Picnic

This is Suleiman, my guide in Wadi Rum.

He'd originally planned for us to eat lunch at a camp belonging to his cousin, but there wasn't anyone there, so we had a picnic out in the desert instead. Lunch was a can of tuna, a tomato, and a cucumber, with a couple of slices of pita bread, a bar of chocolate, and mango juice. Suleiman chopped up his tomato and cucumber into a pretty little salad, then offered me his knife. I managed to mangle the vegetables into  a few large chunks, but once it was rolled up in the pita it didn't matter.

After we ate, it was nap time. Suleiman got the seat cushions from the back of his truck and we stretched out on the blankets. I pulled my coat over my face, but didn't sleep. I just lay there listening.  There were a few birds -- and an occasional soft snore from under Suleiman's robe -- but mostly it was so quiet I could hear the breeze against the rock and the sand while the clouds sailed slowly by against the deep, deep blue of the sky.

Another perfect experience in Jordan.