Wadi Rum, Jordan

We're back!  After a little time in Syria we are finally able to update the blog.  Unfortunately blog spots are Syria are not allowed and therefor blocked from public access.  But, we have left Syria and are on are way to Israel so the blog continues!

70% of Jordan is desert, the most spectacular of which is known as Wadi Rum.  After some diving in near by Aqaba on the Red Sea (no pics) we headed to Wadi Rum for something quite the opposite.  We organized a guide (Mehdi was his name) who took us deep into Wadi Rum for some old fashioned Bedouin camping.  Ok, so we chickened out a little and slept in a tent instead of around the campfire but it was darn cold and windy.  The desert was incredible, miles of sand and shrub interrupted by giant boulders and mountains jutting out of the sand with spectacular wind shaped formations.  The first day we spent hiking up through a fantastic gorge with amazing views followed by a 4X4 tour into the desert.   Just before the end of the climb through the gorge we came across a 5 foot snake about the thickness of the circumference of a quarter and beautifully colored black and white.  We were told we were very fortunate to see this rare and poisonous snake as many guides can spend many  years in the desert and never see one let alone one that large.  It was remarkable how quickly it moved through sand and climbed the rocks.  The second day was spent mostly leisurely strolling through the desert.  Well, I guess it wasn’t so leisurely as it was painstaking.  The deep sand made it nearly impossible to make any headway and the combination of hot, hot sun and biting winter wind made it difficult to decide if we were too hot or too cold.  The jeep picked us up again and we drove further into the desert looking for a good place to camp.  At one point during our hunt the 4X4 came to a stop and Mehdi and his father (our guides) could be heard heatedly debating (what we could only assume was) about where we should camp.  At this point another truck pulled into view on the road ahead of us.  Mehdi’s father got out and said hello as the truck filled with 3 men pulled up, each man toting an AK-47.  “Ummm”:, I said to Anelia, “looks like this is it, I wonder who gets a better price, me or you?”  Of course we were just joking around (Mehdi would never do that to us).  The men were a Saudi Border patrol just passing through to visit friends in Wadi Rum.  We spent the night at the base of the tallest mountain in Jordan (of which we forget the name.)  The next day we climbed the mountain to the summit for spectacular views of the desert as well as a view of the border to Saudi Arabia.  The tour was completed with Anelia and Jeff’s first camel ride, which took us back to the village of Wadi Rum.  One of the most amazing things about the tour was the food.  Mehdi prepared and cooked everything in the desert and it was absolutely delicious.  (“a tasty meatball” says Anelia).  Mehdi said we would make good Bedouins and gave us Arabic names.  Sagar (for Jeff, the name of a very famous and important bird of prey in Jordan, we think a falcon pronounced with a rolled rrr at the end) and Zahra (for Anelia meaning “flower” in Arabic, also pronounced with a rolled r)  In the end, Anelia and Jeff were sad to leave but happy about there incredible experience in the desert of Wadi Rum.