Jordan: Timeless sands of Wadi Rum

 “V  a  s  t,  e  c  h  o  i  n  g,  a n d  g o d-l i k e”

There are deserts, and there are gargantuan rocks. Then there is Wadi Rum, a desert of silken-smooth sand studded with monolithic rocks soaring from open valleys, both elements coalescing to such stupendous effect that it almost appears to be an incredible piece of installation art. In a way it has to be, and should rank amongst the line-up of special works, it is sculpted by the Master artist, after all.  
Wadi Rum lies in the Aqaba Governorate, which is the southern tip of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Geographically, though, it belongs to the sweeping expanse of the Arabian Desert stretching through Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Jordan.

From amongst the assorted landscapes in the kingdom, it’s Wadi Rum or ‘valley of the moon’ that comes across as timeless for many a traveller. In no sense does it reflect the desert definition of being a hostile and potentially-perilous environment not fit for survival. On the contrary, it’s welcoming and has a sort of tranquil magnetism, almost spiritual, that draws you towards it. During a recent tour of Jordan, I intuitively joined the clique of those utterly enthralled by it and would put it down as a site not to be given the miss during an excursion in the kingdom.  

The most arresting aspect in this desert canvas are the monoliths of sandstone and granite rising to heights of around 1,750 mt and bearing the most fantastic features. These expressive rock faces are the happy outcome of constant exposure to erosion. Adding further contrast and irrefutable allure to the panoramic landscape are red-ochre dunes and endless miles of powdery sand in blended hues.

One of the most famous expressions to describe Wadi Rum has emerged from TE Lawrence, popularly known as the Lawrence of Arabia, who in his autobiography Seven Pillars of Wisdom described it as “vast, echoing, and god-like”. It is a quote splashed across all forms of information on Wadi Rum, and strangely so, despite being oft-heard it doesn’t sound hackneyed. The words penned in 1922 are just so apt even today reinforcing the eternal nature of Wadi Rum.

Explore and shop

Ways of exploring Wadi Rum include a jeep drive or better still a camel safari lead by a Zalabia Bedouin—one of the few tribes inhabiting this desert. That apart, those with an adventure bone can opt for camping, trekking, hiking or rock climbing. Hot air ballooning is a fairly recent addition that’s drawing the crowds, predictably so. The paucity of time had me scrambling into a 4x4 (most of these are run-down versions) for my tryst with the sands of time. 

Before setting out on a safari, tourists are supposed to register at the elegant Wadi Rum visitor centre and avail the option of seeing a brilliant documentary on this ecosphere, highlighting its flora, fauna and geological aspects. There are a few souvenir shops too, largely retailing replicas of ancient hunting petroglyphs discovered on rocks here, dating back to a millennium-plus and providing vital anthropology leads. Brochures also don’t forget to mention movies filmed here, such as the classic Lawrence of Arabia which singly catapulted Wadi Rum to the tourism stratosphere, Red Planet and Passion in the Desert. 

Jeep Safari

My two-hour jeep tour kick-started from one of the most photographed rock formations, Mount Rum, popularly called ‘Seven Pillars of Wisdom’, so titled by Lawrence. Driving around the dunes and on fields of sand was a new experience, after having driven on Jordan’s faultless highways. The monolithic rocks were definitely the jewels in the crown, some of these being so mystically alive that I felt they would speak any moment. Some shapes were unique, as the arched Jebel Burdah, which had trekkers scaling its height. One of the scheduled mid-way halts during the safari is at a Bedouin tent where black-tea flavoured with locally grown sage and cardamom is offered. It’s delicious. Sipping tea in the company of camels and friendly locals attired in thobe (gown)-keffiyeh (head gear) adds enduring charm to the desert experience.  

This terrain required time but we were racing against the clock, with guide Ali making sure we didn’t miss the all-important sunset seen best from atop a monolith fringed by cascading reddish-orange sand. We had to scramble up to the summit, a tough task indeed, to get the best views. And it was worth it. The amber glow of sunset altered the desertscape, silhouetting the rocks dramatically. Shade and light created an unusual eco-system. As the sun set the land appeared to get even quieter, and as we watched night engulf the desert it seemed a city had turned off its lights. A few hours later when daylight would creep in the desert would once again transform and life would blossom. 

Golden triangles

Apart from Wadi Rum, most popular sites of Jordan are found in its fertile crescent. In the southern-end, coastal Aqaba, Petra — the rock cut kingdom of the ancient Nabatean tribe that’s been declared the new wonder of the world, and Wadi Rum form a doable triangle. In the north, capital Amman, the Dead Sea, and Madaba, which is considered the centre of Byzantine mosaic art, is the other triangle. The Desert Highway and the more scenic King’s Highway link the kingdom and ensure you zip through the countryside at ease while exploring it.

Quick facts: 
Air: Royal Jordanian has daily flights from Delhi and Mumbai

Distance monitor: Wadi Rum to Aqaba (50 km/1 hr); Aqaba to Amman (367 km/3.5 hrs/ daily internal flights between the two destinations)

Currency: 1 Jordanian Dinar (JD) = Rs 65 appx

Accommodation: There is ample choice in the semi-premium category, where the tariff is upwards JD 120 (Rs 7,500-plus).


Published, Jetwings December 2010

JORDAN: The surreal and scrumptious

There were endless tracts of beige. The beige of soft sand. Dotting it sporadically was scrubby green vegetation. At times the odd tree, bereft of any leafy cover, stood sentinel-like. Once in a while a camel came into view, languorously munching the frugal lunch on offer and nudging his Bedouin owner. Nothing changed for miles. Almost always, the only sign of civilization was the strip of spanking black tarmac snaking through the beige. This was a desert and as is its fate, deserted. Yet, even in its aridity it held an emotion, offering a succulent quietness and therapeutic calm. A landscape usually referred to as monotonic, felt intensely meditative.

I'm yet to decode how the heat and dust of Jordan soothed the soul. Was it its towns that reflected an inherent peace rarely found in urban settings? Was it because it's a neutral state in the most hostile region of West Asia? Or was it the vibes from its past, of being a cradle to some men born ordinary who were destined to don prophet robes and show the path to Eternal Light?

Hmmn, maybe it was the effect of the delightfully-coloured mezze platters we were served. Or the fact that Jordanians appreciate India (yes, of course, are passionate about Bollywood) and lovingly refer to it as Hind. Whatever the reason, it accentuated the pleasures of a driving holiday across the palm-sized nation ruled by a handsome monarch. Ah, well, maybe I was merely under a mesmeric spell of the blue-eyed royal.

Surface travel is the only way to get a grip of the country and a feasible option is booking a cab. There’s the choice of hiring a self-drive car too but us Indians can feel tad hampered as Jordan follows the right hand traffic (or left hand drive) system. I was part of a tour group that was happily driven around and as we traversed the land, the bright and bold road signages confidently brought home a pointer: a driver will have to make a conscious effort to lose the way here.

Our drive-off point was Amman; a blend of prehistoric and modern, it's Jordan’s most populous city (over 12 lakh) and expectedly choc-a-bloc. The saving grace is its uniform Arabic architecture — typically sugarcube buildings with harmoniously-fawn sandstone façades. This has been a multi-cultural region abounding with archaeological sights and the two excursions from Amman I found remarkable were to Jerash, considered the best preserved Romanesque city outside Rome, and to Madaba, the capital of mosaic art, where on the floor of the Greek Orthodox Church of St George is the splendid AD 560 Byzantine-era Biblical mosaic map made with over 2 million bits of local stone. Madaba town exudes unfettered cheer, offers a host of adventures and definitely deserves more days.

At Amman, the Citadel was the flag-bearer of its lineage with excavations yielding notable Roman, Byzantine and Islamic relics. The Temple of Hercules (mere pillars stand) is its signature symbol but I thought the museum was the worthiest spot, which, besides housing a collection to relish, provided much-needed relief from the harsh temperatures! Among other sites, Downtown Amman with its buzzing colourful bazaars seemed a fascinating area to explore but our packed itinerary ensured we leave that for another time.

To the religious-minded, Mount Nebo and the Jesus Baptism site will evoke a certain sentiment but the places had me ambling through. Instead, I looked forward to the thought of floating on the Dead Sea, but somehow changed my mind and settled for some nutrient-filled mudpack on my feet and face, enjoying the idea of a natural spa treatment direct from the source—the lowest point on earth. 

Nevertheless, I had fun watching the others wade the viscous waters and was amused by clumsy attempts of champion non-swimmers to stay afloat. The Dead Sea, by the way, is the world's only water that determinedly ensures that you can never drown. It can do other things to you, though, with its liquid power. Sitting on the shore I thought how salty could be the waters others were blaring about and bravely drank a mouthful. No sooner than had it touched my tongue that I spat it out: it was bitterly salty and I felt my mouth had disintegrated. Phew!

The scenic King’s Highway took us to Petra. It was the longer route, as usual deserted, but the dramatic rocky topography the road wound itself around was oh! utterly compelling. The drama in stone staged a new act at Petra, Jordan’s most famous site that's now ranked as a world wonder. This is the ancient kingdom of the Nabateans (an Arab tribe) carved into sheer sandstone rock. It's the overwhelmingly colossal scale of rock formations here that give the dimension of awe to its structures, particularly to the much-photographed poster-edifice, Al Khazneh or The Treasury (see pix). It’s a large landscape that requires time and comfortable walking shoes. The entry ticket to Petra is steep (JD 33, includes a horse ride) and money’s worth requires a complete day be spent here to absorb each nuance and see it in changing daylight. We jogged out in four hours, not having done complete justice to it. We couldn’t do Petra by night, either, which am told, is not to be missed.

Petra’s touted as a wonder, but I found Wadi Rum (Lawrence of Arabia was shot here) more wondrous. A desert with spectacular monolithic rockscapes, it came across as timeless and untouched, totally at peace with itself and exuding tranquility. Almost perfect for life in the slow lane, it is breathtaking at sunrise and sunset. Explorations here are done on camels/jeeps/ 4x4s, tents for stay are available, and engagingly, a slice of life of the Bedouins can be observed. This spot definitely gets my top pick: it felt almost "godlike", as is often said about it.

We barely skimmed through Aqaba, a happy, duty-free zone by the astonishingly-blue Red Sea, before being driven back to the airport. In the aircraft, as I leafed through a pamphlet of Jordan, I realized there is so much the country has to offer. I had barely flavoured the mezze. The main course awaits.

Factfile

Air: Royal Jordanian has daily flights from Delhi and Mumbai

Currency: 1 Jordanian Dinar (JD) = Rs 65 appx

Car rentals: For a self-drive holiday a valid Indian license is sufficient, but keeping an international driving permit is recommended. Car daily rentals are usually JD 30 upwards plus tax and fuel. Operators do give a discount if it’s hired for a few days. Check insurance and car condition before signing up. Payment through credit cards is accepted. Reliable car hire companies include Avis: www.avis.com.jo and Hertz:www.hertzjordan.com. Hiring a private taxi for a fixed tour is considerably the best option. Local cabs run by the meter.

Distance monitor: Amman to Dead Sea (55 km); Dead Sea to Petra (225 km); Petra to Wadi Rum (121 km); Wadi Rum to Aqaba (50 km); Aqaba to Amman (367 km)

Accommodation: There is ample choice in the semi-premium category, where the tariff is upwards JD 120 (Rs 7,500-plus). Some suggested hotels:

Amman: Crowne Plaza (www.amman.crowneplaza.com)

Petra: Beit Zaman (www.jordantourismresorts.com)

Dead Sea: Holiday Inn Resort (www.ichotelsgroup.com)

Aqaba: Marina Plaza (www.marinaplazahotel.com)

Published in The New Indian Express, October 2010

http://www.visitjordan.com/JORDAN_NEW_INDIAN_EXPRESS.pdf