Well the ship seems to have got its mojo back and we can get along at the right pace. Arrived at the Aqaba pier at the appointed time of 7am, we had a quick breakfast before lining up at 8am for our excursion to Wadi Rum. Many others were heading off to Petra for the day. We had been there some years ago on a trip to Israel and Jordan, in April from memory. Much cooler then, it going to push into the high 30s this time.

Wadi Rum is a desert reserve surrounded by dry mountains and gorges. In the past, home to nomadic Bedouin. Now these peoples are very adept at dealing with tourists. Either expensive camel rides or Bedouin trinkets and crafts displayed in genuine Bedouin tents while you sit around sipping on a local tea or coffee. All very crafty too with various currencies and conversion rates to seal the deal.

Hope that helps for your next trivia quiz!

But our 4WD tour through the desert area was quite entertaining and the scenery was great. Wadi Rum, ‘Valley of the Moon’ ,was where the Peter O’Toole movie Lawerence of Arabia was filmed. The Englishmen, T E Lawrence actually did have camps in Wadi Rum when he lead the Arab revolt against the ruling Turks in 1917.

There were about 30 Toyota (or similar) 4WD utes conveying us on this adventure. 6 of us squeezed onto the ute tray. The utes were in various states of repair, obviously having done this track before. Not sure that this trip would be possible in good old Aus with our rules and regulations. We whipped along at a moderate pace on the well compacted desert sands, no slipping or sliding.

Dotted through the desert park were a range of glamping tent facilities, quite sophisticated places with solar power and oasis like appearances. We stopped off at one for a short break.

Time went quickly and we were back at the ship for a late lunch. After a short siesta we took the shuttle back into town for a walk around the waterfront area and to have a look at the old fort . Admirable objective but execution poor. One of the things that gets under Allthego’s skin is being harassed by taxi drivers, who speak little or very accented English and want to take you and show you things you don’t want to see for a price that is incomprehensible at the time. We got our dose of these guys, all very polite and helpful of course, just not what Allthego needed.

So we took off ourselves from the drop off point and it seems in hindsight went in the opposite direction to which we should. Wandered around for an hour or so aimlessly, getting frustrated. Ultimately, we hailed a taxi and got in. Turns out the guy can’t speak English, shows us a picture of a cruise ship and wants to take us to the pier. Much saying ‘no no’, just want to ‘go to the water’! Finally, we stop the cab and get out. Ripped off then in change from $US to Jordanian Dinah. Allthego puts it down to more experience. Anyway, by accident we are actually back where we started!
So the wandering resumes, Homealone adamant that we are not wandering too far. The objective to buy a postcard and stamp. Stopped for a freshly squeezed OJ and minted lemon, both very good. Finally, got the postcard and also a stamp but couldn’t find anywhere to post it!

After all this exertion Allthego convinced Homealone that the Double Tree Hilton roof top bar would be a good place to watch the sun set over Aqaba (a recommendation from on board). And it was. We finished there around 7 pm and caught the shuttle back to the ship, after posting the card off in the hotels mail box! Very convenient.

Sailed off about 10 pm to position the ship the next day for the transit of the Suez Canal.