Libya

While we were travailing east we would meet travellers, travailing west this is a great resource for exchanging information where to stay, eat and see. Many travellers told of the wonderful reception and showers received in the British army barracks in Tripoli. We were eager to get to Tripoli for the luxury of a shower and friendly British faces. When we reached the barracks we approached the sentry at the gate and said we would like a shower. The sentry made a phone call and in a short time two soldiers appeared and marched us to the shower block, we showered and were marched back to the gate.
Up to now we three George, Billy and I so far had travelled together, but in Libya there was very little traffic so we decided George and Billy would travel together and I would travel solo. I got a lift to an Italian road construction site in the middle of the dessert. I got invited into the camp for a meal pasta pizza and wine I had a great time and as I was leaving I got plied bread, cheese and wine.
It was getting late so I decided to pitch my tent. I was in the dessert, the ground was flat for miles. I lit my small paraffin primus stove and made tea for my self. I looked up and was startled to see a Arab sitting cross legged watching me. I offered him tea and he drank it but it was the stove he was interested in, he lifted it up and walked of with it and disappeared into the now dark dessert. I thought I had lost my wee primus however, he returned with my primus still lit. He showed me his enormous primus. Then he spied my down sleeping bag, off he went with it, returning it shortly. At last I got some sleep.
The next morning there was very little traffic I decided to walk a few kilometres. I came upon a police station a policeman beckoned me to come in to the station, he seemed friendly so I went in he pointed out a window, when I looked the horizon appeared red in a few minutes the wind was roaring and carrying sand, the sand was even coming into the station through small gaps in the window. This was why I was beckoned into the station. The policeman cleaned out one of the cell and made a great show of not locking the cell door. One-again I was being offered small glass's strong mint tea and I offering tea bag tea.
The next day I meet up with George and Billy I regaled with my encounters of the Italian road workers and spending the night in jail.
Poor George and Billy had spent the night in a tent and had only eaten tinned fish. It was now my turn to travel with George.