It was dark when we got to shore. We didn't know what we should pay for taxi rides from the port to the city but we did know that we shouldn't pay over 20JD for a ride to Wadi Rum. We found a guy who agreed to take us to Aqaba to get money, call Mohammed Hussein, and drive us to Wadi Rum. The driver was real patient with us. He brought us to a internet cafe so we could retrieve Mohammed’s number and even let us use his phone to contact him for directions. He then drove us to Wadi Rum where we were going to get picked up and then called Mohammed Hussein again to let him know that we were in.
We had to pay an entrance fee of 2JD a person to get into the Wadi Rum village. A man by the name of Shocker came and picked us up in his Toyota. He said he worked for his father Mohammed Sabah. Mohammed Hussein also works with Mohammed Sabah and that was who shocker was taking us to see. His home wast far from where we were picked up. Mohammad was at home with his wife and child who we never met but she made us tea and gave us some bread and cheese.
Mohammed Hussein didn't even realize we were the volunteers until half way through our conversation. Noor was the one we had been in touch with but she was out at camp at the moment. We were told that we would be helping out in the camp and in the village. There were tourists coming and going everyday. We would get camp ready for them and help prepare their meals. After finishing our briefing and tea Shocker drove us over to the other Mohammed’s house where we were give mattresses to sleep on. We were a little weirded out by the whole introduction. The other workaway introductions we had experienced were much more warm and anticipated than this one.
We were awaken by the children of Mohammed Sabah in the morning who were wanting to watch some cartoons. Mohammed Hussein came over to pick us up and bring us back to his house for some food. We were introduced to Noor, Farris, and Raja. They were tour guides for the Sunset Camp but Noor answered emails and worked on the website. There were guests waiting for a tour so we were split up into two jeeps and went with the tourists out into the desert. I sat shotgun with Farris and escorted a couple from Holland out into the desert. I was absolutely blown away by the view. I had never heard of Wadi Rum or seen pictures before which made it that much more of a surprise for me. The red sands ad mountains had a monumental affect on me as we drove out of the village. This was the setting for the Lawrence of Arabia movie, so I was told.
The first place we had stopped was Lawrence spring followed by Khazali Canyon, the sand dunes, the rock bridge and a rock that looked like a baby chick. I really enjoyed the rock bridge. The second sand dune we saw was quite amazing as well. It was big, red and untouched. It reminded me of a Microsoft Windows backdrop. We also stopped to eat lunch halfway through the tour. I ate with Noor, Farris, and Raja. They told me about other volunteers that had come before and how people would either stay for a couples days or months. They would give their volunteers Bedouin names as well. Ramsey was given the name Hilal, which means crescent moon in Jordanian Arabic. Lindsey was given the name Warda, meaning rose. I was given the name Marzouk, meaning blessed. I loved it. It was Raja who came up with the names for us.
They brought us to the desert camp afterward which was placed in the south end of the valley. It was really I the middle of nowhere. The hills could be see all around you and the view of the sunset was incredible. Hence the name, Sunset Camp. We were introduced to Mahmud, the cook, once we arrived and were told that we would be spending our days with him out at camp. He was from Sudan and didn't speak any English. He loved to joke with us. The camp was pretty basic. There were eight small tents that made up the back side of the camp that slept 1-4 people. There was a big tent on the south side of the camp that was said to hold up to 100 people if needed but I couldn't believe it. It looked like it would only hold about half of that. There was a circular tent in the middle of the camp where they would have fires if it was too windy or cold outside. On the west side of camp there was a large dinner tent. The kitchen was next to the dinner tent and the bathrooms on the back side of the kitchen. All of the tents were made of wood supports with goats hair blankets wrapped around the outside. The bathroom and kitchen were concrete structures. Mahmud made his abode in a room next to the kitchen. We slept in whatever was available although we ended up sleeping outside every night. The sky was amazing. There was absolutely no light pollution so the stars were extremely vibrant.
Most guests that we met out at camp would complain about how they were treated during their tours. The guides were almost rude to most of them and did not provide the hospitality that was expected. The guide interaction with the guests did appear to be insubstantial. There were times when I felt responsible for entertaining the guests, which I didn't mind. I love meeting new people and hearing about their travels. The guests are completely on their own out at camp after dinner is over. There is a fire for them but the guides pretty much kept to themselves. Unless there were younger ladies on tour. Go figure.
Our work out at camp was to fold up blankets in each tent from the night before, clear out the trash, clean the restroom, and help Mahmud with dinner at night. The rest of the time was spent reading, hiking and doing other random activities to keep ourselves occupied. We all spent one day in the village with Noor and Farris as well. We had to go to the village if we wanted to use the internet, although Noor had to spend most of her time on the computer to take care of business. My time in the village was extremely uneventful. Other than talking with Noor and Farris about their pasts, I really didn't do anything at all. Since Ramsey knew his way around the mechanics of cars, he helped Farris install a new clutch plate in one of the Toyotas. Other than that we didn't have to do hardly anything at all. We did have to pay for water which wasn't appreciated and they weren't always giving us lunch. We would only eat with the tourists in the morning and evening. Not exactly what we had agreed to. I guess we couldn't complain since we didn't work all that much but it is a little difficult to find food laying around the desert when everyone abandons you at camp.
The Wadi Rum experience was not as spectacular as I had hoped it was going to be. Being around cranky tourists for most of the day really started to wear on us. We were planning on staying out at Sunset Camp for a few weeks but decided to leave after five days. We had to get to Amman to apply for an India Visa so we packed up our bags one morning and caught a ride into the village with the tourists and jumped a bus out of Wadi Rum . Farris and Raja told me that we had to visit Petra before going to Amman. Raja said he had a fried who lived in the monument and that we would be able to stay with him. I had purchased a sim card the day before so I could use my cell phone and Raja gave me the man's number so I could call him once we got to Petra. I thought this was a nice gesture and Thanked him for helping us out. I really came to appreciate the company of Farris ad Raja over the last few days and hoped I would see them I the future. We rode out of the Wadi Rum Village at 8am that morning having no clue what was in store for us. One of the Seven Wonders awaited our arrival with arms wide open.
No comments:
Post a Comment