Dead Sea and Wadi Rum, Jordan.

Aqaba, Jordan borders Saudi Arabia 10 miles to the south and Israel 2 miles to the west. The Gulf of Aqaba is an inlet of the Red Sea. Our experience here (food, hotel, snorkeling) was meh.

In contrast, the overnight at a Bedouin-style camp in Wadi Rum was INCREDIBLE. Skeptical about a 4-hour desert jeep tour (how interesting can 4 hours in the desert really be?), the time flew by. We shouted out desert echoes, climbed the hot sand, saw shapes and drawings in the rock, and even had a quick pick-up game of sand volleyball.

Sky and sand matched hues in the peaceful desert sunset. Amjad, great, great grandson of a Bedouin leader, gave a constellation lesson after dark and had us on the edge of our seats with his sand illustrations and storytelling. Meals, tea, camels, landscape, stars, history: Wadi Rum turned us into desert lovers.

From Wadi Rum we headed back north to the Dead Sea and floated like human fishing bobbers in the thick water. After a salt and pebble scrub and a float, our skin was as smooth as satin.

profile in rock

desert tour

Bedouin soap

camels in Wadi Rum

Dead Sea viscosity

Ari desert descent

desert echoes

Dead Sea floating

Bedouin soap making

desert rocks

fun in the pool