Jordan does it again!

After Petra, what more could there be for a traveler to Jordan, which, may I remind you, is smaller than Indiana? In a country so modestly sized, shouldn't one world-class wonder be enough? And yet, those in the know, including Lonely Planet and my friend who lives in Turkey, would rank Petra second to Jordan's other magical place: Wadi Rum.

It's true. Apparently, size does not matter when you are dealing with a place as intensely geographical as Jordan. Wadi Rum (rhymes with "thumb" not "tomb") is a series of wadis (or desert canyons) in the southeastern corner of the country. It's a mere 90 minutes from Petra, but the landscape is a world away. Wadi Rum has stunning rock formations in the style of the southwestern deserts of the USA. They tower above red and golden sand and stand against the huge, blue canvas of sky. But, unlike the Southwest, the paved road stops right at the beginning and you can only get around one of three ways: on f00t, a Jeep or a camel.

For me, there was only one choice and it had four legs and one hump. In Wadi Rum, K and I signed up to spend a whole day seeing the desert on a camel. A whole day! On a camel! If you're like me, the thought sends you into raptures. What better and more authentic way to see Wadi Rum than on one's own personal "ship of the desert?" Camels move slowly (not much faster than a walking pace). They are quiet and excellent for the environment. Not only that, they are ridiculously--and I mean, ridiculously--cute. What's not to love?

Well...there is the matter of one's rear end. In order to spend the day on a camel, I knew (despite some horseback riding experience that came in handy) I would have to sacrifice my ability to sit comfortably and move without lurching for at least 24 hours (it turned out to be more like 48...). But it was so worth it!

For our camel trek, we had a trusty guide named Salman, who supplied the camels, his and one each for K and me. Salman's English was limited to about two words: camel and lunch, but it's amazing how much people can communicate without a common language. We felt secure and well-shepherded the entire time. Our camels were tied to his, but we were all riding. (Most camel treks are shorter because the guide leads the camels on foot.) My camel was named Shalan and K's was Balan. Two more docile beasts you could never find. We hopped on right where the paved road ended near the town of Rum. For those of you who haven't been on a camel as it is standing up, imagine what would happen if you could somehow sit in the middle of a 6-foot-tall card table as it was unfolded two legs at a time. Yep, that's right: you jerk back as the camel's stands up on its front legs, then immediately jerk forward and stabilize as the camel's back legs follow suit. Going down is the reverse and just as jerky.

Though it had been raining in the afternoons in Petra, we couldn't have picked a better day to see the desert. The sky was that crazy deep, deep blue without a cloud in sight. We walked though one valley after another with plenty of time to drink in the dunes, the mountains and the sand before that scenery fell away and more appeared. Salman stopped every so often at various points of interest. We had a big break at lunch (he opened tuna cans with his knife and we sat around at ate. Afterwards, he took a nap while K and I took pics of the camels to our hearts content). We got to the camp at about 3:30 in time to drive out with another guide to see the stunning sunset. The last hour on the camel was the hardest. Despite my (continued and eternal) enthusiasm, I was glad when Shalen folded up and I could slide off for the last time.

We stayed the night at a very small Bedouin-style camp with about 15 other people, rustic tents, foam mattresses and a pile of blankets. (Unlike in the UAE, the desert of Jordan gets cold at night). The guides played music around the fire and sang Arabic camp songs, which sounded a lot like campfire songs anywhere with lots of simple rhythm and lots of repetition. The full moon rose and lit up the sky, and we saw the constellations for the first time in a long time. We fell asleep to the sound of the desert wind rattling the sides of the tent and the campfire snapping as it died away.

Was it better than Petra? In some ways. Wadi Rum was a place of silence and beauty, big enough to swallow the visitors who seek it out in fewer, but still significant, numbers. The day on the camel was thrilling and personal. I shared it with K and Salman. I didn't have to share it with 400 school kids and 65 tour buses. Yet Petra is also a marvel of nature and human ingenuity, mysterious and just as grandiose. There's no choosing between the two. When you go to Jordan, you'll just have to see both.