بِقِطَارِ اللَّيْلِ إِلَى تَوْزَرَ

بَعْدَ أَشْهُرٍ مِنَ التَّحْضِيرِ، جَاءَ يَوْمُ السَّفَرِ إِلَى الْجَنُوبِ أَخِيرًا. الْتَقَيْنَا يَوْمَ جُمُعَةٍ، فِي السَّاعَةِ الثَّامِنَةِ مَسَاءً، فِي مَحَطَّةِ قِطَارَاتِ تُونِسَ. كُنَّا مَجْمُوعَةً صَغِيرَةً مِنْ جَمْعِيَّةٍ لِلْمَشْيِ، وَمَعَ كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ حَقِيبَتُهُ. وَكَانَتْ رِحْلَتُنَا بِقِطَارِ اللَّيْلِ، إِلَى مَدِينَةِ تَوْزَرَ. رَكِبْنَا الْقِطَارَ، وَبَدَأَتِ الرِّحْلَةُ. وَكَانَتْ عَرَبَتُنَا فِي الْقِطَارِ مُرِيحَةً جِدًّا. فِي اللَّيْلِ، نَامَ بَعْضُنَا نَوْمًا عَمِيقًا. وَبَقِيَ وَاحِدٌ مِنَّا مُسْتَيْقِظًا، لِيَحْرُسَ الْحَقَائِبَ. وَفِي الصَّبَاحِ، اسْتَيْقَظْنَا فِي مَدِينَةِ قَفْصَةَ. وَقَفَ الْقِطَارُ هُنَاكَ وَقْتًا طَوِيلًا. وَمِنَ النَّافِذَةِ، رَأَيْنَا قِطَارًا آخَرَ يَحْمِلُ الْفُوسْفَاطَ، لَوْنُهُ أَصْفَرُ وَأَخْضَرُ. وَكَانَ يَلْمَعُ فِي ضَوْءِ الشَّمْسِ. ثُمَّ تَحَرَّكَ قِطَارُنَا مِنْ جَدِيدٍ. وَوَصَلْنَا إِلَى تَوْزَرَ نَحْوَ السَّاعَةِ الثَّامِنَةِ صَبَاحًا. وَكَانَ مُصْطَفَى، دَلِيلُنَا، يَنْتَظِرُنَا فِي الْمَحَطَّةِ. أَوَّلًا، أَفْطَرْنَا فِي مَقْهًى، وَتَرَكْنَا حَقَائِبَنَا هُنَاكَ. ثُمَّ خَرَجْنَا نَكْتَشِفُ مَدِينَةَ تَوْزَرَ. وَمَشَيْنَا فِي حَيٍّ قَدِيمٍ، بُيُوتُهُ مِنَ الطُّوبِ، وَعَلَى جُدْرَانِهَا أَشْكَالٌ هَنْدَسِيَّةٌ جَمِيلَةٌ. وَزُرْنَا الْوَاحَةَ، وَهِيَ كَبِيرَةٌ جِدًّا. وَفِيهَا نَخِيلٌ، وَرُمَّانٌ، وَمَوْزٌ، وَتِينٌ، وَعِنَبٌ. وَبَعْدَ ذَلِكَ، رَكِبْنَا عَرَبَةً يَجُرُّهَا حِصَانٌ، إِلَى حَيِّ صِنَاعَةِ الطُّوبِ. وَكَانَ ذَلِكَ يَوْمَنَا الْأَوَّلَ فِي الْجَنُوبِ.

After months of preparation, the day of the trip south finally came. We met on a Friday, at eight in the evening, at Tunis railway station. We were a small group from a hiking club, and everyone had a bag. Our journey was on the night train, to the town of Tozeur. We got on the train, and the journey began. Our carriage on the train was very comfortable. In the night, some of us slept deeply. And one of us stayed awake, to watch the bags. In the morning, we woke up in the town of Gafsa. The train stopped there for a long time. From the window, we saw another train carrying phosphate, yellow and green in colour. It was shining in the sunlight. Then our train moved again. And we arrived in Tozeur at about eight in the morning. Mustapha, our guide, was waiting for us at the station. First, we had breakfast in a café, and left our bags there. Then we went out to explore the town of Tozeur. We walked in an old quarter whose houses are made of brick, with beautiful geometric patterns on t