LOCALadk Magazine

29 Summer 2016 LOCALadk Magazine of chocolate cookies above his dash that would quickly dwin- dle before he reloaded at the next stop. He performed coffee pours from his to-go mug into a portable cup that would rival that of a NYC barista's flair. I had an assigned seat behind the passenger side front seat, with a great view of our driver's antics which I could predict coming when he would turn to me with a wink and smile. My favorite performance occurred each time our guide would stand up to disperse or collect things and try to walk to the back of the bus. With a quick glimpse from our driver to me with a grin, soon enough the whole bus was swaying like a cartoon from one side of the road to the other as the driver turned the wheel far left and far right, causing our fabulous light hearted guide to lose balance and struggle as the whole bus burst into laughter. A busload of people from four continents was bonding together. After leaving Amman, the group of twelve headed south to Wadi Rum, where terrain and space dramatically opened and become more pastoral. We passed many tented camps with United Nation tarps, as well as the embassy, where I couldn't tell where the line of Syrian refugees began or ended. Not only are Westerners warmly welcomed into the country by most curious Jordanians, but the hospitality extends to neigh- boring refugees. With the recent arrival of two million Syrian refugees, Jordan has quickly become the second water-poorest country in the world. Wadi Rum was recently discovered to be the greatest water source in the country, but only for a limited time before running out. Wadi Rum feels basically untouched by humans, except for several 4,000 year old petroglyph. There are bound- less canyons. Little movement can be seen outside of the dis- tant silhouettes of caravans of camels walking or bending at the front knees, and compacting down and folding up like a Leatherman in the stifling heat. We camped out with Bedou- ins and I grew particularly fond of our head priest Bedouin, the Shaykh. Bedouin are Arabic speaking nomadic people who live simply in tented camps possessing their own tribes. The head of each is represented by an elder that has been chosen by internal members, often because of his wisdom and ability to be the bloodline of communication and mediator. We spent our evenings connecting and laughing as he and our guide exchanged hilarious stories of crazy tourists that they have encountered, along with playing games that took the whole group to solve. We ate dinners of lentil soup, potatoes, curries, rice, and chicken that were cooked in the ground for three hours in an earth oven. Simply put, this ancient cooking method requires digging a pit, sand, stones, and a means of

• Cover