Desperate Deserts

What's a camel's favourite castle?
Camelot!! Boom! Boom!

After a great night's sleep in a Bedouin tent, we had what seems to be the standard hotel/camp breakfast in Jordan: omelette, labneh (yoghurt cheese) with olive oil on flat bread, butter, jam and Bedouin tea (very sweet!!).

We were on the edge of Wadi Rum, a protected area of stunning desert in the south of Jordan, just north of Aqaba. This is Lawrence of Arabia country, and added another to the list of "must watch" movies we have to see when back in Scotland. Wadi in Arabic means valley, while jebel, as in Jebel Rum, means mountain or hill. Giant granite, basalt and sandstone cliffs rise up to 800m sheer from the desert floor and many people come to hike and do technical climbing. However, we had just come to get a taste of the desert and ride camels!
First we had a tour of the desert in a jeep, stopping at various spots where the children climbed and clambered over and up rocks, cliffs and small gorges. The colours were amazing, and to our surprise the desert from a distance seemed quite green. Our guide explained it had rained a little in the winter, and now in spring the result was a growth of plants which you don't normally see.

Once we had finally convinced our guide we were quite happy to retire to camp early (as the children had now started the familiar refrain "are we there yet?") we were dropped off at a small Bedouin camp at the bottom of a cliff. At this point the children were as happy as sand boys, as they spent the next 2 hrs getting totally filthy in the sand behind camp. This was then compounded by trying to light a fire (with the help of some of the "bigger boys" in camp). To add to the excitement of sand and fire, there was a sudden commotion at our tent. We all rushed to see what was causing our guides so much excitement. The answer soon became clear, as a large snake was driven out of the tent. The snake didn't last long as the Bedouins set about it with sticks. All they would say was "Big snake, no problem. Little snake is problem". Very reassuring, especially given the way they set about the "harmless" big snake! Andy and I didn't sleep well that night, but the children weren't worried in the slightest.

The next morning was the BIG morning. We were going to ride camels back to base, about 10km away. Much excitement and hilarity was evident for the 1st 10 minutes, then Gilleasbuig wanted to know how much further, and then said he was never going to ride a camel ever again! The next 2 hours were a variation on this theme, with pleas to Dad not to go to fast as this made the camels bouncier and bottoms sorer! To pass the time the children tried to outdo themselves with camel jokes.
What do you call a camel?
Humphrey!
What to you call a camel with 3 humps?
Humpfree!
What do camels like to drink?
Camelmile tea!
What's a camel's favourite pasta?
Cameloni!

Eventually we reached the village of Wadi Rum, and our "Desperate Desert" (one of the books we brought for the childen to learn about the desert) adventure had come to an end! Next stop Petra.