This desert life

The Desert of Wadi Rum

YOU hold your breath as each second becomes an eternity, not wanting to exhale for fear of breaking the spell.

The silence, not even broken by the slightest gust of wind, is as overwhelming as the vast expanse of golden red desert before you, threatening to engulf your senses.

You try to take in the panorama, the rippling dunes broken only by the occasional scrub of brush, an ocean of sand which finally breaks on the sandstone crags which thrust into the sky.

Yet as you attempt to assimilate the breathtaking sight, it changes moment by moment as the setting sun sinks down towards the peaks.

The hue of the sand turns blood red and the crest of the mountains seem to catch fire as the sun first begins to disappear behind their vista.

The sandstone rocks darken as twilight tints the impossibly clear blue sky with hints of darker purple.

As the first stars begin to battle through the fading light of day, you finally exhale.

This is sunset in the Wadi Rum desert, a vast tract of dunes where the legend of Lawrence of Arabia began life. It was this sea of sand which he crossed on camel-back with a handful of Bedouin tribesmen to attack and capture the heavily-fortified city of Aqaba during the First World War.

Among the first sites to greet the traveller are the impressive crags named The Seven Pillars of Wisdom by Lawrence. Jutting out of the blood-red carpet, they almost resemble a castle guarding the entrance to the sands.

The sheer size and silence of this region is daunting and makes you feel a very small part of a very large universe.

Surrounded by all that vastness, humdrum routine seems unimportant. Wadi Rum is worth visiting if only to be reminded that there is more to life than simply getting up and going to work.

It isn't just a place, it's an experience and one which leaves you curiously refreshed and wanting to go back into the world with a smile on your face.

And perhaps that explains the hospitality of the desert's Bedouin tribes who redefine the word "warm". These are a people who genuinely want to meet you, sit down, share a fire and simply talk.

The perfect end to a day in Wadi Rum is a night with its people. Candle-lights surround the camp in the cliffs above while on offer is the roaring fire, singing, food (wine if you are lucky) and conversation, often exchanged while sucking fruit-flavoured smoke from a bubbling Hookah - a day to savour in more ways than one.

Petra

WIDE-eyed, bristling with energy and just wanting to look everywhere at once - the ancient city of Petra is a place where the wonderment you possessed as a child surfaces again.

For this is a place to explore, a place where Boys Own adventures could be had, where whip-wielding archaeologists would hunt for treasure and find it all around them.

Your journey begins on a dusty track bounded on either side with mysterious but strangely humble monuments, grave markers to people long dead.

As you continue, your excitement mounts with every step as you glimpse what is ahead, for the cliffs close in and you are left with one route only - the Siq - a narrow gorge which plunges down into the rocks. Now this is exploring.

Taking a deep breath, you leave the sun behind and enter the shady pathway with its sandstone walls which tower nearly 80 metres above you.

It is at once oppressive and impressive as you pass bizarre inscriptions carved in ancient languages, small shrines dedicated to pagan gods long-forgotten.

Then, after what seems an age, you spy a sliver of golden light. As you approach it grows wider as the sunlight returns. You turn the corner and there it is, an utterly astounding, jaw-dropping wonder, The Treasury - a massive temple carved into the face of the cliff. You try to comprehend how men thousands of years ago managed to create this marvel, which makes modern architecture look as cheap as flat-pack furniture.

Surrounding it are tombs of nobles once rich enough to have their final resting place hewn out of the rock.

You turn into another canyon which stretches out for miles and realise that Petra is staggering. Temples, an amphitheatre, ruins of a roman city and then a climb to what seems the top of the world where incredibly stands The Monastery.

This is a similar undertaking to The Treasury except some 1,200 metres up a mountain. Here you can take a cup of sweet Jordanian tea before standing on the peak and staring for miles in every direction.

Petra by night

BEAUTIFUL - once twilight descends Petra is transformed. For the Siq is turned into a golden path lit its entire length with softly burning candles. You walk in silence as the moon hangs low in the sky. When you reach The Treasury, Bedouin musicians wait amid a carpet of lights. There, as you sip sweet tea, they play haunting, heartbreaking tunes as you try to contain the emotions being evoked - many cannot. (Petra by night is only available to those who book with Jules Verne travel company).

The Dead Sea

RELAXING, calming and soothing - three words you might associate with the Dead Sea, they are as far from the truth as you could get.

Hilarious, ridiculous and - most importantly - painful are the reality.

For the first thing you do is get its water in your mouth, which can only equate to drinking diesel. The next thing you do is get it in your eyes, which is utter agony, and you can't wipe them because that only gets more uber-salt water in them. Then you scrape your legs on the rocks below and your skin sets fire as that salt does its work again. Up and down the coast, people scream in equal measures of laughter and pain.

Once you master the art of floating, the Dead Sea becomes an experience you will long remember, along with the bizarre site of people smearing black mud over themselves.

Jerash

IF after Petra you still have a longing for the past, there is no better place to drink your fill than at the Roman city of Jerash. For this is one of greatest ruins of its kind in the world. Its Streets of Columns, its imposing South Gate and incredible amphitheatre transport you back in time, and as you clamber over the ruins you almost expect to bump into a centurion or a gladiator. This city is huge and the discoveries just keep coming.

Aqaba

THIS is a city which has washed off the dust of ages and is trying to embrace the 21st century. Nestled on the always warm Red Sea, it is re-inventing itself along the lines on Eilat in Israel, a resort for the rich to come and soak up the sun. Impressive hotels, a convenient airport and sadly not a huge amount of character, this is a place to wind down in a top-class hotel as you prepare to return home.

Other places to visit:

Mount Nebo: Said to be the resting place of Moses. Deeply spiritual, historically significant and stunning views.

Amman: The capital of Jordan, bustling with modern day commerce but with hidden gems of the past contained within - including the Dead Sea Scrolls, something to write home about.

Umayyad Palace, near Amman: Star Wars fans will think they have been transported to Luke's home on Tatooine when they see the exterior. Inside, however, are frescoes dating back hundreds of years and well-worth a sidetrip.

Karak Castle: A fortress still standing from the days of the Crusades. Here knights and Arabs battled for the land and the soul of this desert nation. Impressive.

Fact file

Scott travelled on the Discover Jordan trip with agents Voyages Jules Verne.

A week's adventure starts from £495 for three-star accommodation, flying from London Gatwick to Aqaba airport - about five hours.

His journey to London was via GNER First Class which took just under two hours.

For more information, phone Voyages Jules Verne on 0845 1667035 or www.vjv.com

Train times and prices available from www.gner.co.uk

Updated: 10:24 Saturday, April 29, 2006