Also known as the Valley of the Moon.
If you made it through the first hour of Lawrence of Arabia without falling asleep you might be interested to know it was filmed in Wadi Rum. It is glorious, and you can almost fool yourself into thinking that you are on another planet. It is desolate, but gorgeous.
We rented a jeep and cruised around the landscape. Our tin can rental barely made it out of Amman, let alone through the desert hills. Please note: Jordanian rental cars are not held to the same standards as other rentals throughout the world. The bad news is you feel you must cross yourself before you go anywhere. The good news is the company will never notice if you scrape the exterior, rip the interior or destroy the engine. It is hard to leave it worse than you received it.
The canyon was my favorite place to explore save the narrow edges and slippery rock. It wasn't very toddler friendly, but they all sucked it up and scaled the walls well. 
The petrogyphs were entertaining to look at. This one depicts a woman giving birth and the man next to her is shrugging his shoulders in confusion. It is the ancient picture of a Jerry Springer moment, 'That baby ain't mine.'
...and 10 old ladies just had a heart attack.
Many people come to Wadi Rum to camp. If we had the time, we would have tried it out. It is the perfect place to feel like you are having an authentic Middle Eastern bedouin experience. That is, with cell phone and wifi coverage. 
I love the fact that Megan (a fabulous photographer) just happened to take several family photos for us. I know her camera holds golden photos of our trip together. Two cameras are always better than one, especially if one of those cameras is Megan's.
The sandpit was also a favorite for adults and children alike. The classic scenes were watching children lose their footing and face plant in the hot, grainy sand. Is bad if I laugh instead of run to assist my son as he gets a mouth full sand? Don't tell me.
Jack finally spotted the first caught lizard. Axel's trip can be complete.
Merchants trying to sell 4 year olds oud and soap. It was a tough sell, but their cute faces should have been exchange enough.
After visiting Wadi Rum, it makes me want to stay awake for the full 3.5 hours of Lawrence of Arabia, just to relive the beauty all over again.
1 comment:
Awesome pics!!!! I love the ones of Xavier running, falling and jumping! Thats amazing you caught all those shots!!!
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