplugs!!!
We settled in and got ready for our desert 4x4 ride. We went into the desert and cruised through the sand amongst all the rocks and dunes. We stopped at a few picturesque locations along the way where the sun starting effecting our heads and we started doing crazy things with the photos! The highlight was going to Red Sand Dunes and, as a group, running down the fine, fine sand...
This is what happens when you leave Vince in the Sun... Sunny Side Up!
Yeehaw!!! Sherrill got more air!
Vince likes his woman demure and obedient...
Desert ripples at sunset...beautiful colors (my photography sucks)
The evening was relaxing lounging around the fire and listening to some live music by members of the Bedouin tribes. We sat around the fire drinking our wine "From the Holy Land". Like camping back home, once the sun went down, the yawns start coming out, so it was time to head for the tent.
Campfire and Dancing to Bedouin Music at Night
A good thing about the day...all of our guide books talked about shaking out your bed sheets before sleeping to ensure that there are no scorpions or camel spiders...I am happy to say that somehow we managed to avoid any encounters with those creatures!
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