Wandering in Wadi Rum

These tents are sealed tight, and any doubt of it was erased when I woke up in the middle of the night and was unable to see my hands in the darkness. That tight seal allowed them to heat up quickly in the morning sun, though, so sleeping in wasn’t really an option. Opening the little hatch window let in blinding sunlight, and I sluggishly poked in contact lenses so I could wear sunglasses against the glare. I shuffled into the dining tent for breakfast: pita bread with lebnah and zatar (plain yogurt and spices), and an assortment of “breakfast cookies.”

Our day would consist of driving and exploring this vast protected area. Wadi Rum is a combination of Arabian oryx habitat and Bedouin reservation, many of whom now make a living as tour guides. I’d later learn it’s the largest wadi in Jordan, and contains Jordan’s highest peak.

The first stop was to see ancient petroglyphs carved onto flat rocks. Bearing depictions of men and camels using this area as a trade route, we were told it was a map. As we examined more camel carvings on a nearby cliff, as if on cue a herd of goats wandered past us on their own route to an unknown destination. As the guide drove a route only he knew on desolate, unmarked sandy paths that crisscrossed Wadi Rum, I tried not to think about how helpless we’d be without him—no cell phone reception, hardly anyone around, and no clue where we were. Thankfully we were fine, and most of the time I just dwelled on how beautiful it was.

Petroglyphs at Wadi Rum

Petroglyphs at Wadi Rum

Nearby was a steep sand dune, where we tried something as foreign to me as it was to the Bedouins: sandboarding. I’d never used a snowboard before, and Leon was kind enough to teach me the basics by going first. With beginners luck and a lack of momentum, the first run went quite well. I was determined to get in a second run, and sang John William’s “The Call of the Champions” as I attempted to go "Citius! Altius!” (not so “Fortius!"). By this point the sand was getting so hot I’d have to stop every few feet and bury my bare feet in the burning sand for relief, but when I finally got to a higher (Altius) starting point, I had my faster (Citius) run, which went fine until the end. I’m still not sure how they managed to get a snowboard in rural Jordan, but it made for a great memory.

My brief foray in to sandboarding

One of our next stops was Lawrence’s hideout, or what is left of it, and we had a bit of extra time to scramble up the rocks behind it. The Malaysian and Italian girls quickly climbed out of sight, and once I’d climbed as high as I wanted I took the extra time to explore the geology of our playground. Textbook sedimentary layers, it had eroded in some areas to flat, dark surfaces with fractures giving it the appearance of a giant’s cutting board. Finding an eroded niche in the shade, I relaxed in my stone papasan chair for a bit before we continued on. Driving to a shady overhang, our guide spread out mats and we stopped for a picnic lunch of tuna and tomato pita sandwiches, juice boxes, and bananas. After lunch our guide dropped us off at a shady canyon for a short hike through to the other side. The shade created a bit of an oasis with a few trees and birds, and along one wall we saw a lizard’s scrambling that put ours to shame.

Exploring Lawrence's hideout

View from a scramble

Our last stops of the day were to natural arches. I’d seen these in Utah, but had never climbed on them quite like this.

Following our guide up the rock face.

We made it!

View from the top

On the arch

Back at our camp, it was an easy stroll to the entrance of Khazali canyon. It was narrow and didn’t go in very far, but the walls were so incredibly high and narrow that it contained a few pools of rainwater. After seeing so many petroglyphs elsewhere it was easy to take them for granted, but the carving of life-sized footprints on a wall overhead piqued my curiosity.

Khazali canyon

It was still several hours before dinner, and as I read outside for a bit I noticed the rocks enclosing our camp were perfect for scrambling. This natural playground abounded with layers and ledges at easy intervals that allowed me to quickly ascend with minimal effort for a bird’s eye view of the camp and valley below.

We also tried our hand at kite flying on the dune next to camp, and I thought of the dunes at Kittyhawk as we tried to launch our kite. It was my first attempt at stunt kites, and I felt like Charlie Brown with my inability to keep it aloft.

This night, we were joined by fellow travelers from France, England, Colombia, the US, and China. The Chinese woman baffled me with her erratic behavior, but I had to hand it to her for having the gumption to travel solo in an Arabic-speaking country when it appeared she only spoke Mandarin.

The combination of jetlag, heat, and scrambling could easily make for an early bedtime, but I had to enjoy the stars again from the top of the dune. I briefly turned on my headlamp while climbing, and saw black beetles the size of a quarter also making their way up the dune. Their zigzagging paths reminded me of my own paths while sandboarding that morning, but now the sand was cool and soft beneath my feet. I did a little moonlit yoga while enjoying the stars, and my patience was rewarded with a shooting star before calling it a night.