1

Welcome, I have not.

Were I you I'd visit www.jordanjubilee.com where you'll find a list of trusted and respected Wadi Rum guides and camps. I'd use only one of those. There's no reason to use anyone else.

Good luck.

2

Hello laketraveler, Hello everybody,

Puh..
Somebody in my hostel in Amman already told me about this website (see above), but told me as well that it has not been updated for a long time and not all the information is right. I met a traveler, that told me, he heard Zedane is very nice. The website is not talking so so good about him. Now I am confused.

Anybody actually stayed at his camp? I rather trust a person that went there, not so long time ago, than a website, that might contain information that is not up to date.

With a lot of love,
Stephanie

3

@Laketraveller: a bit harsh to all the nice people that work in Rum and are not mentioned by Ruth on her site. I know several of them.

@Stephanie: I might drive down to Rum on Wednesday. PM me if interested. Am not a tour guide, just visiting friends there.

4

Not harsh at all henkbos. You know who they are. The rest of us don't.

A tourist with no knowledge of who to trust must rely on recommendations from others. Jordanjubilee is a trusted source which anyone can use to provide recommendations of quality Bedouin camps and guides.

I'll stand by my statement. If you have no one else to trust then why would you use anyone other than the ones provided there? If you do know others who provide great service and value then that's a different story.

5

I was there. May 2010. You can find his location on Google Earth using this : 29° 29' 0.48" N 35° 23' 35.18" E . Check for Panoramio – on menu – to be ON. About Zedane Al Zalabieh .... he is a funny guy, clever and gold-lover. Like all others from Ram. But not sooooooo desperate! I really liked there. I landed to his tent by accident. Comparing to others, his world is not so damaged by rush and fake mumbo jumbo. Anyway, he plays good enough the “Bedouin” role ... cooking potatoes & chicken and playing other desert stuff. What I liked specially ... to sleep to a distance of one carpet from the real desert, to hear the others lives all around, to eat one fresh and a good food without E.Coli, to clean my sheet in the evening from the red sand of Ram, to talk with the Japanese peoples hosted there, to wake up with all others searching for tea, the red colours of the main tent, to watch the sunset away from crowds, wind whispering in the night, brutal frankness of Zedane combined with his appetite for earning every coin, lack of rubbish ... but most of all ... surroundings .... Disliked only the combined toilet / bathroom, it is difficult to do things in the morning when someone brush his teeth few steps away, but today I think all was from the same picture ... ;-) ... veeeery Japanese ... what you don’t see does not exist ... I disapproved the presence of the Bedouin boy’s young mistress but finally I understood her role, all day long she washed cuisine utensils and the boy was very happy to help his elder master after some public caresses in the kitchen ... it’s sooooooooo good to be romantic around 19y and some neurons lost in space ... In my opinion you can trust the man, the place was 2y ago like ... see the pictures, you can expect exactly one real tent in one real desert with professional young tourists. This was important to me. Ruth is one remarkable honest friend for one growing up traveler, it was also one excellent adviser for me. Unfortunately, some of her recommended businessmen are rude, primitive and unscrupulous ... when they imagine being strong enough. To catch the tourist’s money is one job. To become popular is one dream. To be young and to gain a good reputation is a miracle. To live there and to fight every day for one client is a destiny. To be undesirable because one single opinion is promoted is extremely unfair. To be one very young tent-geisha and to work or to chat lies for one shorter dervish is sadness. But this is the money, right? Fortunately, eppur si muove for us.

6

Hi guys!

I was offline for some days, so now I am back and thank you so much for your comments!

@ timetowander and Henkbos
What you wrote sounds very nice. But who is Ruth? Connected to jordanjubilee?

@timetowander
your writing is beautiful, but some things I dont understand.
Who is Ruth and what bad people does she suggest?

And what you mean by mistress? The bedouine by has a girlfriend? Its funny, I spend some days with young hipsters in Amman, they told me its not so common to openly have a girlfriend. Even for a very open-minded family. So the bedouines are less strict about this? I saw something on TV in Jordan, looked like a soap opera with bedounines in it, women not wearing the scarf. So is it like this, actually?

This is the websites I found for the camp. It looked like that, when you were there?
http://www.wadirum.comlu.com/photos.php?lang=en

http://www.bedouinmeditationcamp.ewebsite.com/photos/www.bedouinmeditationcamp.photos.camp/

Thank you all! Since I still have some time before I visit Wadi Rum, maybe I continue like I usually do, asking people in the hostels, on the street, people I feel like I can trust. And from what you say, its seems to be secure to choose this Zedane, at least no bad information about him so far.

Thank you, again. Have good experience and save travelling,
With love,

Stephanie

7

Ruth is the person behind JordanJubilee.

8

I will head down to Rum again on the 13th in the afternoon if you want a ride.

9

Hello,

wow, this sounds strange.
did you talk to the girl about her situation? I still dont really understand, you mean somebody working there, at the same time a girlfriend to somebody there? She was from Europe or what? you think she did not choose to be in this situation?

A friend of mine, is working with tourists in Berlin. Its true, he told me its always better to get help from his Japanese friend, to get in touch with Japanese people. Maybe its like that everywhere? Just depends if people are willing to do this, or are forced to do so.

I would like to ask this Zedane, and other people I meet in Wadi Rum, maybe they remember this girl. I will let you know what I found out about all this after I went to Wadi Rum.

So you stayed for a very long time there?
In Jordan and Wadi Rum? Is it possible to meet this Ruth, in real live, does she live in Wadi Rum?

In my guidebook for Israel, lonely planet, they actually talk about this, that its good to take the advice from a book, but always try to find restaurants and hostels, that are not in it, to avoid pushing one buissnes a lot and killing all the others. In Germany we even have a organization controlling this, the #Bundeskartellamt# :)

Thank you for your advice,
Stephanie

10

No, it is not so strange, not in our world at least. To talk ... why? Everyone chose his way using his own style and his own brain. And his own education.
Yes, I mean “somebody working there, at the same time a girlfriend to somebody there” but I find a little bit forced the word “girlfriend”, maybe it is valid only in one way. Sorry to talk so cryptic sometimes but I really try to avoid harsh words. She was not from Europe.
Yes, she chose to be in this situation.
Hmmmmm …. For one good multinational touristic commerce (and also for us, as clients) is better for one dealer to have some “friend” from the same ethnic group. It is working all around the globe, I think. Particularly, such relation must be based on respect and reciprocity, not contempt and unscrupulous use …. hehe … certainly, I am eternal naïve, isn’t it ?
Yes, it depends …. but imagine how I felt when the little Bedouin spoke with another boy about his girl using the word “sharmuta” … sorry again …
HOW !!! please Don’t ask !!!! … ;-))))))000 …. You make me laugh a lot … I imagine …. But I am curious if today she is still there. Maybe, finally, his mind grew up. I hope so.
I stayed only one week, unfortunately!!!
I don’t know if you can meet Ruth but if you really want, ask her by mail and Insha’Allah, you will see her ;-) . And tell her from me : Thank You!
WOW … “but always try to find restaurants and hostels, that are not in it, to avoid pushing one business a lot and killing all the others” strange how I think in the same way … but this kind of logic pushed me inside VERY strange situations (elsewhere, not to Jordan), be carefully, watch your steps! I am male but sometimes it was difficult to manage some situations … You are girl so … better try to learn many Arabic words and try to explore this world (in this way) with one group, NOT alone. Please. One very respectable Jordanian woman, hotel owner (!), told me: ((( So, you go alone to Ram and you want to sleep in the desert with some unknown Bedouins. I believe you are a little bit crazy but I suppose you know already. Me and my husband tried the same one year ago, but next day we ran out from the campus as fast as we could !!! ))) ... :-) A matter of taste … but in a subtle way she was right.
About Bundeskartellamt ....veeeery interesting .... thanks. I read now ... you can also apply the word “cartel” speaking about the Bedouins of Ram, see huge prices & others ...
Have a good time,
Dan

Edited by: timetowander

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Hi Stephanie,
if you didn't start your trip yet, visit the website www.bedouinculture.com. They have a European contact, too; if you have any questions you can call there. I had a very nice trip with them in Summer and not a second I was in fear of any inconveniences.
Wish you a great time
Ines