TYPICAL DESERT SCENE JUST OUTSIDE WADI RUM.HOW DO THEY SURVIVE?
THE HEJAZ RAILWAY BUILT TO TRANSPORT PILGRIMS FROM EUROPE AND NORTH AFRICA FROM DAMASCUS TO MECCA AND MEDINA FOR THE HAJJ.MOSTLY IN DESERT TE LAWRENCE DEVELOPED GUERILLA WARFARE STRIKES ON THE RAILWAY FORCING THE OTTOMANS TO USE THOUSANDS OF TROOPS TO DEFEND THEIR SUPPLY LINE AND LEAVING THEM VULNERABLE TO ATTACK IN DAMASCUS LEADING ULTIMATELY TO ARABS RETAKING THE MIDDLE EAST AND DEFEAT OF THE TURKS/GERMANS IN WW1.NOW USED TO TRANSPORT PHOSPHATE ORE TO THE PORT OF AQABA.
OLD HEJAZ RAILWAY STATION NEAR WADI RUM.
WADI RUM.
WADI RUM TOWNSHIP.MOST BEDU ACT AS 4 WD/CAMEL RIDE GUIDES.
SEMI PERMANENT BEDU CAMP.SHEEP AND CAMEL GRAZERS.
THE ROAD TO THE INCENSE LANDS OF YEMEN,SILK ROUTE TO CHINA,TRADE ROUTE TO PERSIA AND INDIA.WADI RUM IS AT THE CROSS ROADS.
CAMEL BREEDING IS VERY SOPHISTCATED-BREEDS FOR SPEED,MEAT AND MILK.TOP RACING STUDS GO FOR 100'S OF 1000'S A SERVICE.
GREEN PATCH IS LAWRENCE SPRING.
ANCIENT PETROGLYPHS MANY ACT AS DISTANCE AND DIRESTION MARKERS.
SLOGGING UP TO LAWRENCE SPRING WHILE MY GUIDE HAD THE FIRST OF AT LEAST SIX SHEESHA PIPES IN THE FOUR HOURS WE WERE EXPLORING.
WHAT AM I DOING UP HERE -GOAT COUNTRY!!
VIEW OF WHERE A LOT OF DAVID LEAN'S LAWRENCE OF ARABIA WAS SHOT IN 1962.ALWAYS HAD A FASCINATION WITH IT AND LAWRENCE HIMSELF.
LAWRENCE SPRING -A HOLLYWOOD FANTASY I SUSPECT.
WILD MINT GROWING IN SPRING.THE BEDU HAVE IT BREWING AWAY ALL DAY AS A VERY SWEET HOT DRINK.IT WASN'T REALLY MY CUP OF TEA!! COULDN'T GET OUT OF MY MIND THAT SOMEONE HAD JUST RINSED THEIR TOOTHBRUSH IN MY CUP!!
BACK DOWN -MY GUIDE!!
APPLE FLAVOURED TOBACCO -SMELT VERY SWEET.
BALLS OF FRANKINCENSE -FROM A TREE THAT GROWS BEST IN WETTER LANDS OF YEMEN.ITS TRADE (AND MYRRH)WAS CONTROLLED BY THE NABATEANS A NOMADIC BEDU GROUP WHO SET UP THE CITIES OF PETRA AND MADEIN SALEH AS CENTRES FOR CONTROLLING THEIR MONOPOLY ON ITS TRADE.ALL JUDAO/CHRISTIAN/ISLAMIC CULTS SHARE A COMMON HISTORIC USE OF INCENSE THAT MUST GO BACK TO THE DAWN OF A SPIRITUAL AROUSING.REMINDS ME OF MEXICO CITY BLOG WHERE THE SHAMANS OUTSIDE THE CATHEDRAL WERE CLEANSING EVIL SPIRITS WITH SMOKE FROM A SPECIAL TREE WHOSE NAME ESCAPES ME AND THE PRIEST INSIDE WAS AT IT ALSO WITH THE INCENSE DISPENSER.
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DESERT ROSES.CRYSTALS OF MINERALISED GYPSUM THAT FORM BELOW THE GROUND IN WATER TABLE OR SATURATED WATER FROM RUN-OFF.JO,I AND OUR SONS COLLECTED WHAT MUST BE NOW A SMALL FORTUNE OF THEM IN LUDERITZ,NAMIBIA MANY YEARS AGO.
THE RANGE OF COLOURS ARE STUNNING AND CONTINUALLY CHANGE WITH FLUCTUATING LIGHT.
CAMEL TRAIN PETROGLYPH-AT LEAST 2000 YEARS BP.THE NABATEANS STARTED PERMANENT SETTLEMENTS AROUND 50BC TO 50AD OVERLAPPING WITH ROMAN OCCUPATION.
MODERN DAY CAMEL MY TRANSPORT.
OCCASIONAL TORRENTIAL RAIN CAUSES EROSION OF THE SOFTISH SANDSTONES AND LIMESTONES PRODUCING AN EFFECT WHEN DRIED THAT LOOKS LIKE MELTING RIPPLED ICE-CREAM!!
I'M NOT SURE WHETHER BRIGHAM YOUNG OR SOME OF THE OTHER FOUNDING MORMON SAINTS ACTUALLY GOT TO THE HOLY LAND. THEY CERTAINLY FOUND ZION IN UTAH AND SOME ADJOINING STATES.THE LANDSCAPE IS ZION NP,BRYCE CANYON,ARCHES NP,MOAB.ONE CAN SEE HOW THEY CERTAINLY MUST HAVE CONVINCED THEMSELVES THEY WERE INDEEED CHOSEN!!!!
CLIMBED THIS ONE -GOOD TEST FOR THE VERTIGO!!
VIEW FROM THE ARCH-ANOTHER SHEESHA BAR!!!
NO WORRIES -BREATHE IN THROUGH THE NOSE-OUT THROUGH THE MOUTH!!
I'VE HAD FAULTS ON MY MIND LATELY!!! TRYING TO GET EQC AND AMI TO DECIDE WHOSE FAULT IT IS ,IS THE PROBLEM!!!
SHEESHA AND MINT TEA.MY DRIVER ADMITTED HE HAS A PROBLEM WITH BOTH!!
NOT QUITE SOSSISVLEI IN NAMIBIA BUT YOU COULD SNOWBOARD DOWN THE DUNES!!
YUM!!
LOVE THE NARROW GUTTED CANYONS THAT I'M SURE START LIFE AS A FAULT THROUGH WHICH WATER PERMEATES.LITTLE BITS OF WATER WEARS AWAY ROCKS-LITTLE BITS OT TOENAIL WEARS AWAY SOCKS.THAT WAS MY FIRST GEOLOGY LESSON FROM MY DEAR OLD GRANDMA FINLAYSON (RITA).
APPROACHING AQABA BY LAND.LAWRENCE FOOLED THE OTTOMANS WITH HIS DARING ATTACK ON THE PORT FROM THE LAND VIA MILES OF DESERT AND WADI RUM.I WAQSN'T EXPECTING THE BEAUTIFUL VISTA OF BEACH AND RED SEA APPEARING OUT OF THE DESERT IN THE FILM-LEAN DIDN'T LIKE THE ACTUAL VISTA AND WENT AND FILMED IT IN A VILLAGE IN SPAIN INSTEAD!!!
DOWNTOWN AQABA.
JORDAN IS PREDOMINANTLY DRY.BUT THERE ARE CHRISTIAN DOMINATED SUBURBS IN AMMAN.AQABA IS ALSOA VERY COSMOPOLITAN PORT-WITH A DUTY FREE SPECIAL ECONOMIC STATUS. THE LIQUOR STORES ARE RUN BY INFIDELS AND THEY HAVE NAMES LIKE ST.JOSEPH LIQUOR WITH AN ICON PICTURE ON THE SHOP FRONT AND SELL SOME OF THE STRONGEST AND CHEAPEST BOOZE I HAVE EVER SEEN!!
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