Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Forgive me, it has been a week since my last post...
1-2/11/06 Wadi Rum
Oh, no...first case of Jordon Jollies. Knew things weren't right straight after dinner. Had a terrible night, hot sweats, growling tummy, and the rest...At least I've been there - done that now and should be safe...HINDSIGHT...yeah right...1 week later and still only tasting the cuisine delights rather than pigging in...at least I'm not getting fat...
Very shabby day for me heading into the desert, but dosed up on Immodium and panadol and just did as little as possible. We headed out in 2 4WDs with thoroughly modern Bedouin guides - western clothes, great English. And Ogla the head guide was easy on the eye too...
SPECIAL NOTE...My early impression of the Jordanian people is they are very westernised, contemporary, glamorous people. Open, relatively wealthy and healthy. They have no need to rip you off economically. Their women are generally better looking, less obese and more well presented than their Egyptian counterparts. The men take more pride in their appearance and dress. They are cleaner. Even if they are touts, 1 La Shokrun(no thank you) is enough and shop keepers are very helpful and honest. There have been no inappropriate approaches, lewd comments, etc. Very, very nice people.
Anyway back to the desert. We spent the day 4WDing around the easily accessible sights of this amazing desert country. All the Bedouin of Wadi Rum (now a National Park) have been moved by the goivernment into a purpose built community of the same name. They can still use the land to farm traditionally (goats, camels, etc) but cannot live there now, as I understand it. Only a small part of the NP is accessible to tourists. We visited gorges, 1300yr old rock art of camels and desert wars, a natural rock bridge, huge red sand dunes (yes, red again now). The best part of my day was when our guide did some adrenalin pumping speed 4WDing over some sand dunes. Ye-hah! Most of the other activities involved a fair bit of climbing which I wasn't up to but watched the others.
We arrived at the Bedouin camp about 4pm. Just in time to set up camp (well, lay out sleeping bags) before watching the sun set and the mountains change colour through gold, to bronze, to red and finally violet and black.
The camp was two huge rectanglular tents made of woven goat/camel/sheep wool. Each one about the size of a large semi-trailer dog. Inside, the floor was woven mats. In the sleeping tent there was a pile of mattresses and blankets to pull out. The dining tent had a long low table down the centre with cushions as seats.
Dinner was cooked in a huge, but very flash, camp oven. They dug a pit deep enough to hold a drum about 2ft deep and 18" diameter. In the bottom of the drum they put a thick layer of coals (prepared earlier). They then used a contraption similar to a multi-layer tea cake server with mesh trays welded on four verticle rods or legs. Veges were laden on the bottom layer and meats on the top layer. This was then slid into the drum. The legs kept the bottom layer off the coals. A domed camp oven lid was placed on the top of the drum and coals and hot sand pile over the lid to seal the heat in. It was left for about 2 hours. The meats basted the veges. The meat and vege was served with spiced rice and pita. HINDSIGHT: ALL meals are served with bread - usually Pita. I had a taste. All excellent. Tender and flavoursome. The best were the whole roasted spanish onions in their outer skins. You just pressed them out of the outer skin layer (like we roast garlic) - brilliant.
We sat around the camp fire (very small as wood is at a premium in the desert) after dinner with mint tea and hubble bubble (local name for Sheisha - water tobacco pipe). As it is dark by 5pm, it felt quite late by 8pm and a few of us crashed early. There was some traditional Bedouin singing too - the Bedouin version of Ross' campfire show.
Our host Said was hilarious, telling us he was looking for a second wife (actually that bit was true). While he was serious, he also knew it would get a reaction from us. We had a great time negotiating camels, conditions and expectations with him. When he discovered one of our group actually filled his age requirement (25yo - he is 44yo) it got even more hilarious - and no we didn't sell her - Kate is still very much a single, blonde Kiwi heading home to a job in the diplomatic service.
All awake with the sun and not long after the campfire was re-lit and the tea on. Sarah, you would love the tea - strong black with so much sugar you could stand the spoon in it. The sugar is brewed in the pot with the tea. As a result it is quite a thick brew. HINDSIGHT coffee in Egypt, Jordon and Syria has been very poor (unless it is Turkish and even then they dont always get it right) but they do good tea. I have taken on tea and now quite like it. Black and unsweetened. I think it was the milk that made it taste yukky for me. They also do great fresh fruit juices - thick, fresh and tasty.
Back to the dawn...As first up I was lucky to have the dawn to myself. Incredibly quiet and still. No noise at all. No crickets, birds, dogs, lizards. In fact the silence was thick like a blanket and piercing into your soul. It made you take notice of yourself, your context in this landscape and your surroundings. The light early in the day was gentle, but also, it didn't take long to warm the earth and remind you of the strongest force in the desert - the heat. Unfortunately we had a 1/2 moon the night before which made it quite hard to see the stars; but the sky was as good as an Undara or Glenwood night.
Straight after breakfast we headed back to the Wadi Rum village to pump up the tyres and rejoin the highway to Petra. A scene caught my eye as we waited on the outskirts of the village. The day was still early - maybe 8am - and across the foreground of huts and rubbish and camels and human habitation, the background of the Wadi was still immense and powerful. Out into the expanse of sand, out into the peace of mother nature, walked a man. Dressed traditionally he slid across the landscape, stopping only when he was well away from the bustling morning. He then started to do some stretches and what I suppose is a local form of tai-chi. He was unexpected but belonged.
1-2/11/06 Wadi Rum
Oh, no...first case of Jordon Jollies. Knew things weren't right straight after dinner. Had a terrible night, hot sweats, growling tummy, and the rest...At least I've been there - done that now and should be safe...HINDSIGHT...yeah right...1 week later and still only tasting the cuisine delights rather than pigging in...at least I'm not getting fat...
Very shabby day for me heading into the desert, but dosed up on Immodium and panadol and just did as little as possible. We headed out in 2 4WDs with thoroughly modern Bedouin guides - western clothes, great English. And Ogla the head guide was easy on the eye too...
SPECIAL NOTE...My early impression of the Jordanian people is they are very westernised, contemporary, glamorous people. Open, relatively wealthy and healthy. They have no need to rip you off economically. Their women are generally better looking, less obese and more well presented than their Egyptian counterparts. The men take more pride in their appearance and dress. They are cleaner. Even if they are touts, 1 La Shokrun(no thank you) is enough and shop keepers are very helpful and honest. There have been no inappropriate approaches, lewd comments, etc. Very, very nice people.
Anyway back to the desert. We spent the day 4WDing around the easily accessible sights of this amazing desert country. All the Bedouin of Wadi Rum (now a National Park) have been moved by the goivernment into a purpose built community of the same name. They can still use the land to farm traditionally (goats, camels, etc) but cannot live there now, as I understand it. Only a small part of the NP is accessible to tourists. We visited gorges, 1300yr old rock art of camels and desert wars, a natural rock bridge, huge red sand dunes (yes, red again now). The best part of my day was when our guide did some adrenalin pumping speed 4WDing over some sand dunes. Ye-hah! Most of the other activities involved a fair bit of climbing which I wasn't up to but watched the others.
We arrived at the Bedouin camp about 4pm. Just in time to set up camp (well, lay out sleeping bags) before watching the sun set and the mountains change colour through gold, to bronze, to red and finally violet and black.
The camp was two huge rectanglular tents made of woven goat/camel/sheep wool. Each one about the size of a large semi-trailer dog. Inside, the floor was woven mats. In the sleeping tent there was a pile of mattresses and blankets to pull out. The dining tent had a long low table down the centre with cushions as seats.
Dinner was cooked in a huge, but very flash, camp oven. They dug a pit deep enough to hold a drum about 2ft deep and 18" diameter. In the bottom of the drum they put a thick layer of coals (prepared earlier). They then used a contraption similar to a multi-layer tea cake server with mesh trays welded on four verticle rods or legs. Veges were laden on the bottom layer and meats on the top layer. This was then slid into the drum. The legs kept the bottom layer off the coals. A domed camp oven lid was placed on the top of the drum and coals and hot sand pile over the lid to seal the heat in. It was left for about 2 hours. The meats basted the veges. The meat and vege was served with spiced rice and pita. HINDSIGHT: ALL meals are served with bread - usually Pita. I had a taste. All excellent. Tender and flavoursome. The best were the whole roasted spanish onions in their outer skins. You just pressed them out of the outer skin layer (like we roast garlic) - brilliant.
We sat around the camp fire (very small as wood is at a premium in the desert) after dinner with mint tea and hubble bubble (local name for Sheisha - water tobacco pipe). As it is dark by 5pm, it felt quite late by 8pm and a few of us crashed early. There was some traditional Bedouin singing too - the Bedouin version of Ross' campfire show.
Our host Said was hilarious, telling us he was looking for a second wife (actually that bit was true). While he was serious, he also knew it would get a reaction from us. We had a great time negotiating camels, conditions and expectations with him. When he discovered one of our group actually filled his age requirement (25yo - he is 44yo) it got even more hilarious - and no we didn't sell her - Kate is still very much a single, blonde Kiwi heading home to a job in the diplomatic service.
All awake with the sun and not long after the campfire was re-lit and the tea on. Sarah, you would love the tea - strong black with so much sugar you could stand the spoon in it. The sugar is brewed in the pot with the tea. As a result it is quite a thick brew. HINDSIGHT coffee in Egypt, Jordon and Syria has been very poor (unless it is Turkish and even then they dont always get it right) but they do good tea. I have taken on tea and now quite like it. Black and unsweetened. I think it was the milk that made it taste yukky for me. They also do great fresh fruit juices - thick, fresh and tasty.
Back to the dawn...As first up I was lucky to have the dawn to myself. Incredibly quiet and still. No noise at all. No crickets, birds, dogs, lizards. In fact the silence was thick like a blanket and piercing into your soul. It made you take notice of yourself, your context in this landscape and your surroundings. The light early in the day was gentle, but also, it didn't take long to warm the earth and remind you of the strongest force in the desert - the heat. Unfortunately we had a 1/2 moon the night before which made it quite hard to see the stars; but the sky was as good as an Undara or Glenwood night.
Straight after breakfast we headed back to the Wadi Rum village to pump up the tyres and rejoin the highway to Petra. A scene caught my eye as we waited on the outskirts of the village. The day was still early - maybe 8am - and across the foreground of huts and rubbish and camels and human habitation, the background of the Wadi was still immense and powerful. Out into the expanse of sand, out into the peace of mother nature, walked a man. Dressed traditionally he slid across the landscape, stopping only when he was well away from the bustling morning. He then started to do some stretches and what I suppose is a local form of tai-chi. He was unexpected but belonged.
# posted by The Essence of Good Taste @ 11:57 PM 
