Driving south, we came to a cliff line. Wadi Rum stretched out before us. Rocks and sand were visible as far as the eye could see. (Rum is Arabic for sand) This was Lawrence of Arabia territory (the movie was filmed extensively here, along with many others including recent movies like The Martian).
We stopped for lunch, which had our last real bathrooms for two days. Our bus would be leaving us in the meantime. We loaded into trucks for a quick drive through the sands to our campsite. Settling into our Bedouin goat-hair tent, it was time to start preparing dinner: the goat needed to be slaughtered. (I won’t go into the gory details)
The next morning we mounted camels for a three-hour ride around the area, including a stop for tea. Arriving back at camp, we had lunch and then relaxed in the tent for the afternoon. While some napped, I played cards with others. I now like to imagine Abraham sitting in his tent in the heat of the day, playing cards. It’s a different pace of life.
Everyone made sure to watch the sunset both evenings we were there. A few of us hiked/climbed up to get a better view of the spectacle.
I set up my sleeping bag on the sand that final evening. Settling in the for the night, I stared up at the stars twinkling over our heads. A shooting star swooped across the darkness. I couldn’t help but be in awe at the beauty of the night sky.
The next morning we packed up and headed back towards Jerusalem. It had been an amazing trip, the climax of the semester. I will cherish these memories for the rest of my life.
