In a climate so harsh, it’s no wonder people are so warm to one another.
© Sally Baho

Crossing Geographic and Cultural Barriers

It was the dead of summer, and I was taking a road trip from Aqaba, Jordan, back to the capital, Amman. We stopped in Wadi Rum to explore the desert that Lawrence of Arabia had traversed just about a century prior.

Although not as grandiose as T.E. Lawrence’s experiences, my short time in Wadi Rum was a lesson in bridging cultural barriers by way of unexpected friendships.

Warm Wadi Rum

Now tree-lined, the King’s Highway is the road
where, according to the Old Testament,
Moses was refused passage.
© Sally Baho

The two-lane King’s Highway leading into the wadi (valley) is flanked with palm trees. All you can see for miles is the desert with occasional herds of camels and goats.

It was just over 100˚F as we exited the air-conditioned car and were immediately overcome with dry, desert heat.

The reds and pinks and oranges of the desert only added to the physical heat, but it was a sweet heat like an all inclusive, warm hug.

With the colors of the desert adding to the heat of the climate, you cannot escape the warmth.
© Sally Baho

We boarded a Jeep for a tour around the desert. From the hot wind to the swirling sands and the jutting rocks, the warmth was omnipresent.

Wind-blown hair in an open air jeep
© Sally Baho

We stopped and had coffee with a Bedouin family, who had flagged us down—they were welcoming and shared their strong, bitter coffee with us.  While we only spent about thirty minutes with them, it was enough time to be out of the sun and rest in the shade with hospitable people.

Shelter in the hot, midday sun in Wadi Rum, Jordan
© Sally Baho

The Warmth of an Unlikely Friendship

After our desert tour, I happened upon the gift shop at the Visitor’s Center that sold ceramic handiworks made by local girls and women through an initiative sponsored by USAID (United States Agency for International Development).  USAID provided the infrastructure and resources to help maintain the Bedouin pottery-making practice and simultaneously empower girls and women.

Women creating pottery at a coop near Petra, Jordan
© USAID

Chocolate, the universal
conversation starter
© Sally Baho

I chatted with the attendant, Rabbia, and offered her half of the KitKat bar I was eating. Her face lit up, and the conversation began flowing with ease.

I explained my background and Rabbia’s curiousity was piqued—she wanted to know where I came from, why I spoke Arabic, if I was traveling alone, was I married, etc.

Rabbia and I were both in our early twenties. We loved art, chocolate, had the same taste in music, were close with our families, and were passionate about life.  We asked each other candid questions about each others’ lifestyles, and benign curiosity shone through as the motivation behind the questions.  I found myself talking and laughing and sharing a beautiful moment with a person from a very different background than me.

A desert friendship
© Sally Baho

Oh, I See

By being open, you can act as your own bridge to any cultural barriers that may exist.  My experience in Wadi Rum showed me that despite the harsh conditions and my purely touristic visit to the desert, I found people who were willing to share and be kind so long as I was open to it.  Travel does this to you—it forces you to open up to others, and in doing so you see the beauty of what people have in common.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”

—Mark Twain

Find more information on Jordanian Culture at the Embassy of Jordan site.

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