When you are in Wadi Rum in Jordan, you are far away from the rest of the world. You get a chance to soak in the nature and probably understand yourself. Who needs a temple or a mosque or a church then to tune yourself to your inner thoughts?
It was one vast piece of desert. You could go on an on and not see anything except tall rocks, stretches of yellow sand and some sparse vegetation. That’s Wadi Rum.
The beauty of Wadi Rum comes from its nothingness – the stillness. You can lose yourself in that quiet desert. A time for introspection and meeting yourself.
Not to say that there is nothing to see in the desert. Each tall rock has a story to tell. Watch carefully and you can discern various shapes in the rocks. There is a rock in the shape of a human. Another rock with some figures made on it. Rocks are precariously placed over each other by nature. There are dangerous looking rock bridges as well! You can never stop marveling at them.
The rocks are coloured in red, yellow and orange. Basel, our guide, told us that the formation and constituents of the rocks were so because of the water levels that receded and gave birth to these rocks.
It is quite sad to know that there was water there once where we stood – and now that piece of land is just filled with sand. But again, Wadi Rum has been so for past thousands of years and will continue to be.
There are a myriad ways to explore this spread of sand. We did it through a 4X4 drive – the most common way I think – courtesy Captain’s Camp. The camp itself was quite large with tents and dining areas. It is a wonderful treat to stay at this camp overnight, under clear blue sky with thousands of stars shimmering over your head.
It was a bumpy, hot ride, but we enjoyed every minute of it. We passed through Bedouins strutting around on camels. Ask them for a photograph and they pose like professionals for you!
Driving down, we reached the a small area which was dedicated to TE Lawrence and Prince Faisal Bin Hussein, the duo who led the Arab revolt against the Ottomans in World War I. We were invited in the large Bedouin camp located nearby and lo and behold! We find a table filled with Arab artifacts, trinkets, natural perfumes, fragrant tea mixes, shawls and a lot more – all made by the Bedouins. As we rummaged through the treasure to select our purchases, we were presented with some wonderful chai – as is usual throughout Jordan.
Clutching our precious purchases carefully in our hands, we went back to the 4X4 and finished the rest of the drive.
The best way to have a panoramic view of this beautiful valley is to go for a hot air balloon ride. If you are feeling more adventurous, try parachuting. Another way to explore the desert is through camel ride. But whichever way you choose, the sense of calmness and amazement won’t ever change.
