DAY 6 : Meeting The ... Mob?

[Βασίλης-and-Ann0]

DAY 6 : Meeting The ... Mob?

In the “bad” old days long before mobile phones, A b & b, GPS/satnav and so on, our holidays were spent on the open road roaming countries far and wide on our Paneuropean motorbike , named Beeloulou, like ‘easy riders’ looking for adventure… Waking up in green fields, meeting friendly locals, visiting obscure ancient sites and wondering what excitement that day would bring , then discussing it over scrumptious dinners. We stayed at friends’ homes, campsites, oases, wild camping, riads , even posh places when funds allowed.

Sometimes, for example, we’d roll up at a Palazzo, Castle or Chateau offering B&B, and park next to a Ferrari or Mazerati, the surroundings maybe featuring manicured lawns and elegant exteriors etc Many times, a disapproving or frosty reception greeted our dust-covered leathers and boots, which would turn into expressions of relief when we came down to dinner in silks and pearls ( well, me maybe, anyway ! ) They probably realized we hadn’t come to steal the silver. It always made us smile and wink knowingly at each other.

Our beloved Beeloulou was more than just a motorbike to us. Due to lack of space, our equipment had to have at least 3 practical uses ( very Zen, I know, before we even knew what that meant) like the old cigar lighter power point thingy, where we could plug in a water boiler, a blow up mattress or pillow device, also blow dry hair after a shower. Hot ground coffee in the morning? A cup of hot tea on a chilly mountain top? What a godsend !

One gorgeous day, meandering through lovely countryside about 60 kilometres north of Rome, no buildings /houses in sight or other vehicles on the narrow leafy lanes, we realized we were hopelessly lost. Our intention was to head to a campsite , kindly recommended by a fellow traveler, on a tiny isolated lake, just a small dot on our map. We rounded a bend and I exclaimed,

“Oh, I can see people up ahead clustered around a crossroads, let’s ask them the way … “ Vassilis agreed so we drove up to them.

“ Scuse, can you help us please ? “

Taking in the scene bit by bit – huge black cars blocking 3 of the roads, a largish group of big beefy men holding walkie-talkies and … -- we began smiling, weakly.

They took one look at us – black leathers, map book, with me waving it about, socks and towels gently drying in the breeze attached to the back of our bike – then 2 of them sauntered over, smirking.

“ Yeah, wadayawanna ? “ one drawled. We explained and pointed to the map.

“ Oh! Ok! ……. “ Yes! We go back 3 kilometres “………” Ok ! Second left at small church, red roof !” ...... “ YES! Got it ! “ ….. “Grazie! “ ……. “ Bye !” …… “ Turn right at coffee shop , ‘ Lucky Luciano’s ‘ “……. ( Sorry, only kidding, just made that last bit up ! ) " Grazie!” ….. “ Bye!” …… “Grazie!” And off we sped.

About a kilometer later, we collapsed under a nearby shady tree, sweating, heads reeling and legs like jelly.

What was that? Who were they and what/who were they waiting for ???

We never did make it to that lake.

Season’s Greetings and Kronia Polla to all from us in Syros, Greece !

[Helen427]

@Huma0 , Ouch that's not a nice introduction to traveling around..I give mopeds and Lime scooters a massive berth

[J-Renato0]

@Βασίλης-and-Ann0

You are very good at drawing! Love your post!

I see you both like adventure. Do you still travell a lots ?

[Βασίλης-and-Ann0]

@J-Renato0

Thanks for your comments @J-Renato0

Our travels now are mainly only at Christmas time to see family and friends. Our summers are so busy now.

People only visit Greek islands in the summer months as I mentioned to @Helen427 which is a shame as the weather's great, beaches are empty, swimming is bliss and the prices are cheap the rest of the year. Oh ho, I'm beginning to sound like a tourist brochure !

What about you, @J-Renato0, do you find time for long trips?

[J-Renato0]

Hello again @Βασίλης-and-Ann0

I travell when I can... most of the time I am very busy 🙂

My last long trip it was in the springtime of 2015, I spent about 40 days travelling through Italy and other countries in Europe. I have been to Greece, but only in Athens, Piraeus and Aegina, an small lovely island close to Athens. I went to Piraus by subway+traim, and took a ferry to Aegina.

I do not speak Greak, so when I was there I spoke in English and Italian. I notice that, some Greeks in Athens undestand Italian. I and my wife enjoyed our stay in Greece!

Someday We will visit the most famous and wonderful Greek Islands. My wife´s sister visit the Greek Islands and said that, if she could she would stay there forever! 🙂

[Christine615]

This was wonderful! Thank you for sharing. It made me smile and brought back a flood of my own memories traveling with my husband in the early days 🙂

[Βασίλης-and-Ann0]

@Christine615

 Thanks for reading, Christine. 

Yes, traveling then was different somehow and as ( Cathie , I think) mentioned , you could  just 'disappear' and people would not have known !   Eeeek !  

But what fun we had, eh?

[Emily352]

@Βασίλης-and-Ann0

About seven o'clock in the evening Majd and Faisal were headed, on a shiny black Cadillac and a truck as large as a house, to the rendezvous point, a parking lot of a big supermarket on the Kuwait City boardwalk.

We were waiting for them. Me, Justine, a French journalist, Leonardo, a Spanish traveler who had just arrived from Jordan, Clive, an oil engineer, and Kamal, a student from Mumbai. There were also Breanne and her husband Evan from New Jersey.

Two hours later we were in the middle of nowhere. In the desert, a few miles to the border with Saudi Arabia.

We had planned everything carefully: tents, sleeping bags, music, fruits, vegetables, meat and a portable barbecue. That night there would be a new moon, perfect for watching the stars.

Different stories seemed merged in one place, that night. They came to life in our words and then, a second time, in the minds of those who listened to them, bound to leave lasting signs.

"It's not a question of religion, Emily, but of tradition. I'll get married next summer, insha'Allah. You are invited to the ceremony. "

"So you're telling me that you're going to marry a woman you've never seen in your life? Not even in a photo? "

"Not even in a photo ... But I'll see her soon."

"How many times will you see her before marriage?"

"Only once, next spring."

"Wow ... you seem remarkably calm?"

Majd laughed. "The calm is only on the surface. Obviously this situation fascinates me and scares me at the same time. Okay, rule number one out here. Getting permission to be alone with a girl and talking to her two hours is a very serious matter. It’s a special event, that day the emotion will be strong. It’s a great emotion right now. Whatever happens, the rest of my life will depend on those two hours. "

"If you do not like her, you can always decide not to marry her, right? And the same goes for her? Sorry if I ask you a thousand questions, but I'm interested to know the traditions of this place and above all I'm interested to know your point of view. You must know that when I talk about marriage, the truth is, I never feel at ease…”

“It’s okay, really. I agree with you that it’s essential to compare different points of view. I do not have to marry her and the same goes for her, but I hope everything will be fine. There is no family imposition, but certainly my parents would not be happy to see their plans fallen  through. I'm almost twenty-four, I want to get married as soon as possible. I see this marriage as a sort of salvation. If I started going around looking for affairs with some girls – I mean, temptation is everywhere -  I think I could not stop. I wish to choose a person, only one, and be faithful to her: this is what I want. Although I’ve never had a relationship, I am deeply convinced that faithfulness to one's partner increases the strength of the bond as time goes by…trusting each other with our lifes. It will be a challenge, no doubt... »

“I know what you mean. It would be absurd to demand absolute faithfulness, without actually being willing to offer it in return. That's why I do not want to hear marriage for the next ten years of my life."

“We'll see how it goes. If marriage is a disaster, there is always the divorce.”

"And maybe you will find your next bride by yourself."

"That’s right! But in any case I think in my family this tradition will end with me. I want my children to be totally free to build their future. You know, I think it’s finding the right person that makes the path special, a path of self-knowledge. You see what I mean, don’t you?

“Maybe you and I are a lot closer than I thought.”

"Anyway, do not think they're all like me around here. Well, take Faisal, for instance. He too has a bride-to-be, but in the meantime he is having many affairs with local girls. You may notice he’s got always two phones. When he sees a pretty girl in a car alone stopped at a red light, he approaches her, catches her attention and, a moment before the green light, he throws a cell phone in her car. After a few minutes he calls her ... Emily, you won’t believe this, but he met a lot of girls in this way. "

"Faisal is a tamarro"

"I’m sorry, a what?"

"Nothing, it's something we say in Italy."

Some unexpected clouds stood between us and the stars. But we all got busy with other things. The smell of the meat cooking on the coals, the desert breeze, a walk with Breanne, Evan and Justine into near-total darkness.

Very late at night, the music was turned off and people began to get into their tents. For a few seconds, the quiet was interrupted by Faisal’s car alarm.

I was in the middle of nowhere, but there was no silence around me. There was only the sound of the wind. Delicate, precise, so confident. I felt it pass through my arms and, distinctly, between my fingers. The wind accompanied my thoughts, it blew them away, one after the other. My eyes were closed and in the desert, I had that feeling…I felt warming, grateful with everyone.

Suddenly the wind went down and the silence, this time, became total. So dense and enveloping. The stillness of the desert. Not an absence of sounds, but, on the contrary, a presence that filled all the spaces.

I took the sleeping bag and unrolled it outside on a yoga mat. Before falling asleep, I looked in the direction of the sky once again. A few stars and new clouds.

A few drops of rain woke me up. I opened my eyes and I saw flashes of light and, for a moment, I was transfixed by this vision. Dozens of lightning were striking our camp. Some of them a few miles away, others seemed very close to us. Faisal lowered the window just enough to scream: "Emily! Get in the car, quick!"

So I ran and I almost bumped into Clive who was going to Majd’s car. Breanne and Evan sat with me in the back seat.

A small debate raged on the effective protection given by the car in that situation. Kamal, after listening to our doubts for a few seconds, closed the debate with authority by saying that the car acts as a Faraday cage and therefore we were safe, provided we avoided contact with metal parts. We all were relieved and we thanked good old Kamal in our heart. I stayed in that car almost an hour to see, with incredulous eyes, one of the most extraordinary spectacles in nature. And finally it was over in an instant. We saw the sunrise together. My stay in the desert was long enough for me to know that our friendship would last for long.

[J-Renato0]

@Emily352

Emily, ut ies otlom avarb odnauq evircs ! itservoD erevircs nu olucitra ad eratsop ni atseuq eires !

[Emily352]

@J-Renato0

Gnitirw orf em si a elitcat ecneirepxe. A kaerb morf ssentnasaelpnu. s’tI ekil gnillaf ni evol. s’thaT eht ylno emit I yllaer leef eerf. tuB I osla evol gnitirw ni a egaugnal rehto naht ym nwo. ehT hsilgnE: evol ta strif thgis. ehT llufreehc hsinapS. ehT lausnes hcnerF. yrroS rof gnitirw ni roop hsilgnE. I wonk ev’I edam a tol fo lacitammarg srorre, tub ohw serac? ehT tnatropmi gniht si eht egassem. ehT egassem seog dnoyeb eht egaugnal. s’thaT eht niam gniht. sdroW era cigam. ehT tlas ni ym sdrow semoceb ragus.

[J-Renato0]

@Emily352

!ytinummoc siht ni gnitirw neeb evah uoy tahw ekil I 

!amissivarB !avarb otlom ieS !uoy egaruocne ylgnorts I !su htiw erahs ot tsop a etirw ,eizziL ot egassem a dnes ,no emoC .pag siht llif ot emit evah llits uoy oS .tsop doog a etirw ot enoemos rof gnitiawa rebmeced ni syad emos llits si erehT .sekatsim fo stol ekam ohw em si tI .hsilgne ni llew yrev setirw uoY

[Marisa182]

The Bee Eater is just beautiful. Love your story too.

[Βασίλης-and-Ann0]

@Marisa182

Thank you for reading, Marisa!  ;-D ;-D

Best wishes for 2019 !  

[Marisa182]

Happy Holidays and a fabulous New Year!