By the way

Through the Palestinian territories with green-lighted minarets and the Negev desert with huge orange mountains to the Dead Sea - this was our path. There was nothing around us, just sand, sand, sand..

We were travelling on a big white bus, when suddenly it stopped. “What is happening?” – everyone asked. The driver exited the bus and started to look for what caused the problem. In a few minutes, he informed passengers that the bus was broken. “Nothing serious, but we need to stop for fifteen minutes”.

Most of people left the bus, because it was a very hot day, although it was end of October and so did I. When we were riding, we didn’t noticed, but now I saw: there was a small settlement of Bedouins just by the road. I couldn’t believe it. Like in time machine, I’ve travelled to times, when people were wandering in a desert on a camels, looking for some water and shelter from burning sun.

It had couple of trailers with drying clothes between them and different stuff around it. There were also two little boys, who were playing games and running around trailers. One of them stopped and looked at us and then just continued running. We were not so special for him. He just didn’t care. He also didn’t care about his dirty clothes and about his poor life. He is happy with what he has and that’s why he is free. Free from money, rules, religions and other adults’ stuff.

These nomads are living in desert for thousands of years and they are still keeping their traditional way of life despite of globalization. “Government is trying to make them settled by offering cheap accommodation and job for them, so eventually they can disappear”- narrated our guide. How many people changed their lives in the last 100 years? The world is changing irreversibly and we can’t do anything with it.

It turned, that their life isn’t as poor as we thought.

“They are living by the road, because they need electricity” – said our guide. At that time, I’ve caught sight on the roof of the trailers. There was satellite dishes on it. Are they watching talk shows in the middle of the desert? I didn’t know. But my time travelling was finished.

In a few minutes our driver invited us to go back to the bus and continue our journey. I turned out for the last time and went back. Through the Palestinian territories with green-lighted minarets and the Negev desert with huge orange mountains to the Dead Sea - this was our path.