We have a slow start. Willie and I read; sit in our camping chairs and muse over the almost complete silence emanating from the vastness compared to the Namib desert we know where sounds of animals, birds, insects and reptiles fill the silence.
Hugo and Andrej had a good night – they slept well on the soft, dry sand. We eat breakfast, pack and decide to drive to Aqaba through the “backdoor”of Wadi Rum. The ever-changing faces of the desert as determined by the angle of the sun demand us to stop often for photos. The boys sit on top of the roof and for some reason made the decision to stay on top until we reach the gate. The road is very bumpy and quite a strong wind blows so their trip to the gate becomes an endurance exercise. Andrej has a dust-mottled beard and Hugo an untameable hairstyle.
Hugo and Andrej had a good night – they slept well on the soft, dry sand. We eat breakfast, pack and decide to drive to Aqaba through the “backdoor”of Wadi Rum. The ever-changing faces of the desert as determined by the angle of the sun demand us to stop often for photos. The boys sit on top of the roof and for some reason made the decision to stay on top until we reach the gate. The road is very bumpy and quite a strong wind blows so their trip to the gate becomes an endurance exercise. Andrej has a dust-mottled beard and Hugo an untameable hairstyle.
It is really strange to see road signs with Saudi-Arabia written on it and even stranger when you see the border is only 10 km away! Aqaba is a big city with wide 2-3 lane roads and noticeably cleaner than any other city we’ve been in this far. We find a campsite across from the beach called the Bedouin Garden Village. The campsite is a gravel parking lot with a beautiful view over the Red Sea. There is a pool surrounded by black goat hide tents where one can relax in Bedouin style sitting areas: box benches covered with brightly colored carpet fabrics, many scatter pillows, low tables and Bedouin farming and kitchen implements hanging from the tent roof.
The boys have a water confusion – should they shower first, then swim in the pool, then the beach, or first swim in the pool, then shower, then go to the beach? I’m not sure what they did – I know I found them more than once under the warm showers. Andrej kept on saying: “It is so nice to be clean, I did not realize how dirty and dusty I was.” I make a ghoulash with “real meat” and it is delicious. Cooking isn’t all that easy and it takes time to get everything out of the drawers; chopped up and cooked, but the appreciation and compliments I receive after every meal makes it worth it over and over.
We even have wifi – quite unusual for a Bedouin village I would say, but it makes life so much easier since we don’t need to drive around and hunt down an internet café. Our container situation is slowly moving into a more positive direction, but negotiations between our friend, the shipping company and customs continue.
We meet a French guy in the camp who provides us with very valuable information. They were in Aqaba when the unrest in Egypt erupted, so they decided to wait and see whether things will calm down. He had recent information about travelers either coming from Egypt or going in and we are encouraged when we heard what he said. The situation has stabilized and they’ve decided to take the ferry tomorrow evening. He told us where to go for visas, where to catch the ferry etc.
The boys have a water confusion – should they shower first, then swim in the pool, then the beach, or first swim in the pool, then shower, then go to the beach? I’m not sure what they did – I know I found them more than once under the warm showers. Andrej kept on saying: “It is so nice to be clean, I did not realize how dirty and dusty I was.” I make a ghoulash with “real meat” and it is delicious. Cooking isn’t all that easy and it takes time to get everything out of the drawers; chopped up and cooked, but the appreciation and compliments I receive after every meal makes it worth it over and over.
We even have wifi – quite unusual for a Bedouin village I would say, but it makes life so much easier since we don’t need to drive around and hunt down an internet café. Our container situation is slowly moving into a more positive direction, but negotiations between our friend, the shipping company and customs continue.
We meet a French guy in the camp who provides us with very valuable information. They were in Aqaba when the unrest in Egypt erupted, so they decided to wait and see whether things will calm down. He had recent information about travelers either coming from Egypt or going in and we are encouraged when we heard what he said. The situation has stabilized and they’ve decided to take the ferry tomorrow evening. He told us where to go for visas, where to catch the ferry etc.
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