From the Jordanian Desert. Our action-packed day began at 4am as we made our way to Wadi Rum.

Hot Air Ballooning. As the first hint of dawn was just beginning to light the sky, the crew worked quickly to prep the balloon for take-off. “A good day for a launch,” I thought to myself, feeling very much like an astronaut.

While we didn’t make it to space, we did get about 1,000 feet off of the ground! This altitude provided us with some spectacular views of Wadi Rum. Speaking of space, from high above, the landscape looked like the surface of another planet.

What I found really surprising about ballooning was the calmness. Except for the intermittent sound of the flame from the propane tank, we rode in complete silence.

4x4 Tour with Ali, our Bedouin Guide. After ballooning, we loaded all of our gear into Ali’s jeep and headed deeper into the desert. One cool thing about touring expansive landscapes by jeep is the amount of ground that you can cover. Ali was determined to make sure that we had an exciting ride. We raced over the dunes of beautiful Wadi Rum, rarely seeing any other tourists as we went. It was really hard to stay oriented because many of the rock formations looked similar. Luckily, Ali knows the landscape like the back of his hand -- he grew up in the area, after all.

We drove to the Jabal Umm Fruth rock bridge, a large arch of rock that stands about 50 feet tall. I was the only team member brave enough to scramble up and stand on top of it. Looking out over desert, it was amazing to think about how weather has eroded the solid stone structure so drastically. The rock bridge, which is one of several in Wadi Rum, is evidence of the transformative powers of nature’s elements.

More of the desert landscape: The Desert Castles.

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