Page 22 - wadirum

The star of the meal was wood-fired
meats including chicken and lamb. Yo-
gurt was served with every meal.

We loved the traditional wood-pit
roasted lamb, but didn’t get the ultimate
Bedouin feast, stuffed camel which is
served at weddings and grand occasions.
This delicacy is composed of a medi-
um-sized camel stuffed with a sheep or
a lamb – kind of like a very large Tur-
ducken.

Tea, coffee and juices were included
with the meal. Unlike other camps in
Wadi Rum, the dining area had a full
bar that provided mixed drinks, wine
and beer -- even Carakale from Jordan’s
first craft brewery. Beer, by the way, was
invented in the area by the Sumerians
over 5,000 years ago. Bait Ali (which I
think means Americans will pay any-
thing for alcohol) charges a fair bit for
their offerings, about the same as the
Ritz Carlton, but without the peanuts.

After dinner some of our group hopped
into vans to visit the nearby observatory
– but the rest of us just sip our pricey bev-
erages and observe the universe without
telescopes. The air is crystal clear and no
city lights make the heavenly views just
that. The Milky Way looked like a solid
band of silver set with billions of dia-
monds; shooting stars evoke oohs and
ahhs from the kids and grownups.

The next morning, I arose early to
shoot photos of Wadi Rum at sunrise.
It was beautifully still and peaceful as
I climbed up the narrow path up the
butte that bordered the camp. A golden
glow edged the mountains in the dis-
tance. At the top I surveyed the land-
scape below. In the distance, the village

Clockwise from top: The tidy grounds of Bait
Ali Camp; Adventurous family crossing natural
sandstone bridges; Bedouin guides making
tea; Father and daughter looking like they’re
on Mars’; Mary James surveying our room;
youngsters enjoying the Bait Ali Swimming
pool.

22 Wine Dine & Travel 2016