The landscape of Wadi Rum almost empties your soul of worldly worries. Looking at the immense rolling hills entwined with chiseled canyons and sand dunes blemished by camel footprints, one is reminded of the words of British archaeologist, military officer, and diplomat Thomas Edward Lawrence more famously known as Lawrence of Arabia, when he described Wadi Rum as “vast, echoing, and God-like.”

I find it a fitting side trip to our spiritual tour of the Holy Land. How else could I describe the colossal grandness of it all? Even in its barren environment almost devoid of plants and trees, the way Mother Nature sculpted a dramatic expanse of landscape that stretched as far as the eyes could see—it honors the fact that only God could fashion such magnificent creation.

Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011, Wadi Rum is referred by many as the “quintessential desert” because of its extreme weather conditions, scorching during summer and violently cold every winter, the unforgiving elements and the peaceful exquisiteness of Wadi Rum makes it a testing but gratifying home to the Bedouins.

The Bedouins are descendants of these nomadic Arabs who inhabited the Syrian and Arabian deserts for many centuries. The name “Bedouins” originated from the Arabic term for “dessert dwellers.” Divided into various tribes, they thrive in the most challenging conditions of the deserts of the Middle East to North Africa and are known to live a low-key lifestyle herding goats and camels while owning a few set of possessions. Our guide Mohanned told us while still on the bus “These Bedouins have very few belongings, aside from few set of clothes, you can only see them with a tent, a 4x4 truck and a generator set – that’s it, all they ever need to exist in these sterile land”

During a tea session with a small group of Bedouins I learned from one of them about a Filipino who settled in Wadi Rum. “He lives here and married here, but too bad he went somewhere, you should have met him,” one of the Bedouins told us.

After our brief interaction with some of the Bedouins we clambered over a small rocky hill to wait for the sunset. Mohannad gave us slices of watermelons swearing at its sweetness while we sat idly, with myself getting lost to my own thoughts again. As the sky slowly faded into crisp golden hues, a strong wind started blowing. I looked down below me and I saw the sands forming a mini tornado as it circled past to cover the lined footprints of camels. The otherworldly scenery reminded me of the movie The Martian, which was filmed against the very same backdrop I am staring in awe at.

For the first time I was able to mingle with everyone from the group. All 17 of us, being the only non-travel operator I instantly felt as one of them. Over a lighted bonfire, I listened attentively as they enthusiastically shared interesting and inspiration tidbits about the travel industry. On our second night, I felt a tint of joy knowing that apart from in the midst of creating a wonderful memory of Wadi Rum, a budding camaraderie among all of us has been brewing as well.

Exhausted from the long trip to Wadi Rum but with spirits filled to the brim with delight, we feasted at our luxurious Sun City Camp over a traditional Jordanian meal of Zarbs—a Bedouin barbecue of chicken and lamb marinated with various herbs and spices pre-heated in an underground oven for three to four hours. That night, as I walked toward our luxurious tent I caught a sight of the blanket of stars above me. Overwhelmingly countless and beautiful, I have never seen such sheer number appear so clearly in the nighttime skies before.

Day 2 of our 12-day Holy Land trip couldn’t have ended more wonderfully – ticking off Wadi Rum from my personal ‘bucket list’ was just one of the many highlights forming and a truly is, welcome gift handed to me by sheer good karma. I can’t acknowledge the travel Gods enough.

When I was a kid, I’ve gotten used to completing mosaic puzzles my parents love to buy for me. I guess, that’s where I started visualizing places as most of the pictures I solved where of mountains, oceans, cityscape and even world maps. This is the reason why upon learning that our first stop would be in a church featuring an ancient mosaic map of Jerusalem and its surrounding biblical places, my enthusiasm was further buoyed. 

According to its description, the Mosaic Map of Madaba dates back to the 6th century. It charts a total of 157 Biblical sites in the Holy Land including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. After it was completed, the mosaic is believed to have comprised of over 2 million tile pieces and was embedded to the floor of a Byzantine Church.

However, the years of Madaba being a highly populated city came to an abrupt halt following a devastating earthquake in 746. Soon, the citizens abandoned the city and much of the Byzantine-era structures was buried under a pile of rubble and Earth.

The mosaic map was unearthed in 1884—still attached to the original floor—after a Greek Orthodox Church was constructed on top of a ruins of a pre-6^th century Byzantine Church.  Illustrated from a bird’s eye view, the Madaba Map clearly charts ancient Jerusalem even mapping out the main streets and churches in the city. 

The mosaic map guided archaeologists in digging and discovering more ancient ruins particularly the remains of the Cardo Maximus and the New Church of Theotokos—also referred to as The Nea—, a church built in Jerusalem by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I in 1543 and was later destroyed by the invading Persians in 614.

Today, what's left of the Madaba Mosaic Map can be seen on the apse—a crescent recess roofed by a hemispherical arch—of the modern-day Church of Saint George. Other than the aforementioned Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Nea Church, other notable places that can still be viewed on the map are: the place of John the Baptist's Baptism, the old city of Jerusalem, Zion Gate, the Tower of David, Damascus Gate, the Golden Gate and the Cardo Maximus.

Since we alighted from our bus at a parking lot located almost 700 meters from the church of Saint George, we were gifted with an opportunity to explore a small part of Madaba. Doing so, we passed by streets filled with shops selling mosaic artworks, coffee and tea shops and through a small market place before reaching the Church. Madaba, as I learned later, is composed mainly of Christians who comprises a third of its population.  If you are doubting whether religious tolerance is present in Jordan, then Madaba will assure you that it does.

If only I am not part of a tour group—on a travel writing assignment—and have the freedom to exercise any whims of spontaneity, then I would have preferred spending a few days in Madaba, as I learned after my trip, the city keeps several more fascinating archaeological sites and ancient structures.

I guess, the more reasons to dream of another trip to Jordan someday.