Another exciting day. A trip to Wadi Rum Nature Reserve. Wadi is one of the most spectacular desert landscapes. The red sand, the rolling dunes and sandstone mountains looked incredible in the sun. We travelled in the desert by 4x4 jeeps to the great mountain of Al Khazali. It was fascinating see carvings of figures and hieroglyphics on rocks, evidence of a civilization that existed thousands of years ago.

This was the stomping ground of TE Lawrence (of Arabia) and our guide warned us that other guides will make up stories about Lawrence to make it appealing to tourists. For example, he pointed out to a mountain which seemed to look like a series of pillars and said some guides would say that this was the mountain that inspired the title for Lawrence’s book Seven Pillars of Wisdom, although there is no evidence to that effect.

Our lunch was at the Bedouin Camp in the desert in a tent, in the typical nomadic style of Jordanian Bedouins. The campsite was set up with the customary black goat-hair tents, low tables and seating on mattresses on an uneven ground. Good lunch, but not cooked on campsite, catered by a local restaurant.