Better late than never: Wadi Rum

Wednesday, January 22nd

5:45 am. We wake up in our ice chamber. It would have been unbearable here without a hot water bottle. We pack up our remaining things and then make our way to the public bus stop that Muath described to us yesterday. When we arrive there and ask the taxi driver about the bus to Wadi Rum, we see that it's already leaving. But no problem. A taxi driver contacts the bus driver directly (here in Petra everyone seems to be well connected) and tells us that he will be back in 5 minutes.

And that's exactly what happens. So a while later we get on the small bus and are greeted by Wahid, the nice escort driver here on the bus, who ensures that all passengers arrive at their desired camps in Wadi Rum. We make a few more stops along the way until the small bus is packed full of passengers and luggage, and then the bus slowly rolls over partially still snow-covered roads towards Wadi Rum. The driver plays Fairouz and in general the small public bus is much more comfortable than the large Jett bus we were supposed to take. On the way, we also make a short stop at a snack bar where Wahid gets falafel for the whole travel group. What a service.

Even though the sky occasionally opens up and the sun shines powerfully on the snowy landscape around us, we arrive at Wadi Rum Visitor Centre under a gray sky. There, Mohammad and Farez pick us up - the two boys I know from my last visit to Wadi Rum. They drive us through the desert to the Green Desert Camp in their well-known ancient pick-up truck. We take a walk around and enjoy the improving weather until 3 camels trot towards us from a distance. We have booked a camel ride for this morning.

So each of us three gets a camel and then we are guided through the desert by the camel guide. And I realize that the camel's back is much more comfortable than the donkey's three weeks ago. Sitting high and soft on top, we trot through the desert sand, while the camels occasionally help themselves to dry shrubs around us. There really isn't much else to eat here. After about an hour of pleasant riding, we return to the camp where we take a short tea break and then start our jeep tour. Together with Dom and Jo, a Leipzig and an Australian who are newlyweds and are enjoying a week's vacation in Jordan. Just like during the last jeep tour, we pass by the "Mushroom Rock" first and then continue to the small canyon, through which we walk while Farez prepares our lunch on the other side of the canyon.

When we join Farez again shortly afterwards, he is still busy with his fire, so Papa and I decide to climb the sand dune again, which Ramo climbed last time. Farez calls after us and fishes something out of his pick-up. A kind of sandboard that he hands to Papa. With a few breaks in between (climbing sand dunes is really incredibly exhausting), we finally reach the top, where we briefly enjoy the view and then Farez waves to us from below. Lunch time! So Papa sits on the board and slides down the dune, while I chase after him. His ride reminds me a little of sandboarding in Namibia three years ago. But today I don't have the energy to climb the mountain again to take a ride myself.

Now it's time for lunch anyway. Just like last time: fresh tomato sauce, salad, labneh, fire-roasted bread. After a hearty meal, we continue our journey through the desert and stop at all the major attractions. Various rocks that you can climb on, the large rock bridge where we also stopped last time, rocks where you can see cave drawings of the Nabataeans. There is also a special spot for sunset, but unfortunately the sky has clouded over again. While we can observe a few pink clouds on one side, the sun itself is hidden behind a thick wall of clouds. Farez makes a little fire where he brews tea for us until it starts to drizzle, and we make our way back to the camp in the twilight. When we arrive, we are glad that the fire is burning in the large communal tent where we can warm up with tea, while one of Nadjah's cousins ​​plays some music on an oud (a type of lute).

Later, dinner. Just like last time, it was cooked in a pit under the ground in front of the tent, where all the food was cooked over embers for several hours. It tastes super delicious again and we sit around the fire afterwards, full and satisfied. Then the music gets louder again and we start dancing. So now it's Dabkeh, then oud and singing, until we eventually become the last ones sitting around the fire with the Bedouins and then go to bed contentedly. We have our hot water bottles with us and we also received 6 blankets per person. That should be enough for the night.