Feynan Ecolodge and Bedouin Cultural Experience

We arrived at the Feynan Ecolodge in late afternoon, ready to peel off our wet clothes for a much needed shower. Our pants, boots and socks were covered with reddish dirt since they had been soaked by the streams carrying the fine red soil in the valley. The rain had stopped although it took a while for the raging stream (now knee deep) next to the lodge to subside. During the night the raging stream damaged the water filtration system in the lodge so there was no water available the next morning until they fixed it. After the rain, the humidity also dropped. Our washed clothes, boots etc became dry in the morning.

Feynan Ecolodge was built for sustainable tourism. It has only solar panels to generate electricity which was available in the lobby area for the internet (slow) and charging cell phones. Electricity was not available in the private rooms but they have their own showers. Light was provided by candles. Dinner was communal buffet style in candle light. There was a star gazing session that evening. We saw tons of stars and the Milky Way since there was practically no light pollution in the area.

(Left) Feynan Ecolodge
(Right) Our bedroom with mosquito net and candle holders on the wall.

The next day was our day off. We opted out of a 3-hr hike to the copper mines used by ancients. The labor force for the mines was prisoners, whose Achilles tendons were cut to prevent running away. Sally spent 2 hours sketching goats and a landscape of the mountains and jujupe trees with umbrella tree (acacia) in background.

(Left) Goats grazing                   (Right) There must be seeds buried in the soil in the dry stream bed

We did birding in the barely dry streambed, where yesterday a stream 2 to 6 inches deep had been running. We saw doves, a white spectacled bulbul, a Lesser grey shrike, and a flock of small Palestine sunbirds. The sunbirds are small like a chickadee or wren, extremely active, hopping in and out of a tree, and back and forth between trees. They are all black with flash of iridescent blue-green at shoulder. Thin curved pointy beak that they inserted into red tubular flower (a vine) on large tree. We had a hard time getting a photo of them.

(Left) Palestinian Sunbird                                                 (Right) Lesser Grey Shrike

In the afternoon we hiked a mile to have “coffee experience” with Suleyman (a guide at the lodge) at the tent of Abu. It was about much more than coffee: Arranged marriage; divorce; closeness of community – neighbors and family support each other. Hospitality – treat strangers with graciousness and respect. Before arriving Sally had been instructed that as a female she should not offer to shake hands, but to wait for the man to offer his hand. If he did not offer, then she could acknowledge him with hand over heart (and she did a little bow of the head).

Abu first offered all of us the traditional sweet tea. Then he roasted (over fire) about 30 – 40 green coffee beans from Yemen until black/brown, in about 10 minutes. He gave us each a burst open bean to eat. Then he ground the other beans with a pestle and mortar. The ground coffee was boiled in water in a pot. The boiled coffee was then poured into a pot with cardamom to be served. No sugar was added.

       

(Left) Abu roasting coffee beans over open fire      (Right) Goats stood on hind legs to reach leaves

Suleyman talked about Bedouin life:
• Kids who live tent life are much more capable than village kids. Capable of rounding up/driving goats and sheep. Know exactly which trails the goats will follow, so they can run on ahead, take a short cut, seat themselves comfortably in a shelter and wait for the goats to arrive. In contrast, the village kids head toward the goats, and the goats run away.
• Suleyman did well at local high school and went on to college at Karak. He came home on weekends to study and to be with family. He studied outside while tending goats. It enabled him to focus and rememeber materials. When exam time came, he would just recall where on the goat trail he had learned that concept, and it would come back to him. (Like ’Memory Palace’).
• Among the Bedouin families “a lot” of kids go on to college. At colleges 2/3 of the students are women. Quite a few Bedouin kids go in to military- currently voluntary. He went for 2 years.
• Ayman spoke up – he went into military, but got out after 8 months. Usually cannot leave early – he had connections. During our hiking, Ayman had told us the government had made a good decision to locate a military training academy (secondary school) near Petra. The young kids growing up in Petra did not do well cast adrift after high school, with the freedoms of college. The strict discipline and community of the military school seemed to work.
• Suleyman’s family’s current sheepdog is lazy- he barks lying down. Their old, beloved sheep dog, who died last year, perfectly understood the sheep. When a small puppy he was put with a female goat to nurse. She was like his mom. He spent every moment with the goats. One time, all the goats came home for the afternoon feeding and milking, but no dog. They went out searching for him. He had stayed behind with an injured goat.
• Another goat/sheep story told by Ayman as we hiked from Dana to Feynan: We passed a cave in the rocks that had plenty of room for humans to shelter. (It was raining.) Ayman said, not humans, but rather the shepherds used this to shelter baby goats and sheep. It’s necessary to separate them from mothers during the weaning period.

Before dinner, we went out and watched the sunset.

(Left) The white buildings in the center is the Feynan Ecolodge          (Right) A simple mosque

(Left) Scenery on the way to Abu's tent                          (Right) Sunset

Sign Guestbook

Back to Home Page

Jordan Main Page
Amman
Jerash and Ajlun
Madaba and Mount Nebo
Dana to Feynan Ecolodge

Feynan to Ghbour Whedat
Little Petra
Petra
Wadi Rum and Dead Sea
Azraq