Roughing It In a Jordanian Bedouin Camp

 When Fake Authentic Becomes Actually Authentic

We stayed in a Bedouin camp for a night as part of our two day tour of Jordan that included Petra and Wadi Rum.  The Bedouins were (and to some degree still are) a group of nomadic Arab tribes who overtook the region from the Nabateans several hundred years ago.  Today many of the Bedouins have given up goat hair tents for permanent houses, but some still live seasonally as they herd their sheep and goats to to the lushest pastures.  Other Bedouins have reached another compromise.  They maintain some camps as hotels for tourists.  

Relaxing by the fire of the Bedouin camp.  Sleeping tents are in the background.

I was originally really excited about staying in an authentic Bedouin Camp.  I imagined food cooked over a fire, while I gazed at the stars above before retiring to my tent to sleep on a mat laid on earth, kind of like how it actually is when I go camping.  This was not that same experience.  While the stars were indeed amazingly clear and tasty hot tea was cooked over the fire, the tents were partially built of concrete (less soft than the ground would have been and unfriendly to my back) and all the food was prepared off site, the plastic wrap removed after it was brought to the table.  

The inside of a sleeping tent, with not so authentic concrete, lining the authentic goat-hair tent.

I thought well, at least if this experience is not going to be authentic I will still have running water.  Alas that was not to be either that a malfunction in the water system in the early morning hours resulted in no way to flush a toilet, wash hands, or take a shower.  With the camp being designed to suit the creature comforts desired by foreigners, not even a privy was available for relief, making our first stop out of the camp in the morning, a gift shop with a bathroom.  

The highlight of the camp was the fire-brewed sweet tea.

I have since learned that Bedouin camps like this exist with a wide range of options as far a creature comforts, with everything from flat screen TVs to no electricity whatsoever, many of which are located within Wadi Rum itself, not some random desert like us.  Spending the night in a UNESCO world heritage site like Wadi Rum, I probably could have over-looked the other deficiencies in authenticity of the camp we stayed in.  

Hanging out in the food tent where our meals were brought.