At the suggestion of a co-worker, Nick and I looked into spending a night in the Wadi Rum desert. With little time between Petra and our departure flight, this seemed overly ambitious - just our style! Following our adventure at Petra’s Monestary, we scurried back to our car, frantically packed up, and jumped on the highway to head south into the desert. After a couple of camel detours and several hours of driving, we pulled up to a small gathering of buildings just outside the desert.
Our guide, Yusuf, was resting in the bed of the Toyota Hilux, and was very accomodating given our late arrival. He grabbed our bags, tossed them into the back, gave us some additional water and we were off. Moments later we left the asphalt road behind, and cruised onto the wide open, dusty desert highway. The bed of the truck was open, with cushy benches and a fabric cover to protect us from the sun. We rode in the open, with the hot, dry air of the midsummer rustling our hair and drying our lips. But the views were too scenic to skip: towering rock formations, red rock arches, shady water holes erupting from natural springs, and even a towering sand dune. To Yusuf’s surprise - and despite the searing heat - we hiked to the top and rode down on a sandboard. While the incredible heat drove us to shade at every opportunity, our love for the vast expanse grew with each hour and each new vista.
As the sun sank to the horizon, Yusef parked the car and instructed us to climb a rocky ridge to view the sunset. Laid before were endless miles of Arabian desert, which seamlessly blended into the rose-hued horizon. As if the view were not incredible enough, Yusuf reappeared after 20 minutes, bearing a freshly brewed pot of tea. We sipped the tea and sat in awe as the sun set, with only distant camels and the occasional lizard for company.
With evening night, we piled back in the car, reveling in the cool evening temperatures as we sped back to camp. We arrived just in time, as dinner was nearly ready. The cook had prepared chicken and vegetables in the traditional way: roasted in a subterranean pit all day. The aroma wafted through the wool tents as the delicious meal was pulled out of a deep hole in the sand, and we happily tucked in to the feast as we sat beneath towering stone and a blanket of stars.
If I had to do it all over, I’d spend several nights in Wadi Rum. I still dream of it and hope one interested in traveling to Jordan doesn’t miss an opportunity to visit.
