Responses to some questions I have received:
Most of the equipment I brought was spot on but too many clothes - 2 pairs of trousers, some flip flops and 2 shirts would have been fine. Just wash and wear. I did bring 2 novels which I have not started to read as I want to see the world go by (I have now lost the books as they were too heavy to carry). I also made a mistake buying a new tent as after Europe we don’t need our own tents and have been encouraged to give them away to anyone who needs them - Australia will be our next camping site and we use pre erected tents there.
The camping went well but we often arrived late at the campsites and were in a hurry to put the tent up before dark. The campsites have all been okay, but there was sometimes a shortage of proper toilets. People out here seem to prefer the hole in the floor type of loo and it takes a bit of practice especially when caught with stomach cramps and the Delhi Belly!
In camp we have usually catered for ourselves and I have been busy on the cooking team. Plenty of pasta and rice dishes have been the order of the day and we even endured an evening meal of mash and hot dog sausages!! Yuck, but tasty given we were really hungry.
Some of the journeys through Iran and Pakistan have been long and tiring. The longest being 18 hours to cross the border to Pakistan. We have played ‘Guess the famous person’, Battleships, done crosswords, quizwords and even ‘I Spy’ which was very difficult when looking out at Pakistani desert for over 12 hours.
We also stopped at a village in the middle of the desert at the end of a sand storm. We had drinks and discovered we were standing in the local mosque which was a few bricks and stones forming an outline on the floor. The locals were very forgiving. It was also strange being in the village in the dark, so quiet and hearing voices in the distance talking away.
The group have known about me being a vicar since the first week of the journey and I have had several interesting conversations. Covering subjects like homosexuality, spirituality, guilt, the trinity, the Catholic Church and church’s wealth. People really do want to talk about these and many other issues. I have found the conversations with lapsed Catholics and some of the Muslims especially rewarding. Today (19th), talked to our local guide about faith, he was quite gened up about things and I felt he was very defensive of Islam. Okay by me as I defended my faith too.
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4 comments:
Thank you for sharing your fantastic experiences with us Martin,we could almost be on the journey with you!
Keep safe.
Bryan and Trish
Glad to see the adventure is going well, and am enjoying your Blog.
Will buy you a pint at the Ship tonight (though that sounds rather boring !).
Bill
We're are Claire's Parents, the french Girl who lost her flip flops !
Claire didn't write a lot on her blog and told us that you are more eloquent. It's a pleasure to read your blog. Thank you and have a rewarding time.
Philippe and Marie
Been following your trip keenly and keeping the rest of the Chapter in the picture. I'll be particularly wishing I was in foreign parts on Tuesday at Deanery Synod!
John Harrison
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