Tales Across Jordan: In Petra, 'Married To A Bedouin'

One privilege of being a journalist - and it IS a privilege - is the opportunity to ask questions when you meet really fascinating people. Recently we drove in convoy with a group of others from one end of Jordan to the other - from Aqaba, to The Red Sea, Jerash, The Dead Sea, Kerak, Bethany and Amman and more. It is a fabulous, hospitable country, full of warm lovely people with hugely interesting stories some of which will be brought to you here as well as broadcast over the air.

In the first of these, we came across a New Zealand-born woman, Marguerite van Geldermalsen, who was selling souvenirs among the lost boys and camels. She turned out to be a nurse who had travelled with a friend to Jordan in 1978 only to end up falling in love with a Bedouin and living in a cave, yes a cave, with him in Petra. She is now the author of a wildly successful book, 'Married to a Bedouin' and this is a taste of her story.

Marguerite's book is published by Virago Press and is widely available in paperback. Visit www.marriedtoabedouin.com for more info.