Yesterday I visited Wadi Ram, desert area where TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) was attacking Turkish trains on Hejaz railway, connecting Damascus with Mecca. The movie was also in part shot here. I would have never entered the area without knowing that some two hours behind me Oliver, Sandra, Klaus and Barbara were coming. Namely, we didn't choose the normal road all the tourists do, but an access through a side valley, close to Saudi border, which is rarely used and under police control. First I was challenged with some kilometres of mud and then softer sand came. No major problems at all, but later I waited for the others at a beduin tent. I have almost no pictures from yesterday; I could rarely stop and driving needed my complete concentration.
I got stuck three times in sand, but twice was due to foolishness. First I blindly followed Oliver who went playing with his Landcruiser in soft sand, and then I unnecessarily stopped to take some pictures and never got running again. The first one wasn't problematic; we got it out manually using my Moroccan technique. But with the second one we had more problems so the last resource was to tow it out with Toyota, pulling out of the chassis my front hook. First thing to do in Egypt is to take it to a Paugeot service and make it again like new. I think the strange vibrations while accelerating or engine-braking are being caused by metal engine-protection that suffered tremendous impacts, so when the engine is inclined they probably touch one another and the vibrations are spread throughout the car-body. Let's hope that's the reason. For the end, the roof-box, together with the racks, sand boards and the tyre flew off the roof as I crossed with high speed (otherwise you just sink in the sand) some deep vehicle-tracks at a 45 degree angle. Surprisingly, the Partner wasn't damaged and we put everything back on.
Petra, Nabataean city, cut out of the rock (here the last Indiana Jones was also shot) is fantastic. I have attached some pictures, the others will be probably attached by Rok tomorrow.
On Saturday evening I embark on a ferry to Egypt (going through Israeli Eilat means they don't let you enter Libya nor Syria) and I'll be in a hurry again; this time to Cairo because I have to report on my embassy and we'll send my passport to Slovenia where it should be on Tuesday latest. Why? Well, I was too pushy by publishing the September 28th news and I don't plan to repeat the mistake. :-)))
Second and third (Partner on the left, Magirus just on the right of the high mountain) picture below: copyright Sandra Gilles (www.gilles-unterwegs.de)
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