IN THE PROMISED LAND

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 114, 18 May 1942, Page 3

IN THE PROMISED LAND

WANGANUI CORPORAL’S i EXPERIENCES Continuing the story of his journey com Bgypt to N.Z.Js.F. quarters m he Miuule Last, publisneu on iuesay, Corporal A. in. (Max) Campbell iens the following:— Early next morning we started off gam, our map anti the New ’resilient on our knees. The scenery ue- ( ame even more beautiful and aweaspiring. At one stop about two ones distant was Nazareth; the huge onvent stood out in relief like a >eacon. it was very wonderful to ealise that we were i oilowing in the oolsleps of the Master. Every turn md every village had a history and l significance, rhe truck climbed ano < •limbed and at eleven o'clock the nosL gorgeous sight my eyes ever vitnessed burst upon me. Hundreds j. )f leet below, sparkling in the sun- c ight, lay the Sea of Galilee. The dis- ( •ant shore Jay shrouded in purple haze 1 Mid wo quickly ran down into the < indent and modern town of Tiberius. 1 We stretched our legs and stood on Holy ground. Here it was that Christ I called James, John, Simon and Mat- i Lhew, and told them that from being 1 lishermen they would follow him and become fishers of mon (St. Luke, ' Chap. 5.10). It was a quaint town, ' lull of the new and the old, but we J lid not stay long. The truck turned ; towards the shores and there on the 1 spot where the Lord put forth in < Simon's fishing boat lay two huge ‘ grey flying-boats. We tramped along ! a loreshore fronted with cypress trees and the hillsides were a mass of red, j blue and white anemones. We climb- , ed steadily and shortly, near 1 p.m., we halted for lunch. There we sat and drank in a scene of beauty I shall never be able to describe. The scene lav before and the sun dazzled us. Not ' two hundred yards away was the treecovered Mount where the Lord gave his famous Sermon and then descended to the shore and fed the multitude with two fishes and five loaves. There now stands a monastery and church. Behind us huge hills ‘covered with volcanic boulders, and that was the wilderness where He went and prayed and fasted for forty days. The little anemones showed their gan,rcoloured heads, and further on ere the towers and forts the Crusaders plac'd on the mountain peaks guarding the road to these sacred spots. Here hundreds of years ago the Crusaders from Europe established chains of Jorts and fought the Moslems from Acr<' to Jerusalem and Damascus. Some of the turrets, ruined as they were, have the oJd crest carved in stone and many a crusader's grave lay crumbled Io ashes. At we passed through the customs and Ihe Union Jack fluttered above. V. <> had left Palestine and were in Syria. The countryside was not, so richly cultivated, and was more rocky. Water lay around in pools and it. was a typical winter's day. In the distance snow-clad mountains brought home to us the fact that the hot sands of Egypt were very far away. \\e now passed through countless villages and the dress of the natives allered, too. The Turkish atmosphere was plainly discernible, especially when the women wore the long trousers tied round the ankles and short trill, skirts. French soldiers were everywhere and we saw some of the signs of the last y ear's fighting. And so wo came eventually to Damascus, one of the oldest cities in the world. Right through the modern streets we drove and spent the night in a transit camp. Next morning up early and away again until we aimed at flic place we now are. The country is lovely and still wintry. We live on (lie outskirts of a town and its quain' streets and shops are worth hours to wander in. Utile wine shops, decidedly French, are everywhere, ana wine costs 25 piastres a glass but the Syrian piastre is now worth one-ninth the Egyptian. Nine Syrian pounds equal an Egyptian pound, lot) piastres equal one Syrian pound, which is 2s 3d English, so work it out. Meals are terribly cheap and I have had dinner of soup, omelette, spaghetti and grilled steak and chips lor 100 piastres and a bottle of wine for another 100. This country abounds in fruit trees. Plums, cherries, apricots, apples and oranges are everywhere and the vineyards cover all the hillsides. If only we can be here when they ripen! Green fields surround us and you have} no idea how restful it is to the eyes: after our spell of desert and still more) desert. For security reasons 1 cannol tell you where we are, but it is one ofthe historical spots of the world and when I can I will send you the post-! cards and photos I have purchased. I' find my French has to be brushed up because here they talk French and Arabic. There are not many camels but plenty of donkeys. If you could have seen me riding one the other day you would have laughed. I had it going along nicely, clippity clop, and all of a sudden an Australian jumped up behind me unawares. The effort was too much and the donkey collapsed and I fell off. His little hind legs just buckled under him. Some day. and not too far off, I wifi tell you more of the trip I macle from Egypt to here.