I’m not a good tourist.

I’m wrote this in the car as we traveled from Aqaba the Southern most city in Jordan to the Dead Sea. 

It’s 10 minutes to four in the afternoon and the sun has already gone down behind the mountains.

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We’re traveling through the desert.

In this light everything appears white, the landscape is washed with sand and pale blue. An occasional small tree dots the landscape and every now and then a settlement of tents and small square buildings  pop up like Lego scattered on the on the floor.

Fleetingly I see sheep and goats on the stony ground.

Bedouin tents, the traditional dark woven covering stark against the desert calm.

Camels wending their way home in a lines as if they are led by an invisible force.

I wish I could capture the color of the mountains to the right  they soar to 5000 feet of majesty.  The sun is tipping the very top  turning them pale gold mixing with the blue sky, On  the left is the border with Israel and every now and then we come across a sentry station overlooking the landscape.

I think the mist in the air is a combination of humidity and dust and it makes for a surreal landscape.

Last night I joined other tourists watching the most amazing sunset.

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I tried drawing in the car, but it’s a bit difficult, all I can draw are rugged mountains and 3 hours of mountains is enough.

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We visited a desert called Wadi Rum this morning… I admit, I’m not a good tourist, I don't take tours if I can help it… I need to dance to my own tune and I left a little disapointed.

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It was  spectacular, but I wanted to go in my own direction not the tracks of truck loads of tourists with scarves on their heads trying to look like locals.

Then again, I guess it’s not  a place you could go on your own.

The desert was beautful, Mountains of sandstone rose from a flat bed of sand and kissed the blue sky.

We drank hot tea flavored with cardamon and generously laced with sugar.

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A great day.

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