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John Elkington

John Elkington

A world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development.

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Little Petra To Wadi Rum

John Elkington · 28 October 2023 · 1 Comment

We started the day with a visit to Little Petra, where Elaine found a moonstone and an agate that took her fancy. Then we set off for Wadi Rum, said to have inspired the title of Lawrence of Arabia’s book, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Reading that book in my early teens, and T.E. Lawrence’s earlier book, Crusader Castles, did a lot to fuel my interest in the region .

When we arrived in the Wadi Rum area, we transferred from minibus to a trio Toyota trucks for an exploration of the landscape – and then a traditional lamb and chicken dinner cooked underground for the majority who were carnivores, and a mezzo-style meal for the vegetarians.

Elaine and ate our meal around a crackling fire, with a few bright stars shining through the cloud which had brought us rain earlier in the day. Indeed, it was drizzling as we first drove into Wadi Rum.

We slept in one of a number of Bedouin-dressed cabins, with a bed that could have been made up of a large number of camel saddles. Still, I slept well, apart from occasional awakenings when the sound of the exercising Jordanian F-16s overhead got too intense. That went on much of the night, no doubt linked to the rising tensions around Gaza.

An early glimpse from the back of an open truck, through drizzle
Gorge, with wild figs either side of its entrance
Wild fig
Petroglyphs in the gorge, of a man and, apparently, a pregnant woman
Camelscape
Camel cameo
Distant camels
Left in our wake
Our trio of Toyotas
Some see a chicken and egg
trying to get stones into a central hole – I failed
Rock bridge
Andy Goldsworthy’s influence spreads
Panorama with Elaine and I
And without
Dinner goes underground
Dinner is disinterred
There’s something about sitting around a fire
Later in the evening

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  1. wadi rum says

    16 November 2023 at 6:09 pm

    Wadi Rum, also known as the Valley of the Moon, is a desert valley located in southern Jordan. It is renowned for its stunning landscapes, red sand dunes, towering sandstone cliffs, and rock formations that have been shaped by natural elements over millions of years. Here are some key points about Wadi Rum:

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Introduction

I began this blog with an entry reporting on a visit to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Cape Cod, on 30 September 2003. The blog element of the website has gone through several iterations since, with much of the older material still available.

Like so many things in my life, blog entries blur the boundaries between the personal and the professional. As explained on this site’s Home Page, the website and the blog are part platform for ongoing projects, part autobiography, and part accountability mechanism.

In addition, my blogs have appeared on many sites such as: Chinadialogue, CSRWire, Fast Company, GreenBiz, Guardian Sustainable Business, and the Harvard Business Review.

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John Elkington is a world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development. He is currently Founding Partner and Executive Chairman of Volans, a future-focused business working at the intersection of the sustainability, entrepreneurship and innovation movements.

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