We wave our Dutch, temporary companions off as they easily traverse the river crossing. After final negotiations with Ibrahim, we book a desert experience for New Years Eve: camel,4x4, Berber tent, the works; this should be a New Year to remember. An apt way to see out what has been a most incredible year for us. And what a way to set the scene for our coming year, our adventures are not finished yet!
Fay and Richard have a rest from the road today, we go walking instead. Following a path Ibrahim showed us, we walk through palm trees, past Tamarisk trees and into the dunes. It is hard work reaching the top, through such soft sand and well worth a kiss at the summit! On the flat areas, the sun has baked the surface hard and it cracks into plate sized tiles. It is a strange experience, like walking over fine broken china. Even more broken once we've stomped on it!
There is a kasbah nearby, this is "the real deal" not a tourist attraction. Mud walls surround its dark, narrow alleys, dim doorways give no clue as to the reception that may await. We are not adventurers. If we were, if we had even half of the spirit of overland authors, we would have entered but, we are not and we don't. We walk on, keeping to within our comfort zone.
Along the path, as with the river crossing, overloaded, hardworking donkeys plod on. Here, as in Pakistan, they very much remain beasts of burden. I wonder if there is a Guinness Book of Records entry for how much can be loaded on one donkey? And for all their stoic efforts, a whack with a stick is their reward. These creatures couldn't begin to imagine the life led by their English cousins.
Back at the camp that evening we receive the sad news that Bill has passed away. My daughter,
Charlotte, was with him together with her granny, Bills wife. The staff at their care home excelled and Bill passed peacefully, in comfort and loved. I am so proud of Charlotte, the kindness and care she gave to her Grandfather and the enormous support she was to Betty. Like genuinely special people the world over, she is quite unaware of just how special she is. Between us, Richard and I have three daughters; we are blessed by each of them.
Tues 30th Dec
It is Charlotte's 28th birthday today.
Over night the wind has got up, Fay is a delicate, very dusty shade of orange! We laze about, the wind deterring us from venturing far. I do hope it subsides by tomorrow.
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