I'm not a keen camper. However, I was seduced enough by the tourist blurb to book us a night in a traditional Bedouin camp in the desert of Wadi Rum, about an hour south of Petra. Apparently this was Lawrence of Arabia's favourite spot, so if it was good enough for him.........We arrived early morning and were having a day's jeep tour before our night under canvas. Luckily another British family with kids the same age had booked the same experience, so Isabelle and Olivia had playmates for the day.
Mohammed, our Bedouin guide, started the day by taking us to the base of a mountain in Wadi Rum (or Rum Valley). At the top was Lawrence's spring where the great man himself drank. At the base was an inviting tent with hot, sweet Bedouin tea. The girls and I set off. Ian told us to show him the photos. I ignored his lack of solidarity.
It turned out to be a good decision on his part. The spring may have been clear and sparkling in Lawrence's time, but is now a rather stagnant green pool.
The morning's activities continued with a climb up a large dune ("Why?" asked Ian) and viewing some rock paintings. Our guides then dropped us off in a canyon and told us to hike straight ahead for half an hour or so. They would be waiting with lunch. We hoped.
It was a little disconcerting to be abandoned in the middle of the desert. Our confidence wasn't improved when another guide passed in a pick-up asking if we'd spotted a group of horse riders - he'd lost them!
We did find lunch - beans, Bedouin-style, cooked over a fire and accompanied by Mohammed on the oud (a sort of guitar) and more sweet tea.
The girls also found a scorpion under a rock they had been playing near. Mohammed told us not to worry and then proceeded to batter the creature into tiny pieces with the rock and instructed us not to touch the corpse as it was still poisonous. I instructed the girls that rocks were out of bounds and that shoes were to be worn at all times.
By late afternoon we arrived at the camp site and I was relieved to see we could have a family tent and that there was even a toilet and shower block - albeit very rudimentary.
We watched the sunset. Just at the right moment, one of the Bedouin headed off into the distance on his camel. The photo opportunity was somewhat marred when he whipped out his mobile phone. Obviously there was no reception in camp.
Dinner was excellent - tasty chicken, rice and salads, washed down with more sweet tea. By this point Ian reckoned his teeth were sticking together. He would have given away his eye teeth for a beer.
We retired to bed. I have decided earplugs are a camping necessity as everyone around me snored. Must be the desert air.
An experience not to be missed, but I did enjoy my shower in the nice 4 star hotel we checked into the next day.
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