The 4th of July

Today we are in Aqaba, Jordan. Unbeknownst to me, this is where Lawrence of Arabia fought with the Arabs to overturn Ottoman rule. We went to Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum is the area where he resided as he learned Arabic, ruled a tribe of Arabians, and waged war against the Ottomans. I think he became a Muslim, but I will have to look that up. He is most revered here.

I learned today that Jordan has 10 million residents. Six million are Jordanians and the remaining 4 million are Syrians, Egyptians, Palestinians and other minorities. Jordan obtained its freedom from the Ottomans is 1916. However it became an independent nation after WWII. Aqaba, the main city, is on the Gulf of Aqaba at the southern end of the country. It is 20 minutes from Israel; 60 K from Saudi Arabia and just across the seabed from Egypt. As our guide said today, the Jordan government is very diplomatic as it has to get along with everyone. There is no oil here and the country is very poor. Desert is everywhere. The Bedouin still roam the land with their camels and tents. It was 100 degrees here today and we rode in the back of a pick up truck through Wadi Rum. When we got back to the ship, the first thing we did was take a shower.

Tonight we plan to go win the. Trivia….the topic is America and the 4th of July. If we can’t beat the Aussies at this, we need to turn in our passports.

100 degrees….Long pants and sleeves for me….the Muslims like their women covered up.

Camels and more camels

At Lawrence of Arabia’s “prison”. Where he imprisoned others. It’s a box canyon.

We rode is the back of a pick up truck.

Turn up the volume to hear the camels.