“It is through travelling in different cultures that we develop an insight into human life in different places. The geography of a country influences its people just as much as their history. This is part of the enlightenment that can be gained on a trek through the desert with the Bedouin. Organised so expertly and authentically by Gary and Garreth Waterworth Owen who comprise Lengthen Your Stride. As an initiate, through them you immediately are given an intimate welcome into Bedouin culture that is a valuable opportunity for anyone in this privileged position to capitalise on.
 
I began my trek with a mixture of apprehension and excitement. The arrival of our 14 camels, 7 Bedouin and one dog soon makes you realise the extent of planning and preparation that Lengthen Your Stride has put into this unique experience. At the beginning it all seems slightly surreal, so removed from the trappings of modern Western civilization. The warmth of the Bedouin and the expertise of Lengthen Your Stride soon settle your nerves. You sit down in the sand, watch the Bedouin rolling bread by hand and all your comforts appear to expand.  You soon realise it's going to be a great trip - a reflection that is repeated upon making your first camp at night. You make your bed on the ground, accepting that a slight sacrifice in comfort is a small price to pay for being given the opportunity to stay in such an expansive wilderness. 
 
The beauty of nature is indeed the absence of man. It is this solitude combined with the stark, raw beauty of the desert and mountains that you walk, sleep, eat and live in; that play an unassuming but integral role in shaping the essence and purpose of the trek. It is no wonder that worlds' three main monotheistic religions had their humble, nascent beginnings in this glorious excess of space. This is a landscape so vast, so eternal, the mind cannot help but settle on greater procrastinations then would normally be crowded into our daily consciousness. 
 
The meditative intuition that seeps into you exponentially over time seems to come from the very place you inhabit. Its substance becoming somehow porous, imbuing you with clarity and focus, as if by a process of osmosis. This combined with the simple, satisfying routine of the day. The calming rhythm of walking, and the pleasure of sharing in another culture with such magnanimous characters. All of this together leads to such peace of mind and clearness of head that the trek can be a hugely cathartic experience. You are finally in a place where you can truly think, where your perspective seems to stretch to the very distant horizon itself.
 
Personal introspection, however, is not all that is gained through this unique adventure. There is also huge potential for discovering things of a more exterior, empirical nature. Learning about the culture, ways and practices of the Bedouin.  A people of who have lived timelessly in a symbiotic relationship with the desert.  It would seem that the scarcity and harshness of the environment have bred a generosity of spirit and substance in the Bedouin. This sentiment of communality is something often so sorely missed in Western societies that can place individualism as paramount. There is a lovely Bedouin custom that illustrates this cultural trait. If one group of desert travellers has an excess of basic food stuffs or water they will tie it to a tree on an established route. If a more needy nomad passes by they are free to take whatever may aid them on their own journey.
 
I am a true believer in first hand knowledge.  As a past scholar of theology I relished the opportunity to live so intimately and inclusively with Muslims, trying to learn some basic Arabic along the way.  Islam is a religion that is often insidiously denigrated in Western media.  The Muslims I met on this trip are quick to point out that how Islam is portrayed outside its homeland is often distorted.  While the various characters that are given so much attention in the press as important exponents of the faith are often practicing ugly perversions of the true ideal.  This is a conclusion that is not hard to reach personally as you begin to form relationships with those around you and strip away the universalisms normally presented to us.  Their hard work, benevolence and overall mirthfulness are infectious qualities that help make the trip so enjoyable.
 
You learn about the actual geography of the desert and arid mountains.  How water is such a vitally important commodity in such a sparse environment.  The desert is easily afflicted by lack of water, serving as an ominous flag bearer to the rest of the world.  The effects of tampering with the water cycle can be devastating, with so many diverse repercussions, even in areas where water is more prevalent.  We walked through ghostly, deserted villages that had had to be abandoned due to a well or stream drying up from shortage of rains.  This is a tangible and glaring example of how water can shape lives, communities, culture, politics and more.  It is the ingredient of life itself and decides aloofly where life is permitted to flourish.  Whether humans in a village or simple organisms in a pond.
 
I cannot recommend this trek, this place and the people who organised it enough.  Lengthen Your Stride has the perfect combination of skills, background, knowledge and experience to make these trips happen in such a smooth, efficient and enlightening manner.  While the Bedouin and their essential entourage of camels add character, warmth and a sense of the exotic itself.  While the landscape and environment are the true conjurers of magic.  The transmission between night and day is always spectacular, always different.  The sky at night is perennially divine, whether it is the inky blackness of a star filled sky or the ethereal, unworldly light of the full moon. 
 
(It is the inspiration of these elements that goaded me into writing a poem, included at the end of this summary.  We where in an area called Maharum , lying on our simple but comfortable beds watching a glorious sunset move immutably into night in one of the most spectacular arenas on earth.  I hope it conveys a sense of what I felt at the time.)
 
It is being in this place for yourself that brings about the greatest and most beneficial change of all; your state of mind.  I left unable to stop pondering on the fact that the word 'Islam', meaning submission is a derivative of the Arabic word 'Salem', meaning peace.  Submit yourself to this place and peace is yours”.

Guy Powiecki

In the Sandbox

Copper light on the horizon high.

Slumbering beneath a spectrum of steel blue sky.

In that infinite ceiling set one star.

To make us dream of places afar.

Sand beneath my body.

Expand to fill the world and its' lobby.

Silence and sound all around.

Suspense, then expound and surround,

incongruence with true sense.

Dark arrives, no sound of owl or lark.

But how the hound and camels do howl.

Stark in the light of the moon.

And how good it felt that I might return soon.

~o0o~

In Memory of Past Allies:

Navigate your way to Waterworth Expedition sites on Google Earth.