We have always known how to tame this land Though few can handle its brutality. We share its beauty with a gracious hand, But understand of its fragility. On our camels, We’ll guide you through its sand To marvel at its protruding mountains, And at night, what you witness is so grand, The canvas of sky, the light of star stains. There are those who would like to see us banned For they have found value with where we live. For our old lifestyle, we must take a stand, And we can save what they want us to give. History tells us that we will not win, Marking the passing of the Bedouin.
Wadi Rum has always been one of the greatest draws for people coming out the Jordan. It has also held a special place in the movie industry. If a script calls for a distant sandy planet, or an Arabic landscape, this is the perfect place to come. Movies such as the recent version of Aladdin, and The Martian have both been filmed here. The recent blockbusters of both Dune movies have also been filmed here, and it is for these reasons that Wadi Rum is becoming even more of a draw for those looking for a unique travel experience.
Wadi Rum is easily the most unique desert landscape that I have ever visited. Its red dunes situate themselves among the towering craggy rocks that protrude from the sand. Every turn that is taken out in the area is met with a new visual treat. This presents the reason that Hollywood is so enamored with the place, but it also makes the perfect place for photographers as well. Every corner offers another photo opportunity, and it does not take much effort to take those pictures that tell amazing stories as well.
It is not just the landscape that offers those perfect pictures either. Wadi Rum is operated by the Bedouins who have navigated its stark landscape for centuries. Though you can find some hints of modern conveniences, the Bedouins still live by the traditional methods when they make their way out in the desert. It is almost impossible to get a signal on a cell phone out here, so travelers have to leave those things behind and live off of what the land offers. This contributes for moments of huddling around a campfire at night, or traveling from place to place on camel.
There are camps out in the desert that can be booked. They usually have the traditional tents that the Bedouins have lived in, made out of goat hair. Even though most of them lend themselves to a roughing it lifestyle, there are a few that come with patios, and private bathrooms. Recent years have also seen the emergence of the bubble tent. It is basically a yurt made out of a see-through wall, offering the residents the perfect night view of the starry skies while they sleep. I have heard mixed reviews about these places from the people who have stayed in them, and I can’t say either way due to the fact that I have not stayed in one. These are not the only places where people stay either. They go the complete other direction as well, taking their gear out to a secluded spot to set up camp where they can leave all of society behind. The whole place offers many different ways to experience the environment while still feeling like you are out on your own away from the crowds.
Wadi Rum is a must go to place for those taking the Jordan Loop. If you do come, make sure that you bring you camera because you will always be wanting to take it out to snap another quick picture. The moments will come fast, and you will never know when the next perfect shot will come from. It makes every trip out to the place not only familiar, but unique at the same time. It is easily my favorite place in Jordan, and I hope you can come out to Wadi Rum and enjoy it as well.
2021 was another rollercoaster of a year, and though Covid continued to make life difficult, things loosened up enough to allow me the opportunity to travel a little more this year than the previous one. It is always fun for me to look back at the posts from the previous, and it shows me how great the last year has been. I hope you feel the same way as you take a trip back through the year of 2021.
This is the perfect post to start off this list for the year 2021 considering how difficult a year 2020 was. Based on how little we learning this year and how it feels like we are in the same place this year where we were last year, it might be an important poem to start the 2022 year. This post is also one of three poems that appear on this list which is the most that has ever appeared on any of the end of the year lists I have ever created.
I moved to Jordan at the beginning of August, but did not have the chance to explore it much until October. There are many places that I want to visit, but I got a gift card for a night’s stay at the Kempinski Hotel at the Dead Sea, so this was the first place I voyaged off to. It was a great experience, and floating in the salt water really surprised me by how easy it is to do. I am hoping to post many more travelogues from places I visit in Jordan and other close-by countries in the coming year.
I do enjoy sharing the poetry I write while traveling with you, but only a select few people really get into it. This is why I love it when one of my poems pops up on the top ten list for the year. This one was written during a rainy afternoon in March when I was visiting Khao Sok, a reservoir in southern Thailand. I had taken off work to take this trip, and I enjoyed the way the rain forced me to take things easy on a day that I should have been working.
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. It is not about spending more or giving gifts. It is all about sharing time with family and friends. Since I have moved overseas, this holiday has meant something a little different for me, but this year I was able to have an experience that will make it one of my favorite memories of this day of celebration. I was able to head down to Wadi Rum with new members of my school and spend some time with the Bedouins that live there. The meal was not a traditional Thanksgiving feast, but it was the best one I have ever had for a meal that was cooked underground. You seemed to be intrigued by this process as well to make it one of the bigger posts of the year even though I posted it so late.
I did get to travel to a lot of different places in Thailand during the pandemic, and I feel lucky to have had that experience. Out of all of them that I went to see, Koh Lipe will always hold a special place in my heart. Not only was it a beautiful place to relax during my Spring Break right before the country went back to lockdown. It was also my last hurrah while living in Thailand. Though there were many parts of this island paradise that I wrote about, it was this feature that resinated the most with my followers. I hope the information I gave will give those that eventually travel there the hints to enjoy this place as much as I did.
One of the many stops I was supposed to go on my road trip through Thailand last Winter Break was to the reservoir at Khao Sok, but we had to cut that portion of the trip out when the country started to close down. Luckily, the people at the resort let us rebook for a time in March. It create a moment in my life that I will never forget, wild elephants eating breakfast while I was kayaking nearby. This was even more remarkable considering that these elephants rarely come out to be viewed. I was told that because of the recent decline of tourism, they are more willing to come to the shore, and I was happy to be able to share this moment with those who cold not travel there and see it for themselves.
Late in 2020, I received an offer for a new job opportunity in Amman, Jordan, and I spent a lot of my time early this year preparing for the move. Part of that preparation meant signing on to a new email account at my new school as I started to transfer things over. The head of the school sent out an email describing the difference between problems and possibilities to inspire his staff who had been struggling with the pain of online teaching. It was the inspiration for this poem which seemed to connect with other people. It also makes me happy when one of my poems connects with people in this way.
I have written a lot about Black Butte Ranch in central Oregon because I am lucky enough to get to spend a couple of weeks there every summer. It is also a place close to my heart because it is where I got married. The place is a beautiful collection of cabin-like houses underneath the shadow of Black Butte that is off the beaten path of the busy tourist towns and cities of central Oregon. Because of this quiet atmosphere, the wildlife likes to hand out in the forests. Most of the time this is squirrels, deer and coyotes, but I had never seen a herd of elk, so when they came wandering around the house I was staying at, it was reason to pull out the camera and take some pictures. Apparently, other people enjoy seeing these pictures as well because they kept of visiting this post long after its first publication.
One of the nice things about Covid was it forced me to explore Thailand than I would have normally explored it. I spent the whole of the last Winter Break traveling through the southern portion of the country, and the city of Railay was one of my favorite spots. It was a small isolated town that can only be reached by boat where people go rock climbing, kayaking, and lounging on the beach. One of the most prominent features is a cave off of the Princess Beach that people hike up to all the time. My wife and I made this trek one day, and the story of how to get there has now helped a bunch of other people make the same hike.
Board games have become quite the hobby for me during the pandemic. They have been a great way to get together with friends, and continue to be social. The first one I bought to bring me back to this hobby was Everdell, but I had spent a lot of time researching whether this one of Wingspan was the one for me. I ultimately chose to build a woodland village, but I did have a chance to play Wingspan over the summer and compare the two. I have given my thoughts on both games in this post, and which one I thought was the better buy. The post did so well that I have considered doing more board game reviews in the future.
Honorable Mentions
Though there were many posts from the last year that were worthy to see, here is the lists of posts that continue to do well even though the were written in previous years.
It’s a long day’s journey through rock and sand Before I can reach my intended goal. Though the trials I face never go as planned, A miracle’s in each moment I stole. I will teach my children to hide behind A boulder, so a weary traveler Will find our game of Boo! the merry kind That makes any hard hike less of a chore. I will find my friend with a hot kettle, Making a sweet tea with the herbs he has found. In the west, when the sun starts to settle, I will watch it on a soft patch of ground. Everyday is a day that I win When I live the life of a Bedouin.
John Collings 