Jordan: Wadi Rum to Amman

Wadi Rum is a beautiful area of desert and rock mountains, bordering Saudi Arabia. It is the old stomping ground of Lawrence of Arabia. A two-day trip here was a great way to imagine the old Bedouin way-of-life and enjoy the spectacular scenery, music and food. Now, the camel trains have now been replaced by LandCruisers and the Bedu take fresh pride in the Formula-One speeds they can reach, even in thick sand.

Tracking north to Amman, I was struck with how arid this country is. The ground is gravel or sand with dry hills and rugged mountains in between. The occasional acacia tree or scrubby shrubs also survive. It is much like the Sinai Peninsula. Amman is not the most interesting city but the people are absolutely fabulous. Friendly smiles and greetings were all I ever got. As I walked through one souq area, filled with tailor shops, the guys working away on their sewing machines raised their heads and simply said 'Welcome! Welcome to Jordan.' These are good people.


Wadi Rum



Crazy guitars, great singing and some dancing mixed in.



Fellow travellers; good times.