Desert spectacular

Leaving Petra for a full day of desert, our bus climbed out of the Wadi Musa ( Valley of Moses) area where Petra lies, with spectacular views of mountains beyond mountains with cloud shadows falling irregularly on the peaks and valleys. If I’d been driving I would have stopped for a photo, but alas, I couldn’t stop the whole bus! I tried a couple of shots out the window, but they were futile attempts to capture a very unique sight. I’ll just have to keep it in my head.
We drove up and out and south to Wadi Rum, a protected region of desert with iconic wind and water carved rocks. The whole area was once under the sea, and as you drive along, the feeling of being on the ocean floor is very strong.
Our travel in the Wadi was in small trucks fitted out with benches in the flat beds, and light canvas covers to keep out the sun. At first we took 4 trucks, comfortably spread out, but soon, one of the trucks had mechanical trouble and the 5 folks in it had to be ferried to where the other trucks were waiting for the group. These are all small, elderly Toyota or Nissan vehicles, some originally just pick-ups, at least one was a Land-Cruiser in its former life. As I remembered from Libya, old cars are better than newer ones in the desert. They break down, but are easily fixed by amateurs. One of the three working trucks stopped suddenly, and we all thought, “Oh no, this could get awkward”. Turned out it was out of gas. We watched as the drivers got a piece of plastic tubing and an old plastic water bottle and began to siphon gas from one tank for the other. The driver did remember, at the last minute, to toss his cigarette away prior to starting the siphon. Several members of the group gave sighs of relief. The truck I was in had 6 of us in back and Alice, our tour manager, in the cab with the driver. It became a comedy of sorts to watch as the driver had to pound his door from the inside to get it to open, each time we stopped. While Alice had to keep hold of the door on her side to prevent it from swinging open as we drove along very bumpy dirt/sand/stone “roads”.
We stopped to examine petroglyphs, marks made on stone by people who lived in the area long ago. Exactly how long ago is up for debate. There were also inscriptions carved or painted onto some rocks in language that may be Nabataean or some version of ancient Semetic languages. My favorite petroglyph has a man and a clearly 4 legged camel. There is something about the camel especially, that tickles me! It is so determinedly depicted, with each leg clearly shown, as a child might draw a family dog. It’s not just any camel, but someone’s camel.
For me, the interest was in the shapes and contrasts of sand and stone. I love the way the stone has been shaped by water first, then wind. There are deep narrow chasms which were once reliable water sources, when the area had more rain and a higher water table. Now, the water lies 400-600 ft below the surface. Still, there are fig trees flourishing and other flowering bushes and plants were in blossom. Of course, it rained in Petra yesterday, quite hard, and perhaps in Wadi Rum, too. Just a little water makes a huge difference in the desert.
The four trucks full of tourists raced back to the village where our bus was waiting to take us to lunch. I noticed a camel parking lot, with relaxed looking camels, fitted out for riding, but taking their break along with the drivers. And two small stores across the road from each other with the names ” D.H. Lawrence Store” and “7 Pillars of Wisdom Store”. The film “Lawrence of Arabia” with Peter O’Toole, was filmed largely in Wadi Rum, back in 1963.
We drove about 8 miles to an interesting tourist alternative to a hotel – the Wadi Rum Camp. It consists of rows of tents, some large, some small, toilets and showers ( very clean and with hot water) and a large dining area under tent-like roofs. We were served a special Bedouin dish called ” Zede” – lamb chunks, potatoes and carrots cooked in a wire basked in a covered metal can sunk in the ground with hot coals placed over the top. It stays in the ground for about 4 hours. The presentation was quite dramatic as we followed 3 men to the location of the buried can and watched as they shoveled the hot coals off and removed the lid and eventually the food. We returned to our tables and soon two men arrived bearing an enormous covered metal dish with the lamb, etc over a really delicious rice. We got in line and were served large portions. There was plain yogurt to eat along with it. Really delicious! They served a kind of coconut cake which had a sugar syrup poured over it, and warm! Awfully sweet, but good and I ate it all, as did most everyone.
Back to the bus for the ride back to Petra. Tonight is our “wrap-up lecture” and “Gala Dinner”. Lots of apostrophes, but that’s how it all seems to me. A bit of forced gaiety. Still, I’ve enjoyed this trip immensely. Tomorrow is a short morning tour of some local sites, that I might skip in favor of a leisurely breakfast and repacking project. I’ve acquired just enough stuff to make an extra bad necessary. I have some with me, but I need to strategize the best way to change my packing to account for checking a bag. I leave Monday for Tel Aviv ( briefly, at most 12 hours) then Frankfurt/ Heidelberg for 2 days, then home on Thursday the 14th.
As usual, it’s gone by so fast. This trip, with such a strong and specific focus on archaeology left me realizing that my interests are much more varied. There wasn’t much, if any, time to experience the culture of the current Syria and Jordan. The souks, well, we walked awful fast through some, but always on the way to somewhere “more important”. For me, it’s all important. My next trip may have to be more balanced between some identified focus and time to explore – unscheduled time.
Lots has been happening in the rest of the world, but in my traveling bubble, all’s been well. Hope your bubbles have been good to you too!
Karen

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