Ngemva kwemini yam yokugqibela ePetra (Petra), inkwenkwe yamaBedouin yandinika ikomityi yeti—yathi utatomkhulu wayo wambona uLawrence (Lawrence)

Ngemva kwemini yam yokugqibela ePetra (Petra), inkwenkwe yamaBedouin yandinika ikomityi yeti—yathi utatomkhulu wayo wambona uLawrence (Lawrence)

Umyinge wokugqibela weSiq (Siq). Indlela emxinwa yamatye emva kwe-1.2 yekhilomitha epheleleyo ngesiquphe yavuleka—iTreasury (Al-Khazneh). Ayikho kwimifanekiso, ayikho kwiqweqwe leNational Geographic, ayikho kwimuvi ka-Indiana Jones—ikho ngokwenene, yahlulwe kubini kukukhanya kwentsasa okungena kumfantozo wamatye, isiqingatha sinombala wegolide yerose, esinye sisafihliwe emthunzini. Umntu osemva kwam wathi kancinci ngesiArabhu, 'Alhamdulillah.' Ndema apho, ndathandabuza imizuzwana embalwa phakathi kokuphefumla nokuphefumla.

Emva koko ndajonga umva kwiSiq (Siq)—indlela yamatye endandisandul' ukuyihamba, egudiswe ziihashe neenkamela kumawaka eminyaka—ndaza ndaqala ukukhumbula ukuba oku kuqale njani.

Kwiiveki ezintathu ezidlulileyo, ndandihleli esitulweni eBeijing ndibukele umdlalo wokuhlungela iNdebe yeHlabathi. Iqela laseJordani lidlala nomdlali othile endingakhumbuli igama lakhe. Isibonakude satsho umfanekiso webhanile—'The Chivalrous' (iQela lamaQhawe)—kunye neflegi yelizwe endingayaziyo. Bendingazi ukuba iJordani iphi, bendingazi ukuba abantu bathetha loluphi ulwimi apho, bendingazi ukuba kutheni eli qela lizibiza ngokuba 'ngamaQhawe.' Kwizihlalo zokuhlala abanye babecula umhobe wesizwe ongahambelaniyo, ikhamera yatsho ebusweni bomlandeli waseJordani—wayepeyinte iflegi emhlophe, ebomvu namnyama ebusweni bakhe, amehlo akhe enento endandicinga ukuba ivela kuphela emva kokuphumelela umdlalo. Andisakhumbuli isiphumo somdlalo. Kodwa ndiyakhumbula ukuba ndavula isikhangeli, ndafaka 'jordan travel'.

I-Amman (Amman) sisixeko esakhiwe kwiinduli ezisixhenxe. Iteksi isuka kwisikhululo seenqwelomoya inyuka induli, umqhubi walungisa unomathotholo kwisitishi saseLebhanon esidlala iingoma ezindala zikaFairuz, wandixelela ngesixhobo sokuguqulela: 'Iindlela zaseAmman nomonde wamaJordani ziyinto enye—ziyajikeleza, kodwa zihlala zifika.' Wandishiya emnyango wendawo yokutyela ebizwa ngokuba yiHashem (Hashem)—le ndawo ivule iiminyaka engamashumi amathandathu ingaze ivalwe, imenyu inezinto ezintathu kuphela: i-hummus, i-falafel, kunye ne-pita. Umsebenzi waphosa isixa se-pita kwilaphu leplastiki, wathi into enye ngesiArabhu esikhawulezayo. Andizange ndiqonde, kodwa umthengi owayehleli ecaleni wancuma waguqulela: 'Uthi—qala utye, emva koko uthethe.'

Ngemini elandelayo ngecala lesithandathu ekuseni, ndema emnyango wePetra (Petra). Ukuba unemini enye kuphela eJordani, kufuneka uyinike yonke iPetra. Ikhulu leemitha ngalinye leSiq (Siq) yimozulu eyahlukileyo—ekungeneni kukho ingxolo yabakhenkethi, kodwa xa uhamba nzulu uve kuphela umoya kunye nezinyuko zakho. Ngamanye amaxesha kukho iindawo ezingcwele zamandulo kunye neentsalela zemijelo yamanzi ematyeni, amatye abunjwe ngumoya namanzi abe yimisipha. Kwi-800 yeemitha, inkwenkwe yamaBedouin ekhwele i-mule yadlula ecaleni kwam, yajika yathi: 'Kusondele.'

Emva komnqantsa ophezulu ekupheleni kweSiq (Siq), ndahlala kwizinyuko ezijongene neTreasury (Al-Khazneh). Abakhenkethi babexakekile bethatha imifanekiso, befaka kwi-Instagram, bejonga amaphepha eencwadi zokukhokela. Umntu omnye kuphela owayengashukumi—inkwenkwe yamaBedouin eneminyaka elishumi elinesithathu okanye elinesine, enxibe i-headscarf eneepateni ezibomvu namhlophe, engqiyame ngentsika. Undijonge, emva koko wagalela iti eshushu kwithermos yakhe wayinika mna. 'Iti ye-mint,' watsho, 'ukhwela ixesha elide, amanzi akho aphelile.' Iti yayiswiti, ineswekile eninzi. Ndambuza ukuba uhleli ixesha elingakanani ePetra. Wathi: 'Ndihleli apha rhoqo. Utatomkhulu wam naye uhleli apha. Uthi wambona uLawrence (Lawrence).' Wabeka ikomityi yakhe phantsi wakhomba ezantsi—izinyuko ezingama-800 ezisiya kwiMonastery (Ad-Deir)—'Ukuba ufuna ukuya apho, hamba ngoku. Kusasa kushushu kakhulu.'

Isibhakabhaka saseWadi Rum (Wadi Rum) asifuni zihombiso. Umkhokeli wamaBedouin wazoba ngeenyawo endleleni ye-jeep yakusasa emhlabathini, emva koko wandixelela ibali: usapho lwakhe luhlale apha izizukulwana ezisixhenxe, kwaye isizukulwana ngasinye sinike intlango amagama amatsha. 'Intlango ayitshintshi,' watsho, 'kodwa abantu abayijongileyo bayatshintsha. Ngoko ke amagama nawo kufuneka atshintshe.' Walayita isibane separafini wasixhoma ngaphandle kwentente—kuphela komthombo wokukhanya owenziwe ngumntu kwiikhilomitha ezingamashumi amahlanu—waza wakhomba kwicala leMilky Way: 'Uyayibona loo mtya weenkwenkwezi? Siwubiza ngokuba 'yiinkophe zenkamela.' Ndawujonga ixesha elide, ndacinga ukuba eli gama lichanekile kakhulu kune'Milky Way.'

ULwandle oluFileyo (Dead Sea) alunamaza. Ungena, amanzi akutyhala ukuba udade, kodwa xa uzama ukuphakama uziva usindayo kunesiqhelo—wonke umxhuzulane wehlabathi ugxile emaqatheni akho. Ndada kwi-15 yemizuzu, ndijonge i-Israel ngaphesheya, ndijonge umgaqo wentlango waseJordani ngasemva, ndizama ukudibanisa zonke iziqwengana zolu hambo. IJordani lilizwe elingenayo i-oyile kodwa livulele iingcango zalo kwiimbacu ezingaphezu kwezigidi ezintathu. Ikhadi layo yiPetra (Petra), kodwa amathambo ayo ngumonde. Lowo munde wokugaya amatye abe yitempile, ukuguqula intlango ibe likhaya, nokuphatha iindwendwe njengembeko.

Ngomhla wokuhamba, ndabuyela kwikhefi yaseAmman (Amman). Umnini wandibona, wandinika ikofu yamaArabhu—engenaswekile, eneentsalela ezishinyeneyo ezantsi. Wafaka umnwe wakhe kwikofu eyayiphumile emlonyeni wekomityi, wazoba isangqa esincinci etafileni, wathi: 'Le yiPetra (Petra). Uya kubuyela.' Ndambuza ukuba kutheni. Wakhomba kwishedyuli yemidlalo yeqela laseJordani eyayixhonywe eludongeni. 'Kuba xa iJordani idlala ngokulandelayo, uya kubukela.'