Jordan’s stunning scenery and heritage sites made the perfect backdrop to an anniversary trip
WORDS: GILLIAN THORNTON IMAGES: SHUTTERSTOCK, GILLIAN THORNTON
Driving through the desert canyon as the sun sank behind the ridge, I silently ticked off a long-held ambition. Ever since I first saw David Lean’s epic movie, Lawrence Of Arabia, as a teenager, I have wanted to visit Jordan and, in particular, Wadi Rum.
Now, after more than 50 years, for mine and my husband’s ruby wedding anniversary, I’d finally made it. And so began a stupendous six-night escorted tour of Jordan with Riviera Travel.
Flying into the Jordanian capital, Amman, we had travelled down the Desert Highway by air-conditioned coach, enjoying our first views of the arid landscape dotted with small villages, flocks of goats and camels.
As we neared Wadi Rum – “high valley” in Arabic – the road wound through steep hills towards the desert landscape of orange sand and rugged canyons. Stopping at the visitor centre to this huge protected area, we paused for a photo against the craggy mountain dubbed the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, title of T.E. Lawrence’s personal account of the desert campaign.
Then it was on through Jordan’s far south to our overnight accommodation in Wadi Rum Space Village, one of several small holiday camps that nestle beneath the sandstone crags. Woven from camel hair in the traditional manner, our Bedouin-style tent was equipped with comfortable beds and en-suite facilities. Not for us the spartan life of Lawrence and his contemporaries!
As we entered the breathtaking desert, our two-hour jeep tour stopped by a memorial to Lawrence carved in the rock, crossed the historic single-track railway to Aqaba, and included a presentation of Bedouin crafts and perfumes. Now, as the sun sank behind the sandstone canyons, I watched, spellbound, as the colours changed with every last ray of light.
A New World
Wadi Rum was just the start of our Jordanian adventure. The next day, we turned north again to the ancient city of Petra. Capital of the rich Nabataean empire from the 1st century BC, this once busy trading city is carved from the rose-red sandstone.
Largely abandoned after the Roman era, Petra – from a Greek word meaning “rock” – it now carries UNESCO World Heritage site status and ranks as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.
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