Our final stop with Joe, Jenn, Michael, and Catherine was glamping at the Sun City Bedouin camp in Wadi Rum, and we all had a blast!
Wadi Rum means Valley of the Moon. It is the largest wadi in Jordan that is about 40 miles from Aqaba. Wadi Rum has been inhabited for over 2,500 years, and was on an ancient camel trading route to the Arabian Peninsula. It is most known for its association with T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), who passed through the wadi several times during the Arab revolt in 1917-1918. The wadi is home to about 5,000 Bedouins, and many live in the traditional goats' hair tents and have a nomadic lifestyle.
The kids climbed and ran around some more. The big sandbox was perfect for digging, building castles, making rock sculptures, and rock art.
And then we departed for a couple of hour sunset tour of the desert.
We came across some locals on their camels.
Then we all made our footprints, amongst the camel and other small animal prints.
And the final stop of the evening was a beautiful spot to watch the sunset behind the large rock formations.
The next morning, Jenn and I went on a cold, early morning jeep ride to see the sunrise. It was quiet, it was peaceful, the sunrise was beautiful and just perfect!
I love the way the clouds dispersed the early morning light as the sun rose.
You did not hear a peep. No animals, no people, no sounds at all. Just us and Musa, our guide, below who made a fire as he watched the sunrise from below.
Fresh morning animal tracks. I was slightly obsessed with the drifted sand and fresh tracks.
As the sun rose, the rocks turned a beautiful shade of orange and pink.
Our wonderful guide from the sunset and sunrise tour, Musa, from Wadi Rum.
Headed back to camp to eat breakfast and head north. We dropped of Jenn, Joe, Michael, and Catherine at the Dead Sea for the day, and they explored the Baptism Site, Mt. Nebo, and Madaba the next day before heading back to our house.
We had a really fun time glamping at Wadi Rum, and with Nathan's cousins. Thankful for their fun visit with us for the week! And we will be back to glamp again.
I can't say that we were roughing it by any stretch of the imagination, here is the inside of our tent - and I'm not even showing you the bathroom with a toilet and shower with hot running water! Oh, and they brought in a heater at night, that we definitely needed, and there was wireless internet - there is a reason they call it glamping!
The view of the desert and large rock formations was incredible. The sky was perfectly blue, and the desert sand looked untouched by people. We all had a blast climbing up and around the rocks and exploring for a couple of hours before lunch.
They served us Maqluba, which means upside-down in Arabic. It is a traditional Jordanian and Palestinian dish of chicken, rice, and vegetables that is cooked in a pot and flipped upside down when served. Everyone enjoyed the meal and at this point we practically had the camp to ourselves, minus a few other visitors.
One of the first stops was a place where Lawrence of Arabia used to bring tribes to talk. Someone carved his face in the stone in his honor.
The next stop was part of the old silk road, which was on the trade route to the Arabian Peninsula. The carvings on the wall dated back to some time BC, and they were there to guide people that they were on the correct route.
Caleb and Michael had a lot of fun climbing in and out of the caves.
More beautiful, untouched desert.
Getting back in the truck to find the sunset lookout point.
Nathan checking out the view from up high.
Lots of sunset pictures and fun experimenting with my camera.
Nathan took this great panoramic picture with his phone!
And another one of us all sitting on the rocks watching the sunset.
The kids had a lot of fun racing after sunset.
We made it back to camp a little after dark, and a couple of hours later, dinner was served. They cooked a whole lamb underground on hot coals. The man shoveled a mound of dirt away, and underneath and lifted the lid, and wal-la! They also served a lot of traditional salads and side dishes. It was delicious!
Our guide brought us to an amazing spot and we climbed to the top of a rock formation for this fabulous view.
