2020-05-01_Lonely_Planet_Traveller

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PHOTOGRAPH:

BENJAMIN

GS/500PX

Eachmonth,a travelwriter

reflectsonthetripsthat

madethemthinka little

differentlyabouttheworld.Inthis

issue,MikeMacEacheranonPetra

@MikeMacEacheran

hatbroughtmetoJordanwasn’tits

impressivelyBiblicalruins,ephemeral

goldensandsortheLawrenceofArabia

romanceofWadiRum.It wasa childhood

glimpseoftherose-redlostcityoftheNabataeansin

a well-thumbedcopyofHergé’sTheAdventuresof

Tintin. TheTreasury,Petra’smostexhilaratingrock

temple,madea lastingimpressionthathasstuckfor

a lifetime.Sowhenstandingstock-stillatitsbase,my

childlikewonderwasuncontainable.It wasbornfrom

thedustypillars,thesplinteredcanyonchippedaway

bythemillennia,thehorsesridingouttothe

sandstonecrypt,framedbygoldencliffsfadingto

shadow.WhenmyeyescaughtsightoftheBedouin,

15 ""*#"', !-5*1,"+#0#" )#$7#&12&# ',2#,1#

feelingofnostalgiawasinstantlyreplacedbyoneof

pureelation.Likeghosts,theyglidedoutfromtheSiq

passagewayina ceremonialprocession,holding

'!)#0',%!,"*#1&#'0 1.0)*',%#7#1 1##+#"2-

staredeepintomysoul.Overthenexthour,asthe

nightskygrewinintensity,I watcheda thousand

torchessparklifeintothisgatewaytotheunderworld.

It cameinever-variegatedstages,a duskyorange

$2#0%*-5 2  012 $-**-5#" 7 .',) %*'++#0,"

,**71+-)7.30.*#! 12 !0-112&# 0-!) $!#

blanketofstarsunfoldingabove.TheBedouintook

turnstosingwistfuldesertlaments,whileI embraced

thescene’stimelessmelancholy.Theworldturnson

momentslikethis,I thought.Andif anancient

Nabataeandeityhadappearedfromtheshadowsto

carryawaymysoul,I wouldhavegladlyfollowed.

Life

changer

THETAKEAWAY

Modernlifeencouragesus to valueborders,butPetrais

a time-warpof culturalinteractionsas beguilingtodayas

it wouldhavebeena thousandyearsago.I shiverwhen

I recallthatnight,butI takeit to meanso muchmore:

if thereis hopeandpossibility,it liesin sucha place.

W