As expected, after a big day of walking in the heat yesterday, we slept solidly last night. We were up at about 7:15 am to make sure we had time to have breakfast, pack, and check out.

Breakfast.
Breakfast.

By 9:00 am, we were on the road for a two-hour drive to the Wadi Rum Desert, in the southwest corner of Jordan (about 25 km from the border with Saudi Arabia). Not far from the Wadi Rum township, we stopped at the Al Hijaz train that was used in the film “Lawrence of Arabia”. Starring Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif, the 1962 film depicts T. E. Lawrence’s experiences in this area, and includes a number of scenes shot in the Wadi Rum Desert.

Keith on a train carriage of the Al Hijaz train.
Keith on a train carriage of the Al Hijaz train.
Andrea at the Al Hijaz train.
Andrea at the Al Hijaz train.
Andrea at the Al Hijaz train.
Andrea at the Al Hijaz train.
Keith at the Al Hijaz train.
Keith at the Al Hijaz train.
Keith and Andrea at the Al Hijaz train.
Keith and Andrea at the Al Hijaz train.

We got back in the car and drove down the road to the Wadi Rum visitor centre, where we stopped for a quick bite of lunch. We sat outside (under an umbrella because, unsurprisingly, it’s extremely hot here in the desert sun!) and had a nice view of the Seven Pillars, an iconic geological formation named after T. E. Lawrence’s 1926 book, “Seven Pillars of Wisdom”.

Lunch.
Lunch.
Seven Pillars of Wisdom on the edge of the Wadi Rum Desert.
Seven Pillars of Wisdom on the edge of the Wadi Rum Desert.

After lunch, we headed a little further down the road to the Wadi Rum village, where we transferred to a 4WD vehicle for a drive through the desert to our camp site for the night. We had visions of a comfortable ride inside a nicely air-conditioned vehicle but the reality was a little different!

All aboard!
All aboard!
Andrea enjoying the "air conditioning" on the drive through the desert.
Andrea enjoying the "air conditioning" on the drive through the desert.
A camel driver taking his camels through the Wadi Rum Desert.
A camel driver taking his camels through the Wadi Rum Desert.

The scenery along the way was amazing. Not only has this desert location been used to film “Lawrence of Arabia”, it has been used for many other films, including “John Wick”, “Dune”, “Rogue One”, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”, “Aladdin”, “The Red Planet”, “Mission to Mars”, “The Last Days on Mars”, “The Martian, and many more. It’s certainly understandable why this is a popular site for any movie set on Mars, with red dust as far as the eye can see.

We had a few stops planned on the way to our camp site, one of which was Lawrence’s Spring.

Cliffs near Lawrence's Spring in the Wadi Rum Desert.
Cliffs near Lawrence's Spring in the Wadi Rum Desert.
Andrea at Lawrence's Spring in the Wadi Rum Desert.
Andrea at Lawrence's Spring in the Wadi Rum Desert.
Andrea at Lawrence's Spring in the Wadi Rum Desert.
Andrea at Lawrence's Spring in the Wadi Rum Desert.
Keith at Lawrence's Spring in the Wadi Rum Desert.
Keith at Lawrence's Spring in the Wadi Rum Desert.
Keith and Andrea at Lawrence's Spring in the Wadi Rum Desert.
Keith and Andrea at Lawrence's Spring in the Wadi Rum Desert.
Andrea and Keith inside a Bedouin tent at Lawrence's Spring in the Wadi Rum Desert.
Andrea and Keith inside a Bedouin tent at Lawrence's Spring in the Wadi Rum Desert.

After relaxing with a cup of tea in a Bedouin tent, we climbed (literally!) back into the 4WD to head to Jabal Khazali, a nearby mountain. At Jabal Khazali, we walked into the narrow canyon to look at the ancient inscriptions carved on the canyon’s inner walls. The inscriptions are a mix of Nabatean, Islamic (Kufic), and Thamudic messages, as well as some petroglyph rock drawings.

Andrea and Daoud heading into the canyon at Jabal Khazali.
Andrea and Daoud heading into the canyon at Jabal Khazali.
Andrea in the canyon at Jabal Khazali.
Andrea in the canyon at Jabal Khazali.
Stone age rock art in the canyon at Jabal Khazali.
Stone age rock art in the canyon at Jabal Khazali.

We left the cool air of the canyon and re-entered the hot desert to get back into the 4WD to drive to our camp site for the night, Palmera Camp Wadi Rum. We arrived at about 2:30 pm and relaxed in the communal lounge with a nice cup of tea.

The lounge at Palmera Camp Wadi Rum.
The lounge at Palmera Camp Wadi Rum.

After checking in, we headed to our tent.

Our tent at Palmera Camp Wadi Rum.
Our tent at Palmera Camp Wadi Rum.
Our tent at Palmera Camp Wadi Rum.
Our tent at Palmera Camp Wadi Rum.
The view from our tent at Palmera Camp Wadi Rum.
The view from our tent at Palmera Camp Wadi Rum.

After settling in, we went for a walk around the resort.

Keith at Palmera Camp Wadi Rum.
Keith at Palmera Camp Wadi Rum.
Andrea at Palmera Camp Wadi Rum.
Andrea at Palmera Camp Wadi Rum.

We spent the afternoon relaxing, before heading to the communal tent at 7:30 pm for dinner.

Dinner coming out of the zarb (an in-ground Bedouin oven).
Dinner coming out of the zarb (an in-ground Bedouin oven).
Dinner at Palmera Camp Wadi Rum.
Dinner at Palmera Camp Wadi Rum.
Dinner at Palmera Camp Wadi Rum.
Dinner at Palmera Camp Wadi Rum.
Dinner at Palmera Camp Wadi Rum.
Dinner at Palmera Camp Wadi Rum.
Looking back on the Palmera Camp Wadi Rum communal dinner tent.
Looking back on the Palmera Camp Wadi Rum communal dinner tent.

After a very nice dinner, we walked back to our tent under a beautiful canopy of stars.

The walk back to our tent.
The walk back to our tent.
Our tent.
Our tent.

We retired to bed reasonably early, since there’s not a lot to do in the desert at night and, additionally, we have an 8:30 am departure in the morning, so we’re going to have to be up early enough to have breakfast and re-pack, before being driven back across the Wadi Rum Desert to the township.

Tomorrow, we have a drive of about 300 kilometres to the northern end of the Dead Sea, where we’ll be spending the next two nights.