After hiking for miles in Petra the last two days, there is only one thing better, more hiking! In this red, Mars-like landscape, we hiked through canyons, over mountains, and up sand mountains (one step up, two back)! At night we camped under the millions of dazzling desert stars!
 
I caught the morning bus, with the sights of Petra still dominating my mind! I could have spent a lot more time in the city "half as old as time itself" .

I am on my way to another stunning part of Jordan, Wadi Rum! The landscape changes from the Petra mountains to the moon-landscape of Wadi Rum as we travel along the King's Highway.

I could have taken a one day tour to Wadi Rum from Wadi Musa. But that is not my style! I get a local bus to travel the 65 miles to the Jordan desert known as Wadi Rum, "Valley of the Moon".

The small bus stops at the edge of the Wadi Rum area. I get off the bus and find a local man with a jeep to take into the desert where I can hike and camp for the night!

HISTORICAL
This 'Valley of the Moon', called Wadi Rum, is in southern Jordan, in a valley of sandstone and granite rock.
 
This Arab land has been home to many civilizations since prehistoric times! There are a lot of rock paintings, temples, and graffiti they left behind.

Jordan's highest mountain is here, and from the top you can see the Red Sea and Saudi Arabia!

People outside Jordan will probably be familiar with Wadi Rum because of the British officer T .E. Lawrence. He was here several times during the Arab Revolt of 1917-1918. A movie, "Lawrence of Arabia" was made about him in 1962! I got to see the rock house he lived in here in his real life!

BIBLICAL
Wadi Rum was in the heartland of Midian, which played a crucial part in early Israel's faith.

Wadi Rum is referred to in both the Bible and other ancient resources as Aram or Iram, and it may be the land of Uz mentioned in the Book of Job (1:1).

Between Petra and Wadi Rum we drove The King's Highway. This was the route the Israelites took wandering around the wilderness (Numbers 20:17). You can read the story of the journey in Numbers chapters 20-21. 

WADI RUM on FILM!
Adventures based on the real life Lawrence of Arabia was filmed here in 1962. I can see why this extraordinary land is a film makers dream!

Camels dot the deserts rolling red sand hills . Beduoin tribes, living in tent villages beneath the massive sandstone cliffs, all contribute to the beauty that Lawrence of Arabia exclaimed as “Rum the Magnificent.”

Wadi Rum is perhaps best loved for it's "Mars-like" appearance. Filmmakers especially like to use it as a setting for their science fiction films set on Mars! It was a filming location for one of the Transformers flicks. 

Besides Lawrence of Arabia (1962), other films shot here include "Red Planet" (2000), "Passion in the Desert" (1998), "The Face", "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen", "The Frankincense Trail", "Prometheus", "Krrish 3", "May in the Summer", "The Last Days on Mars", "Theeb", and "The Martian".

MY ADVENTURES IN WADI RUM!
I wanted to spend my days in Wadi Rum hiking, and the night in a local Bedouin camp, where the silence of isolation at night is smothering (in a good way!) and the night stars are unbelievable!
 
I came alone instead of with a group . So, the only people I have seen so far are the local Arabs. Then, two young guys from Italy showed up in the village in a rented car. They spoke good English and we hit it off and decided to tackle the desert together with a local Bedouin guide!
 
We found Maddallah, a local Arab Bedouin man, to take us to the desert for hiking, and to spend the night in his camp.

We bounced around, across the desert, in the back of his truck. He took us to the best hiking sites.

The heat and red desert sand blowing on us added to this unique Jordanian experience (as we did our best not to fall off of our bench seats in the small truck). A few times we lost the battle!
 
Maddallah is more accurately described as our driver, more than a guide. He takes us to a place and we hike up, through, or over, it while he either waits in his truck, or (as in the case of the canyon), drives around and meets us at the other end!!!

We hiked through the beautiful Khazali Canyon . We climbed the red sand dune for the wonderful view at the top. The climb was a challenging one step up, two back!

The Um Frouth Arch was wonderful! It is a natural rock bridge, created by many years of water and wind, which you can climb to the top. I stood on the span of it, high above the desert for a photo. A photo from below would have been nice, but my 2 Italian hiking partners were at the top with me!

We saw the House of Lawrence, a Nabatean structure that, according to hearsay, Lawrence of Arabia used during the Great Arab Revolution to store weapons.
 
The three of us had about the same interest and energy level for our day's activities, and had a great time!

THE BEDOUIN CAMP
After a long day discovering this surreal moonscape desert land with it's monstrous cliffs, gorges, valleys and it's imposing mountains, we headed for our camp experience for the night.

After getting settled into our private tents, and a refreshing shower, Maddallah took us to a hilltop perfect for viewing the desert sunset! (Promising to return to pick us up soon after sunset!)

Sitting on the sandy hillside, watching the sunset, in the absolute desert silence was awesome! It's isolation in a good sense! What an amazingly beautiful way to end a day in the Jordanian wild!

When we got back to camp, Maddallah had an Arab feast prepared for us! A buffet style meal which the three of us ate plenty of, after a strenuous day in the desert! The Bedouins are famous for their hospitality . I mentioned in an earlier post how I was invited to stop for tea while hiking in Petra.

Flatbread is served with all meals. You scoop up the food with it. After eating, we went outside and sat around the camp fire, eating 'shrak bread'. It is a paper thin bread you eat right off the fire.

Jordan is a Muslim culture. No alcohol! But, they love their coffee and tea! Coffee is thick, strong, grainy Turkish coffee, sometimes flavoured with cardamon. They brew the black tea directly over the Bedouin fire!

WHO ARE THE BEDOUINS?
In short they are the original inhabitants of the Jordanian desert. They are usually sheep herders and hunters and traders, using camel caravans to carry their goods across the desert.

Historically they were nomadic, always on the move. In modern times they have adopted modern ways to a degree. But, they still live in goat hair tents and move a few times a year .

Here in The Wadi Rum village, most are from the same tribe, making for a close knit family! As a result, they are all cousins to each other!

Some of them allow tourist to spend a few nights in their camps and also offer jeep or camel rides in the desert.

GOODBYE TO NEW FRIENDS AND WADI RUM
We enjoyed the time around the campfire, asking Maddallah about life as a Bedouin. After a big Arab breakfast, we loaded up for the ride back to the village.

Maddallah dropped me off on the side of the small village road. It is quiet and isolated. The only living thing I see is a camel, grazing on the side of the road! 

I wave goodbye to my Italian friends in the bed of the truck. They are being taken to their rental car. They will head in the opposite direction and fly from Amman home. Their 2 week vacation is ending . I will head for Israel!

I wait for the van ..... that never comes!

NEXT: "Walking in No Man's Land"