My first time spending a night in
the desert
was in Jaisalmer the day before Holi
Festival in 2014. It was a wonderful experience sleeping on just a single
mattress laid out over soft fine sands—under a canopy of stars. I would have
been fine with a similar simple set-up for our accommodation in Wadi
Rum. But man oh man, imagine my surprise upon seeing the place we would
camp that night. It was like straight from a folk tale from Arabian Nights.
As the 4x4 trucks we're
riding came into a screeching halt, the whole property of Sun City Camp came
into light. Scattered throughout are traditional Bedouin tents outfitted with spacious
veranda, living room, bathroom and a bedroom. There are also royal tents and
family suites offering bigger space (a year
after our visit, Sun City Camp created the Martian Dome tents *cover photo*).
Despite only spending a
night here—as we would be en route to Petra the next morning—I made sure to make
the most of it by regaling lengthily at the impressive atmosphere surrounding Sun City Camp being in
the middle of the vast Wadi Rum desert.
Exhausted from the long
trip to Wadi Rum but with spirits filled to the brim with delight, we feasted over
a traditional Jordanian meal of Zarbs—a
Bedouin dish of barbecue chicken and lamb marinated with various herbs and
spices. It is prepared by pre-heating it in an underground oven for three to
four hours.
For the first time I was able to
mingle with everyone from the group. From the 17 of us, I am the only
non-travel operator. Despite that, I instantly felt being embraced by their
circle of business travelers. Over a lighted bonfire, I listened attentively as they enthusiastically
shared interesting and inspirational tidbits about the travel industry.
This was
only the second of eleven nights we were to travel the Holy Land route in
Jordan, Egypt and Israel. I felt a tint of joy knowing that apart from being in the
midst of creating a wonderful memory of Wadi Rum, a budding camaraderie among
all of us has been brewing as well.
That night, as I walked
toward our luxurious tent I caught a sight of the blanket of stars above me.
Overwhelmingly countless and beautiful, I have never seen such sheer number
appear so clearly in the nighttime skies before.
BOOK a Luxurious Tent at Sun City Camp, NOW!
