The Rum Experience
Disclaimer: The following is a description of my trip to Wadi Rum. I am however, at an internet cafe because the construction workers cut the internet cables at my office, so I apologize for any incoherence and the general rambling, I hope it's interesting! Other recent events include happy hour at the Marine house inside the U.S. embassy, an iftar for orphan children, indoor soccer matches, and many visits to several ministries in an attempt to become a Jordanian resident. But for now...it's all about Rum....
The trip began in the Safeway parking lot at 9:00 and I didn’t even know who was going to be there. The plan was to go camping in Wadi Rum, the desert nature preserve in the south of Jordan. Justin had told me about the trip. He is one of several Fulbrighters I have become friends with after meeting Heidi, one of his roommates, in a bathroom (yes I realize this sounds strange, but as so many of my experiences here remind me: truth is stranger than fiction). They live with Elizabeth in an apartment in Shmesani, a great part of the city not too far from where I live.
By ten o’clock 16 of us had organized and packed ourselves, along with sleeping bags, water, camping supplies, insane amounts of food and a guitar, into four cars and were on our way. The drive was about three and a half hours, with the convoy stopping once for gas and the discovery that rental cars have a built in alarm that goes off if you drive ‘too fast’. The sound is basically the same as that annoying noise if you have a door open, and is easily drowned out by open windows and good music.
When we arrived at the entrance to Wadi Rum, Justin and Josh, who had been once before and have some of the best Arabic skills among the group, began the negotiations about the cost of driving us in and picking us up the next morning. Once that was established, we piled into 4x4 trucks with our Bedouin drivers and headed into the reserve.
There really is no description that will do this place justice. It is stunning and changes dramatically from daylight to sunset and into the night. The light transforms everything, washing the entire landscape in sundry shades of red sand, stone and dust. The mountains rise out of the desert in dramatic shapes and the color is overwhelming. The sun is hot and bright, and on this day, as usual, there was not a cloud to be seen.
After a half hour ride in open-backed trucks we arrived at our site, a huge Bedouin tent tucked up against one of the rock formations, with not a single building, power line or road in sight. We unloaded quickly and began to explore because the sun sets early, usually around 5:15. After scrambling up the rocks directly behind our site, we chose our hiking destination and most of us headed out to climb one of the nearby rock formations, picking the biggest one and estimating we could make it up and back before the sunset.
Walking from our site to the base was actually one of the most difficult sections because of the deep sand. Some of the sand is the usual color but there are sections of deep reds and oranges, sculpted into beautiful waves by the wind.
The rocks are filled with amazing crevices, angles and curves that provide excellent hand and footholds for climbing. The climb looked challenging but with all the holds even the most vertical sections were conquerable without any equipment, it was just a matter of using the best combination of ledges and holes to make your way up.
The view from the top was stunning, with more mountains and rock formations in all directions, linked by vast sands and the entire scene was awash with these sandy colors, becoming more intensely red as the sun began its descent. We could see down to our campsite and most people made their way back quickly, not wanting to hike down after the sun set, but a few of us decided the view would be worth the challenge. We found a ledge halfway down and sat watching the sun sink below the distant peaks as the whole landscape reverberated the intense sunset reds and then faded to a colder stone shade and began to reflect the cooler blues of the evening sky.
We hiked back to the campsite where we lit a fire, cooked food and spent the next few hours eating, drinking and singing as the moon and stars began to rise.
Around nine I walked out into the desert alone. As I made my way up the sand dunes I felt swallowed up by the night and was stopped dead in my tracks by the sky. Living in upstate New York I have always said I have never seen stars like I do at home, so many that there seem to be more stars than sky, but this night I saw a sky unlike anything I have ever seen. The Milky Way shone so brightly it was like someone had just poured out a river of stars across the sky and everything, even the darkness, was crisp and striking.
And then there was the silence. I have spent many days and nights hiking, camping and exploring in remote places, but usually when you experience quiet it is that calming experience free of voices and motors, highlighted by the rustle of leaves in the trees or crickets in the grass (or peepers!). Hearing these small sounds of the earth is how you know it is quiet, but in the desert there are no trees, no grass, no insects. And when the wind stops, it is silent. Purely silent. Overwhelming, soothing, daunting and stunning at the same instant.
Slowly the moon began to rise and the stars faded. About two-thirds full, the moon flooded the desert with a surreal alternative daylight. By around 10:30 (after five hours around the fire) many people started to head for bed, but a few of us were drawn by the dark peaks and decided it was time for another hike.
Four of us headed out across the dunes as the moon rose, shining so bright our full shadows stretched across the sand. It may as well have been another planet for the way the world looked with moonlight glowing across the sand and the rocks jutting high and dark into the sky. Josh was dead-set on one of the highest rocks in sight. Hiking to the base took almost an hour and then we began our way around the monstrosity looking for a viable route up. We made it about a third of the way before reaching an impassable section and began to make our way around the rock instead. Most of the surface was sheer rock face and even with the amazing footholds was too vertical to attempt without equipment. We worked our way around the formation looking for any surface we could navigate our way up and after another hour and a half of hiking, we came to the conclusion that there was actually impossible to reach the top without serious ropes and climbing equipment.
Now about two and a half hours from our campsite, we decided to find a place to sleep and hiked around to a small valley nestle between two sections of the rock formation. We assumed the valley would provide some wind protection and as we curled up for what was left of the night we realized we were drastically unprepared, since we had left most of our equipment back at camp. We had one sleeping bag, food and water but this proved incredibly inadequate for a night under the stars. There were no bugs and the wind only blew on occasion but we spent the next few hours curled in a pile attempting to keep each other warm, feet tucked in the sleeping bag and rotating depending on who was shivering the most. It was a learning experience to say the least. But it was also so ridiculous that we spent a good portion of the time laughing at ourselves and of course we survived the night. The sun was up by around 5:20 and I opened my eyes to the most beautiful sight.
Even with two hours of 15-minute snippets of sleep, it was worth every second. The rocks and sands slowly began to reflect the heat and glow of the sun and we got up to hike back to the camp before the trucks came to meet us at nine. Since we had made it across the dunes and halfway around the rocks we had a good long morning hike to get back, but it was a simple route and I have to say I felt surprisingly good considering the complete lack of sleep!
We met back up with the rest of the group loaded up all of our gear and headed out. We went to the Dead Sea on our way back to Amman and made it back to the city on Saturday evening, at which point I collapsed into bed for ten hours and made it up just in time to head to work.
(This is the third day I have spent trying to post this and I cannot get any pictures to upload...sorry! I have them on snapfish for those of you who are interested, or check back and I will add them as soon as the Jordanian internet allows!)
The trip began in the Safeway parking lot at 9:00 and I didn’t even know who was going to be there. The plan was to go camping in Wadi Rum, the desert nature preserve in the south of Jordan. Justin had told me about the trip. He is one of several Fulbrighters I have become friends with after meeting Heidi, one of his roommates, in a bathroom (yes I realize this sounds strange, but as so many of my experiences here remind me: truth is stranger than fiction). They live with Elizabeth in an apartment in Shmesani, a great part of the city not too far from where I live.
By ten o’clock 16 of us had organized and packed ourselves, along with sleeping bags, water, camping supplies, insane amounts of food and a guitar, into four cars and were on our way. The drive was about three and a half hours, with the convoy stopping once for gas and the discovery that rental cars have a built in alarm that goes off if you drive ‘too fast’. The sound is basically the same as that annoying noise if you have a door open, and is easily drowned out by open windows and good music.
When we arrived at the entrance to Wadi Rum, Justin and Josh, who had been once before and have some of the best Arabic skills among the group, began the negotiations about the cost of driving us in and picking us up the next morning. Once that was established, we piled into 4x4 trucks with our Bedouin drivers and headed into the reserve.
There really is no description that will do this place justice. It is stunning and changes dramatically from daylight to sunset and into the night. The light transforms everything, washing the entire landscape in sundry shades of red sand, stone and dust. The mountains rise out of the desert in dramatic shapes and the color is overwhelming. The sun is hot and bright, and on this day, as usual, there was not a cloud to be seen.
After a half hour ride in open-backed trucks we arrived at our site, a huge Bedouin tent tucked up against one of the rock formations, with not a single building, power line or road in sight. We unloaded quickly and began to explore because the sun sets early, usually around 5:15. After scrambling up the rocks directly behind our site, we chose our hiking destination and most of us headed out to climb one of the nearby rock formations, picking the biggest one and estimating we could make it up and back before the sunset.
Walking from our site to the base was actually one of the most difficult sections because of the deep sand. Some of the sand is the usual color but there are sections of deep reds and oranges, sculpted into beautiful waves by the wind.
The rocks are filled with amazing crevices, angles and curves that provide excellent hand and footholds for climbing. The climb looked challenging but with all the holds even the most vertical sections were conquerable without any equipment, it was just a matter of using the best combination of ledges and holes to make your way up.
The view from the top was stunning, with more mountains and rock formations in all directions, linked by vast sands and the entire scene was awash with these sandy colors, becoming more intensely red as the sun began its descent. We could see down to our campsite and most people made their way back quickly, not wanting to hike down after the sun set, but a few of us decided the view would be worth the challenge. We found a ledge halfway down and sat watching the sun sink below the distant peaks as the whole landscape reverberated the intense sunset reds and then faded to a colder stone shade and began to reflect the cooler blues of the evening sky.
We hiked back to the campsite where we lit a fire, cooked food and spent the next few hours eating, drinking and singing as the moon and stars began to rise.
Around nine I walked out into the desert alone. As I made my way up the sand dunes I felt swallowed up by the night and was stopped dead in my tracks by the sky. Living in upstate New York I have always said I have never seen stars like I do at home, so many that there seem to be more stars than sky, but this night I saw a sky unlike anything I have ever seen. The Milky Way shone so brightly it was like someone had just poured out a river of stars across the sky and everything, even the darkness, was crisp and striking.
And then there was the silence. I have spent many days and nights hiking, camping and exploring in remote places, but usually when you experience quiet it is that calming experience free of voices and motors, highlighted by the rustle of leaves in the trees or crickets in the grass (or peepers!). Hearing these small sounds of the earth is how you know it is quiet, but in the desert there are no trees, no grass, no insects. And when the wind stops, it is silent. Purely silent. Overwhelming, soothing, daunting and stunning at the same instant.
Slowly the moon began to rise and the stars faded. About two-thirds full, the moon flooded the desert with a surreal alternative daylight. By around 10:30 (after five hours around the fire) many people started to head for bed, but a few of us were drawn by the dark peaks and decided it was time for another hike.
Four of us headed out across the dunes as the moon rose, shining so bright our full shadows stretched across the sand. It may as well have been another planet for the way the world looked with moonlight glowing across the sand and the rocks jutting high and dark into the sky. Josh was dead-set on one of the highest rocks in sight. Hiking to the base took almost an hour and then we began our way around the monstrosity looking for a viable route up. We made it about a third of the way before reaching an impassable section and began to make our way around the rock instead. Most of the surface was sheer rock face and even with the amazing footholds was too vertical to attempt without equipment. We worked our way around the formation looking for any surface we could navigate our way up and after another hour and a half of hiking, we came to the conclusion that there was actually impossible to reach the top without serious ropes and climbing equipment.
Now about two and a half hours from our campsite, we decided to find a place to sleep and hiked around to a small valley nestle between two sections of the rock formation. We assumed the valley would provide some wind protection and as we curled up for what was left of the night we realized we were drastically unprepared, since we had left most of our equipment back at camp. We had one sleeping bag, food and water but this proved incredibly inadequate for a night under the stars. There were no bugs and the wind only blew on occasion but we spent the next few hours curled in a pile attempting to keep each other warm, feet tucked in the sleeping bag and rotating depending on who was shivering the most. It was a learning experience to say the least. But it was also so ridiculous that we spent a good portion of the time laughing at ourselves and of course we survived the night. The sun was up by around 5:20 and I opened my eyes to the most beautiful sight.
Even with two hours of 15-minute snippets of sleep, it was worth every second. The rocks and sands slowly began to reflect the heat and glow of the sun and we got up to hike back to the camp before the trucks came to meet us at nine. Since we had made it across the dunes and halfway around the rocks we had a good long morning hike to get back, but it was a simple route and I have to say I felt surprisingly good considering the complete lack of sleep!
We met back up with the rest of the group loaded up all of our gear and headed out. We went to the Dead Sea on our way back to Amman and made it back to the city on Saturday evening, at which point I collapsed into bed for ten hours and made it up just in time to head to work.
(This is the third day I have spent trying to post this and I cannot get any pictures to upload...sorry! I have them on snapfish for those of you who are interested, or check back and I will add them as soon as the Jordanian internet allows!)
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