170.
With great relief, I hurry away from the strange "church".
The empty road passes under some huge overhanging trees and by now there is no light at all from the sky--but I can hear the pavement under my feet as I walk and if I get too near the shoulder of the road, I hear the crunch of gravel so, quickly and fearfully, I navigate the next couple of kilometers by “sonar”.
Finally the friendly electric lights of the tiny village store at the rim of the valley near my campsite appear—and the store is still open! I bought a soda from the store man when I left for Baalbek this morning and he seems happy to see me again. Three big men are with him. One of them invites me to come and rest at his home nearby. No, thanks. The other two, who look like movie gangsters, offer to drive me to the trailhead leading to my camp. They say it is a four-kilometer hike. I am bone-weary from this long day and have been so paranoid and frightened that nothing seems to matter anyway so I get into the back seat of their big, black American car. If they are out to get me, they could easily follow and snatch me off the highway, so what the hell…
We reach the end of the road and I get out of the car. The men wish me a pleasant stay and drive noiselessly away.
Too tired and freaked out to hike down the canyon path to my campsite or to experience any more “adventures”, I roll up in my blanket and crash where they dropped me--beside the road.
...
No comments:
Post a Comment