Sinai Diaries #2
In the late afternoon, we descended into a valley of red granite that hid a neglected walled garden. We set up camp for the night inside the protective arm of its partially collapsed perimeter wall.
Camels arrived bearing our food and camping equipment. These gardens are sustained by deep wells, yielding apricots, carobs, figs, tamarinds, lemons and raspberries, with hives for producing honey. We gathered kindling and lit the fire that served as the heart of the camp. A well-worn carpet, intricately threaded with colours, was unfurled and we sat down to enjoy freshly baked bread with vegetable stew, along with cups of Bedouin tea.
As the darkness pressed in on us the Bedouin told tales of the djinn, demons who haunted the desert. The temperature began to drop dramatically and it wasn't long before I gratefully climbed into the warm haven of my tent . . . [continue]