Jordan Part 2

We left Petra on December 22^nd and headed about 90 minutes south to a small village called Wadi Rum in the middle of the desert 15km from the Saudi border.  Now to most moms, camping less than 10 miles from the border of Saudi Arabia with our children might sound crazy and negligent.  However, Innes’ mom (Rosie) was actually with us on this adventure and my mom (June) seems to trust that we know what we are doing. 

At various times throughout our trip we were just a few kilometers from so many hotspots constantly featured the evening news: the Palestinian Territories/Israel, Syria, Egypt, Saudi, Iraq surrounded us on all sides for over a week (oh, and a layover in Bahrain coming and going), but not once did we feel like we were in danger.  Most people were happy to see any tourists at all as the tumult in this part of the world has killed the tourism industry in Jordan for the time being.  And I have to admit, if I wasn’t already living in the Middle East with my family and seeing first-hand the peace and kindness in this part of the world, I probably wouldn’t have packed my bags and headed into the maelstrom that is the Arab Spring – and definitely not with my children.  We were in the eye of the hurricane and came out feeling like we learned more of the Arabic language and more about the Arab people in one week than we have in five months in Qatar.

At Wadi Rum we were met by our Bedouin guide Saleh Mosa at the visitor’s center and taken to his home to meet his wife and children.  This was a great opportunity to pick up Keffiya (head scarves normally worn by males - but our guides didn’t seem to hesitate helping Wilder, Rosie and me put them on properly) for our camel ride and have our first of many, many cups of sweet Bedouin tea.  We left Saleh’s home and went next door to his uncle’s house where we were met by four of the cutest darn camels we’d ever seen.  Rosie was put on the lead camel (which was a “very good camel” according to our guide) and Innes was put on the skittish one (he learned quickly not to try to take off his backpack or jacket while in the saddle.  I will never forget the sound that camel made when he decided he didn’t want Innes on his back anymore.) while the kids gamely shared a camel at the back.  Thanks to the way the camels were tied together, I rode a respectful five feet behind Innes for the entire excursion – which he has happily pointed out several times since our trip.  

And we're off...

Notice how much taller Lisa's camel is than Innes'.

Probably sums up our entire trip.

Our guide was positive that Rosie was Innes' sister, not his mom.  I think he was hitting on her.

We rode our camels out to a desert oasis where there just happened to be jewelry and trinkets for sale and left the camels behind for an afternoon jeep tour of the desert.  Our guide Atik took us out to T.E. Lawrence’s stone house and made us lunch over a hot fire at the base of a sand dune where we all had the chance to sandboard or sled down the dunes.  

Just like a powder day at home in Colorado.

Yes, Daniel Craig was on the trip with us as well and he rides a mean sand board.

The kids at Mushroom Rock.

We ended our tour at Saleh’s family’s Bedouin tent where more sweet Bedouin tea was served and where chicken was cooked over an open fire inside the tent.  Amazing rice dishes and hummus were prepared in a nearby stone kitchen by Saleh’s wife and mother.  Luca and Wilder played with Saleh’s children in the tent (the language barrier was no problem) and played soccer in the sand outside the camp.  Saleh also invited a friend down to play the lute for his guests so we all sat around the open fire and listened to traditional Arab tunes.  The other guests worked for the UN in Amman and had come down with friends for the night.  It felt a lot like the atmosphere in a 10^th Mountain Hut, where you never know who will turn up and you all share the same space for a night. 

The next morning, after a warm and comfortable night in a huge but cozy “family” tent, we headed back to Wadi Rum for a short 45-minute trip further south to Amman. 

I’m so long-winded that the Red Sea portion will have to wait until Jordan Part 3.