Jordan April 5

Yesterday was a wonderful afternoon and evening.

Of the 30 or so people on the boat there were only 6 Westerners. It was interesting to see Arab families and couples up close. The first thing that struck me was that those long dresses hide a lot of bodily imperfections. There were only a couple of the women who were slim, the rest were on the plumb side. Almost all of the men smoked, even some of the women did. None of the women went in the water

The walk home was delightful. I was the only tourist along the 2 km of beach. You really saw the locals, and they were having fun, playing, swimming, going for a boat ride. There were a number of all-female groups having a great time. I remember an evening like this on the Asian side of Istanbul.

Guide books are not perfect. According to my Rough Guide to get to Wadi Rum you can get on a bus to Amman, the driver will let you off at the road to Wadi Rum, and from there you can hitch a ride in. Tomorrow I can get back to the junction, flag down a bus and continue to Amman. Very logical, except that when I went to the bus terminal I was told they make NO stops. The only way to get to Wadi Rum is on a tour or by taxi.

I put up a sign at the hotel desk, and asked if anyone would share a taxi to Wadi Rum. A couple from Lithuania replied, and we shared a cab there this morning. The other myth in the guide book was that there were lots of chances from the highway. We didn't see a single car along the road. It would have been a long wait.

Tomorrow I will have to hire another cab to take me back to Aqaba, for my bus to Amman.

I have to say that the public bus system in Jordan is one of the poorest I have come across. I have spent more time in taxis the last week than I have in my previous 75 years. No contest.

This is Lawrence of Arabia country. The movie was filmed here, where he spent time with the local Bedouins. We passed the original train station. 

The Seven Pillars of Wisdom are not a real place. Some enterprising local found a place where there are some natural stone columns, and it is now a tourist destiny.

The most popular thing to do is to go  for a jeep rider into the desert. A lot of people do this on a day trip from Aqaba or Petra. I wanted to stay overnight in a Bedouin camp, and do a hot air balloon ride tomorrow morning. Unless there is a problem with the weather, I'm scheduled to go.

The camp where I am staying is absolutely beautiful. It is large, in the middle of the desert, and like an oasis. There are concrete huts, and tents. I'm staying in a tent, but it's very comfortable. Real beds, even electrical outlets. No toilet or AC. There is a nice cliff behind the camp. Breakfast and dinner is included.

As an added bonus there is a swimming pool, and WiFi. And to think 100 years ago the only way to get around was by camel.

Jordan is really hurting for tourists. Petra is still a big attraction, but most of the tourists come on one or two day trips from Israel. I don't think there are more than 4or 5 groups at this camp. The War in Syria is the big reason. What a shame, Jordan is lovely, the people very friendly, I feel absolutely safe.

Overview of the camp