Bedouin in training

After a few days in Petra, I headed back to Wadi Rum for New Year Eve. It was a great feeling to come back to see my friends in this beautiful landscape. The night was quite uneventful, as compared to a large party set up by another travel agency for over 400 tourists. Nevertheless, it was exactly what I'd like to be - a peaceful and serene beginning to encounteract with a turbulant 2007.

The next few days, I did some scrambling and trekking with another group of tourists from the UK. At the same time, I also helped Simone, our wonderful Bedouin chef and Salim, his assistant, to cook, wash dishes, clean up the old campground and prepare the new ones everyday. Digging a hole in the rocky desert floor for toilet is never so much fun. This background training allowed me to gain more insight into the modern life of Bedouin tourism business, and a deeper respect for these hardworking souls of the desert.

After a few days of training, I moved from my nomadic life to stay with a Bedouin family in the rum village. A family of 6, Hader, his wife and their 6 children, welcomed me with their generous smiles, food and great hearts. We herd and fed goats, camels and played football. Aliya, the youngest daughter, learned to use all the buttons in my camera in no time by watching. She and her sister, Najee, and their siplings soon learned to take videos and direct their own movies. It is life at the simpliest and happiest.

After two weeks in this Bedouin land, I left with a great sense of appreciation, belonging, and a broken heart.