The Family (Or most of them)

The Family (Or most of them)
The Family

April 20, 2010

I don't quite get it. Ihad a whole bunch of other pix to download from the Web. And it is important for me to note that none of these pix were taken by me.Instead, these pix were taken by a variety of different people through the years. Of various Common wealth Expeditions featuring Filipinos, Indians, Canadians, Australians, Brits, Scots, Irish...any peoples from Commonweath countries.

It was all run by a Brit named Colonel Lionel Gregory, who served in India at some point and came to love it. And his idea, I think, was to spread the word about India and encourage an exchange of cultures among Commonwealth nations.

Back then, in 1979 or so, the Shah of Iran had not yet been deposed; A year later, the U.S. hostage-taking would occur. Iraq, constantly at war with Iran I believe, was under the rule, even then, of Sadam Hussein.

He would later be found by the Americans and I believe was executed. Talk about a bit of a fall from grace.

This is somewhere on that trip. From Deal, England to India. On the way back to England, I left the trip and my job as a navigator abord the Manitoba bus to hitc-hike home We were in Iran or Turkey.

The trip took us from Deal to The Netherlands, what was then West Germany, Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India -- where we spent roughly a month -- before, driving back, me and a fellow Canadian named Dick -- left the expedition and hith-hiked back.

I think we left the trip at Mount Ararat in Turkey. Er had to wait at the border-crossing there forever, so he and I left. Wecaught a ride a day or two later with a trucker, a lorrie driver, going home to Britain.

I can't remember his name now, but he was brilliant. He brought us through Bulgaria and Sweden, I think, places we wouldn't otherwise have gone. It was a great trip I went on and I learned lots about life.

I also tore my right knee ligaments on a hill in turkey while playing Frisbee football. But that's another story.