Aqaba, Jordan November 10
Due to head winds and much traffic we arrived two hours late in Aqaba this morning. Tours were delayed, didn’t affect us but those going on very long tours to Petra will be quite late back tonight. Having already been to Petra we took a Wadi Rum Off-Road adventure! We were bussed to the Wadi Rum centre then transferred to 4X drive Toyotas - 5 to a vehicle and seated on the back on quite uncomfortable seats. Was hilarious to see all the oldies bopping along on sandy tracks, in convoys for a couple of hours! The vehicles were something else - fairly rusted and worn and to climb up on the back we stood on a broken plastic stool! Nothing fancy there!!!! First stop was at a Bedouin camp where we were offered hot tea. Then on for another half hour to another Bedouin centre for coffee, tea, biscuits, dates etc. There was also a rather nice looking restaurant there, the seated area was lovely but the food looked a bit iffy. Didn’t matter, we weren’t eating there anyway but many other groups from all over the world were in the area and staying overnight in interesting looking glamping sites.
The mountains in the area are something else - Wadi Rum is a protected desert wilderness in southern Jordan. It features dramatic sandstone mountains like the many-domed Jebel Um Ishrin, and natural arches such as Burdah Rock Bridge. Many prehistoric inscriptions and carvings line rocky caverns and steep chasms, such as Khazali Canyon. The natural watering hole of Lawrence’s Spring is named after British soldier Lawrence of Arabia, who allegedly washed there. It is also the site for many film sets including Lawrence of Arabia, Dune, Rogue One - A Star Wars Story, The Rise of Skywalker, 2019, Aladdin, 2019, The Martian 2015, Transformers- Revenge of the Fallen and many others. In fact there’s a crew there now from the US making a new film. Have to say I’ve not seen any of the above except for Lawrence!!!
Back on the bus and heading to the ship a car just in front of the bus clipped another car and landed on the other side of the road on its roof. Our driver was quick to avoid the second car - I doubt there’d be any survivors in the flipped car, sadly.
Due to many coughers on my bus two days ago I’ve now caught a lurgy! Will be ok as have antibiotics.
Had an email from my friend Cassie this morning, telling me about her trips through the Suez and I hope she won’t mind that I include her comments below - think you’ll find them most interesting.
Quote - ‘Memories come flooding back as I read your mail. Not so much about Turkey but cruising down the Suez – I had done that 6 times before I was 21 years old due to my father’s posting to the Embassy in Rome – and a few more after with Laurence in tow. Egypt was very different in those days, camels roaming around the streets, hardly anyone speaking a word of English and very few tourists (in the 1950’s) and our ship on one occasion on a return trip to Australia was haven for the ousting of the Jews (mainly from Alexandria) by dictator Nasser. They were only allowed to leave Egypt with one suitcase on board – most of their possessions were confiscated by Nasser when he nationalized Egypt – but the flashing of diamonds and the glow of emeralds and sapphires on the ears, wrists and necks of the women at night reassured us somewhat that they did have something to “fall back on” as it were.’
So different today. We did see hundreds of camels at the Bedouin sites, also a small kitten and then a few goats as we approached Aqaba. And near the steps to the ship were two lazy dogs!!! Probably homeless. The guide mentioned farming in his talk but I can’t imagine anything growing in the desert!