Wadi Rum

I finally understood what the “sands of time” means. Wadi Rum, in Jordan, taught me that. Its vastness, its beauty, its magnificence stupefied me. It’s not your ordinary desert of plain golden sand. It’s a desert that defies stereotypes of an arid, solitary piece of nature—hues of red, pink, gold, black and brown blend together harmoniously, creating a rugged but charming vistas that bewitch visitors, strangers, warriors, wanderers, lovers and royalties.

READ: Things to do and see in Jordan

Wadi Rum desert Jordan T.E. Lawrence of Arabia

Wadi Rum – The Red Planet

Here, in Wadi Rum, “the crimson sunset on its stupendous cliffs and slanted ladders of hazy fire down its walled avenue,” you retrace the footprints of the history of the Great Arab Revolt led by [easyazon_link asin=”B008Y1YK0I” locale=”US” new_window=”yes” nofollow=”default” tag=”pridecostume-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”yes” popups=”yes”]T.E. Lawrence[/easyazon_link] and the warriors of King Faisal.

Wadi Rum – The Red Planet

Wadi Rum is more than sand dunes and camels. Its plains are coupled with mountain ranges of magnificent sand stones towering across the desert that had seen so much changes, wars, tragedies and peace.

The desert is a quiet and lonely place to be. Let alone, to live and work there. The bedouins consider Wadi Rum as their paradise where life is not ruined by commute, traffic, technology and maybe, flushing toilets? LOL…

A desert is ageless, I suppose. Unlike humans, it doesn’t wrinkle but metamorphose into something even more stunning. Like this pic below.

The Arch. Or bridge. Or arched bridge?

From the paved, concrete King’s Way, we diverted into the rugged terrains of Wadi Rum. The corrugated, winding, sandy/dusty road brought us to the highs and lows of the famed desert.

There’s something about the desert. It’s not only the sheer magnificence of it but also the power of pulling you into its bosom so you would understand how to feel like a speck of a sand when seen in a distance.

Sandstone climbing, anyone?

It was my first time to see a sunrise in the desert.

And this is what I did.

And this is what our jeep driver did as soon as we arrived at our camp at noon. He gave thanks to his God.

It’s magical to be in Wadi Rumi.

At night, right after our sumptuous dinner, I went away from the group to be able experience total solitude I’ve never had in a long time. Living in the city won’t give you that chance.

I pulled out a carpet and dragged it away from the camp where I couldn’t hear human voices.

There …… thousands of stars entertained me. I didn’t mind the chill because I was hoping I’d see a shooting star! Unfortunately, I didn’t. 🙁

Wadi Rum is a setting for numerous films, the most famous of all is, Lawrence of Arabia starring Peter O’ Toole who died a week before we explored Jordan.

This is the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, a moniker given by T. E. Lawrence. It’s not a magic trick—that you can only count 5 pillars. This mystery is still unsolved. 🙂

Other notable films made here are: [easyazon_link asin=”B0045HCJ0S” locale=”US” new_window=”yes” nofollow=”default” tag=”pridecostume-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”yes” popups=”yes”]Red Planet[/easyazon_link], [easyazon_link asin=”B000BC8T0U” locale=”US” new_window=”yes” nofollow=”default” tag=”pridecostume-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”yes” popups=”yes”]Passion In The Desert[/easyazon_link], [easyazon_link asin=”B002IPFWTE” locale=”US” new_window=”yes” nofollow=”default” tag=”pridecostume-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”yes” popups=”yes”]Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen [/easyazon_link] (represented as Egypt), [easyazon_link asin=”B005LAIHY0″ locale=”US” new_window=”yes” nofollow=”default” tag=”pridecostume-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”yes” popups=”yes”]Prometheus [/easyazon_link], and more…