Notes From Everywhere

Our adventure in the Wadi Rum desert began with an unexpected camel ride that our guide Atif arranged for us as soon as we arrived at camp.

I was surprised when the two young boys who had helped us with our truck earlier that day arrived at camp with their camels to take us for the ride.

They couldn’t have been more than twelve years old. It made me wonder how different childhood must have been here. Where I came from, children that age were rarely left completely on their own, yet these two boys seemed perfectly comfortable walking through the desert with their camels and earning a little money along the way.

Before the ride, Atif wrapped headscarves around our heads. The camels knelt in the sand, allowing us to climb onto the seats strapped to their backs.

For about an hour, we slowly made our way through the sand around the enormous sandstone formation surrounding our camp. We didn’t follow any particular path. We simply navigated around bushes and uneven terrain.

I expected riding a camel to feel a little like riding a horse, but it wasn’t nearly as comfortable. I wasn’t sure if it was because my seat seemed a little small or if that was simply what riding a camel felt like.

Still, I quickly settled into the slow rhythm of the ride. There was something incredibly calming about moving quietly through the desert. It was so peaceful here.

As the heat grew more intense, we stopped frequently to rest. I couldn’t help noticing how warmly the boys were dressed. They wore jeans and sweaters, and one even had a puffy vest that he occasionally pulled over his head. The other wore sandals, seemingly completely unbothered by the hot desert sand.

Neither carried water or food.

I wished I could have talked to the boys, but unfortunately they didn’t speak English and I didn’t know any Arabic.

As we continued through the desert, my camel suddenly leaned down to grab a patch of dry grass. Caught off guard, I grabbed onto the seat to keep myself from falling forward.

I realized I really needed to pay attention to the animal I was sitting on.

The next time it happened, I was prepared.

Every once in a while, I reached forward to pet the camel’s neck and whispered over his head, “Good camel.”

I had no idea if it mattered to him at all, but I felt like the luckiest girl in the world, and I wanted him to know that he was the reason.

Before coming to Jordan, I had hoped I would get to see a camel. Today I wasn’t just looking at one. I was riding one through this beautiful desert, and I couldn’t contain how happy that made me.

For the rest of the ride, I simply enjoyed the gentle pace of the camel and the quiet desert around me. There was nowhere else I wanted to be.

Then our camp came into view, with Atif and Hazem waiting to greet us.