And away we go....
It looks like the improved weather has lit a fire under everyone's rear ends and we're heading off this afternoon on our little road trip (it had seemed like we might have to postpone it until tomorrow). Artemis is renting a car and Alex, Lauren (an Australian) and I will be on our way. Tonight we hope to reach Petra to see it by candlelight, if
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At the time I wrote the post you commented on I had no idea what to expect and was indeed quite leery about the whole tent idea anyhow. Fortunately my compatriots were able to persuade me into agreeing to the sleeping arrangements.
So what is a Bedouin tent like? It is like a yurt in that it's felt but unlike one in that it is a long rectangle. The traditional tent is made of a combination of goat and camel hair and is usually dark brown with a few white stripes around the middle. Occasionally you see small-ish tents but most of the ones I saw and the one we had supper in are at least 20 ft long (many are longer) and about 10 ft wide and tall. My theory that tents are warmer was indeed proven and we were cozy the whole time. We slept in more conventional green canvas tents but that was more for privacy than anything, since they asked if we'd rather stay in the little tents or the big communal one. The bit one did have a tarp over it to keep out the rain but I suspect that to be because it's not a true working tent, serving mainly as a social area in a tourist camp. All along the way we saw many Bedouin tents without tarps.
So no, we did not drink camel's milk, but YES we did ride on a camel. I will tell you all about that later. Robed? No, but many of our companions were: wearing traditional keffiyes with aqr (headscarves with the black ropey thing that holds them in place) and floor-length robes. We started out bundled in our coats and scarves but the tent was so warm and comfortable that we soon did not need them.
So what WERE we drinking? Amstel beer and Jim Beam, of course! But I thought this was a Muslim country, you say? Well, the Bedou tribes are a different story from the city dwellers, which I also hope to go into more detail about later. By the way, I do not endorse mixing JB and mango juice.
Since I didn't have my computer with me I didn't have to worry about sand (which was definitely abundant there), but everyone had mobile phones and I mean EVERYONE. Even the most rural goatherder out here seems to have a mobile and the amazing thing is that there's reception everywhere. My theory is that the mosque minarets double as mobile transmitters. It was quite surreal to be wandering through the painted canyons that Lawrence of Arabia famously tried to steal for the British as our camel guide's pocket starts vibrating and bleeping an Enrique Iglesias tune.
Anyhow, more later--I promise. I was an awesome trip! Take care.
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