Sunrise Camel Ride in Wadi Rum
We committed ourselves to a sunrise camel ride when we checked into our Wadi Rum tent camp. Sounded like a good idea at the time, but at bedtime the night before, the idea of a 5:15am departure sounded like torture!
With or Without the Girls?
Originally we planned on all four of us riding the camels. We were told by several people that we would need three camels, one for each me & Doug, and a third for the girls to sit on together. Neither Doug nor I felt comfortable having the girls alone on their own camel, so we insisted we needed only two camels, and that one girl would sit with each of us. We had done that same configuration successfully in Egypt, so we felt sure we could take the same approach here in Jordan.
Paige was terrified at the idea of getting back up on a camel after falling off one in Egypt (to no fault of her own). We insisted she would be fine and that it was important she try again, but she could not stop crying. Sadie could take or leave another camel ride. So last-minute, the night before, Doug suggested the two of us just go, and we leave the girls back in the tent to sleep. After all, we’d be back cozy in the tent with them by 6:15am, and they could enjoy a good night’s rest instead.
We floated the idea past the girls. At first they were uneasy; they questioned whether they’d be safe in the tent all by themselves. We assured them they’d be fine, and we’d be back before they even noticed we were gone. In the end they agreed, but on one condition: we promise to wake them up when we left. Deal!
Rise & Shine
Doug’s watch alarm went off at 5:05am. Quick change of clothes & we were out the door for our 5:15am departure. Keeping good on our promise, I gently stroked each girl, kissed them and whispered “We’re leaving. We’ll be back soon. I love you.” I did it quietly/gently enough so as not to wake either girl, but enough that I could say with confidence that we upheld our end of the deal :)
The sky was gorgeous when we went outside - layers of vibrant purple, pink and orange. We waited for a few minutes and saw the silhouette of a camel and rider approaching us. There was another couple waiting as well. Our guide said not a word, but motioned to each of us & pointed to our respective camels. I’m not much for small talk when I’m half asleep either, but a “hello” would have been nice!
Welcoming the Day
On our camels, our caravan of four headed out into Wadi Rum with our guide leading us by foot. I was freezing! Three layers on & I still couldn’t shake the cold.
We went about 20 minutes out in silence and then the guide stopped. He signaled to the camels to kneel; mind you, no signal or heads-up to us! And then motioned for us to get off the camels. He then walked about 20 feet away from us, took off his shoes, prayed for a minute or two, and then laid down playing on his phone. Literally still not a word to us!
The four of us were a bit baffled, but figured OK, so we look around here for a few minutes, no problem. Doug & I agreed the lack of any communication from the guide was bizarre. At that crazy early hour of the morning, though, it was more comical than anything. About 10 minutes later, we spotted it - the sun peering up over the Wadi Rum rock formations. So that’s why we stopped here! Ha :)
The sun rising was a bit anti-climatic. Especially after the beautiful, colorful sky that preceded it 30 minutes prior. Still, it was pretty cool to be in the middle of a desert, camels at your side, watching the sun rise up to start a new day.
Return to Snoozers
Once the sun was up, the guide walked back over to us- just as silently as he had at the start - and motioned for us to mount the camels to make the journey back to our tent camp. We made it back to camp by 6:15am, at which point I hustled ahead to our tent. I was 99.5% certain the girls would be fine in the tent by themselves. The 0.5% unease I felt was largely because we had to leave the door unlocked (we couldn’t lock it from the outside without locking them in). I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw their two slumbering little bodies under the covers. I quickly threw off my shoes, cozied into Sadie under the covers and slept another hour with them :) I assumed Doug did the same, but unbeknownst to me he took an hour walk around Wadi Rum!
Net, net: Our early morning excursion was an enjoyable way to get another glimpse of Wadi Rum, and at the beautiful sunset hour, no less. But I think we’ve had our fill of camel rides for a long while! It was totally the right call to leave the girls behind & let them sleep. Funny enough, when they ultimately woke up, they had no idea we had already left & done the camel rides. They couldn’t believe it!
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