Adventures in Asia: Wadi Rum, Jordan

After our train ride, we returned to our "camp" on the edge of the Wadi Rum protected area.

We are staying in one of these domes, which have a nice little patio outside and are really a cool way to experience Wadi Rum.

While Diana enjoyed relaxing on the patio, I headed off for a walk into the desert.

Mostly I followed 4x4 tracks at first . . .

. . . but also camel footprints!

I went around a bend and felt completely alone. It was beautiful, albeit very sandy, walking!

In total I was gone for about an hour, and was back in time to watch the sun set over the ridge to the east.

The rock behind our tent practically glowed in the light of the setting sun.

It was remarkable how cool it got after sunset and we moved inside to stay warm (the domes are heated and air conditioned). The camp serves dinner buffet style and we dined on a surprisingly generous spread. One thing the camp does not have, however, is alcohol, although they do serve 0% beer!

Perhaps not surprisingly, the stars were spectacular after dinner. Photographing stars with a smart phone is an exercise in futility, but I was amazed how crisply I was able to capture the moon and Jupiter.

Wadi Rum is beautiful at sunrise, too, and this morning I headed out for an hour walk before breakfast, this time in a bit of different direction than I had gone yesterday afternoon. 

I was back at camp by 8:00 to meet up with Diana for breakfast. Here is a shot of the dining "tent."

We were in no rush to leave, so after breakfast Diana enjoyed our patio again and I went for another hour long walk, and again I was fascinated to see how the sun at a different angle brought out different colours in the sand and rock.

We checked out at 11:00, but Diana agreed to do a final Wadi Rum excursion with me, so we drove back to Wadi Rum village. We passed camels on the way again.

We parked on the northside of the village and walked south through the village. We passed the school . . .

. . . as well as some electricity wiring that I found amusing. Hopefully it is more safe (and legal) than it appears . . .

Our destination was Lawrence's spring, two or so kilometres south of the village and past what Google has labeled the "Wadi Rum tree" (there are very few trees in Wadi Rum!).

Lawrence's spring is a water source coming out of the rock ahead in the picture below. 

A Bedouin family has a tent set up here with some camels, we shared some tea with them and rested in the shade.

I have ridden a dromedary before and did not particularly feel any desire to do so again. However, I also felt being in Wadi Rum that I wanted to at least get on a camel, so I paid one of the boys to let me get on and get some pictures.

My camel seemed to decide that if she was going to be made to stand up, she may as well get a drink while she was at it.

After my photo op, it was time to head back to the village and end our time in Wadi Rum. You can see the village up ahead in the picture below with Diana in the foreground.

From Wadi Rum we are headed to Aqaba, about an hour southwest of here.

Adventures in Asia: 1916 Train, Wadi Rum, Jordan

We had originally intended to spend Wednesday morning in Petra, but we both agreed we were satisfied with our visit yesterday afternoon, so after a nice breakfast at the hotel we got in the car and headed up out of Wadi Musa. Along the road out of town there are spots to pull over and look back over the valley. It is quite something! Petra is within the mountains below and you can see how it managed to remain hidden, more or less, for centuries.

Our destination was Wadi Rum, about two hours from Wadi Musa. Roughly half of the drive is on the Desert Highway, which is divided, four-lane road and allows for faster driving than most of the highways we have driven on so far.

After 90 minutes or so we reached the turnoff to Wadi Rum, and even before the park itself you encounter some spectacular scenery. Also, some great road signs!

The Jordan Pass includes the entrance fee to Wadi Rum, but you need to check in at the visitor's centre to get your ticket, so that's where we headed first.

Wadi Rum is stunning, but sadly the wonder of being here is significantly detracted from by aggressive, rude, dishonest Bedouin, many of whom stake out the visitor's centre. It took some equally aggressive "nos" from me, but eventually we were left alone and Diana and I found a spot to eat a bagged lunch and enjoy a view of the "Seven Pillars of Wisdom."

After lunch, we headed seven kilometres south of the visitor's centre to Wadi Rum village. This is a pretty cool drive as well, with gorgeous scenery and grazing camels on either side.

We ordered coffees at a rest house in the village and sat outside watching life go by. In summer I understand the heat can be unbearable, but it was lovely on this day in the middle of winter! 

I gather from this water truck that many or most of Wadi Rum village's water is trucked . . .

. . . but there is also evidence that that will change soon!

Back behind the rest house is a short trail that leads you to Nabataean ruins. Not Petra, but still cool to explore.

From the village we drove back northwards, out of the park proper, and further east to the camp where we are staying the night.

We checked in and dropped our bags into our dome "tent."

Before we explored much here, however, we walked half a kilometre to where there are train tracks running through the desert.

Every few days a group of enthusiasts organizes a "1916 train."  This is also included as part of the Jordan Pass, and the schedule happened to align nicely with our itinerary. At 15:00 a group gathered in what is pretty much the "middle of the desert" along the railroad tracks.

And then, somewhat slowly, a (restored historic) train appears around the bend . . .

The train is made up to be an Ottoman troop carrying train from 1916, and there are machine guns mounted on the flat beds.

Actors dressed as Ottoman soldiers are guarding the train, and tourists load up on the benches behind them.

After getting settled, we set off. On a hot day I cannot imagine this would be the most comfortable spot to be, but on a gorgeous day it is a really lovely way to see Wadi Rum! The acting continues after about 10 minutes, with Arab rebels attacking the train.

Eventually the rebels win, stopping the train and taking the soldiers into custody.

The whole thing is quite well done, although honestly the train itself and of course the setting are what really make this memorable. They let me walk through the train cars before we had to disembark. 

The ride ends at a real railway station--obviously the tracks are still in use for activities besides tourist trips!

We were driven back to the starting point in the back of a truck and were back at camp shortly after 16:00. The 1916 train was a fun way to spend an hour and it is definitely a great activity to do if one's itinerary allows for it!