This afternoon we visited Wadi Rum in the Arabian Desert. No folks, this is not some new type of Arabian Rum. "Rum" is short for Arrum which this desert used to be called. "Wadi" is the Arab word for a dry river bed or more generally any flat piece of land between two high places. Wadi Rum is a famously beaustiful part of the Arabian Desert characterized by undulating sand dunes with high rocky outcrops in all kinds of shapes and sizes. In some of the rocks there are carvings of T. E. Lawrence's face. Yes, Lawrence of Arabia; and the movie was filmed right here in Wadi Rum!! T. E. Lawrence was a British officer who fought with the Arabs in the Great Arab Revolt of 1917-18. In his subsequent book, Lawrence called this region "vast, echoing and God-like". The sheer granite and sandstone cliffs and uniquely shaped mountains rise dramatically out of the sand.
We roared aound this beautiful desert heritage site in the backs of four-wheel-drive pick-up trucks (no seatbelts), driving wherever we wanted, and even racing the other pick-ups. Can you imagine this going on in Canada or the US?
George found an Inukshuk in the desert, and felt right at home.
Following the "wadi bashing" we were treated to an "authentic" (read, for tourists) Bedouin dinner in the desert, complete with carpets on the sand and awnings over our heads. The food was spicy and delicious. A couple of large pieces of lamb were cooked Bedouin style - in the ground. Were they every tender. The Petra beer was cold and strong (8%). The entertainment was spirited and involved a sword. The music was Arabic, except for the guy with the bagpipe -- Go figure!
Here's the guy with the sword.
And here's the one with the bagpipe; on the left in white.
And here are the diners.
And that's all folks! What a day. Now back to the ship to crash.
P&G.
P.S. We'll be watching a lot of old movies when we get home.
We roared aound this beautiful desert heritage site in the backs of four-wheel-drive pick-up trucks (no seatbelts), driving wherever we wanted, and even racing the other pick-ups. Can you imagine this going on in Canada or the US?
Following the "wadi bashing" we were treated to an "authentic" (read, for tourists) Bedouin dinner in the desert, complete with carpets on the sand and awnings over our heads. The food was spicy and delicious. A couple of large pieces of lamb were cooked Bedouin style - in the ground. Were they every tender. The Petra beer was cold and strong (8%). The entertainment was spirited and involved a sword. The music was Arabic, except for the guy with the bagpipe -- Go figure!
Here's the guy with the sword.
And here's the one with the bagpipe; on the left in white.
And here are the diners.
And that's all folks! What a day. Now back to the ship to crash.
P&G.
P.S. We'll be watching a lot of old movies when we get home.
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