… loved by Lawrence of Arabia, and called the “Valley of the Moon” for its otherworldly terrain. The movie Lawrence of Arabia was filmed here, in the incredible pink to deep red desert landscape filled with towering sandstone formations. Wadi Rum is about an hour from the port of Aqaba, on the King’s Highway.
Starting at the Wadi Rum Visitors’ Center, we boarded 4x4s, which were actually four-wheel drive pickup trucks (mostly Toyotas), with bench seats along the sides of the truck bed. The biggest challenge for most of us was getting into and out of the trucks at each stop! Not a pretty sight… Our Bedouin guide drove us to a magnificent overlook, where Lawrence’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom rock formation seemed close enough to touch. Walking in the powdery fine red sand was difficult; the rocks strewn across the sand were surprisingly angular, and not at all smoothed or rounded by the action of the sand.
The next stop was planned for those who wanted to complete part of the trek on a camel. We rode camels at the pyramids in Egypt and one camel ride was more than enough! Getting on is tough because the saddle is so high. The camel straightens its back legs first to stand up, dangling you face first over the ground with only a tiny pommel to hold on to; and they take awhile to unfold their long front legs to level things out. The ride itself is jolting and the saddle uncomfortable. Plus my camel was a provocateur; he kept bumping the camel next to him, with my leg unfortunately in between them. Ouch! And then there’s the getting off part … We also saw some desert petroglyphs at this spot.
We visited two Bedouin tent gatherings, where we were treated to sweet and aromatic desert tea served in tiny glass cups, and crunchy sesame seed cookies. Visitors can stay overnight in Bedouin tents (equipped with sinks and toilets) to experience the thrill of the nighttime stars in the heart of the desert. The accommodations seemed pleasant and the prospect of a longer stay in this unfamiliar and gorgeous terrain is certainly appealing.
Back in Aqaba, we met a store owner who specializes in authentic antique Bedouin silver jewelry. Some of the pieces were stunning! Other notable sights were a radish heart, bottles of oils, and piles of spices.
We returned to the ship with shoes filled with red sand, a wonderful souvenir of our adventure.
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