Jordan: Sand, sand and more sand

On our way to the next stop, Wadi Rum, we drove through a very high viewpoint above Petra where we could see the Siq from above, like a big crack on the mountain.

At another viewpoint further ahead, you could see a clear cut between the sky and a haze of sand (as per our driver). The cut is so clean that I noticed the photo I took was crooked!

Arriving at our Wadi Rum camp in the middle of the desert, the Hasan Zawaideh camp, we discovered our habitat for the night, a Martian dome. It is so realistic, especially because of the deserted, rocky and redish view we have from inside - no wonder they filmed Ridley Scott’s The Martian here!

To enjoy an even better view, we went for a jeep tour in the desert just before sunset. It really is another world of red sand and huge eroded inselbergs (yeah, I had to Google this word too!) that look like they were gently put there by some mystic entity a long time ago. You also still have traces of ancient caravan trade routes between Petra and the south of the Nabataeans' Kingdom, in today's Saudi Arabia.

The sunset from one of those inselbergs was magical!

The next day, we drove back up to the Dead Sea. 

Apart from 2 stops at Customs in Aqaba (special zone), for passport and car check, and a view of Israel from afar, there was not much else on the road except deserts and abandoned structures.

The road along the Dead Sea is stuck between the mountain and a patch of land that used to be the Dead Sea and it’s now dry. We can only regret the water mismanagement and hope that both the Israeli and Jordanian governments are able to prevent further damage.

By the time we arrived at our hotel, there was a sand storm over the area with very strong winds, which resulted in electricity outages - we were even stuck in an elevator for 5 min and had to be pulled out! We braced ourselves and went to the Dead Sea, at the lowest point on Earth (398 below sea level). It was exhilarating to experience floating in the water without any difficulty but at the same time experiencing this hot sand storm. I was almost carried away by the current! 

After, we covered ourselves in Dead Sea mud which is said to be beneficial for your skin and overall health.

And that’s it for Jordan. See you next time and Assalamu Alaikum!