Ripcord Adventure Journal 2.2
Our sixth issue of Ripcord Adventure Journal is a very different beast to its five earlier siblings, whose articles and images were, in the main, submitted by adventurous travel writers and photographers; in this issue however, we have brought together 11 accomplished explorers and adventurers who write about their unique experience of life, lived to the maximum and danced to a different beat.
Our sixth issue of Ripcord Adventure Journal is a very different beast to its five earlier siblings, whose articles and images were, in the main, submitted by adventurous travel writers and photographers; in this issue however, we have brought together 11 accomplished explorers and adventurers who write about their unique experience of life, lived to the maximum and danced to a different beat.
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75<br />
Sparring with Terrorists<br />
Lloyd Figgins<br />
assignment I was going to take lightly. The 9/11 attacks in the<br />
United States had taken place a few months earlier and the West’s<br />
reaction had affected the entire region. The actions of Al-Qaeda<br />
against the USA had had the effect of uniting disparate Islamic<br />
groups. Tensions were high, as were anti-western feelings.<br />
I travelled from the capital, Damascus, to the ancient city of<br />
Palmyra. After just a short time there it became very apparent that<br />
there was a palpable tension in the air. The local people told me that<br />
Hezbollah and other groups were trying to take advantage of world<br />
events and gain influence in the area.<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA<br />
On my third evening in Palmyra, I went for dinner to a café I’d<br />
already visited a couple of times before. The owner was the cousin<br />
of the man who owned the hotel I was staying in and he always<br />
treated me well. My previous visits had been problem-free, but on<br />
this occasion I was in trouble the second I walked through the door.<br />
Two men were deep in conversation over in the far corner, and as<br />
soon as they saw me they stopped talking and called the owner over.<br />
They were clearly agitated and kept glaring at me. The owner then<br />
turned away from them and glanced over to me, looking as if he had<br />
seen a ghost.<br />
These blokes were trouble. The lighting in the café was poor, but<br />
from my position at the table where I’d seated myself, I took as<br />
good a look at them as I could. I wanted to know what I was<br />
dealing with.<br />
The elder of the two had an eye missing; he had made no attempt to<br />
cover the socket with a patch. The younger man looked particularly<br />
pent up. He had his back to me but kept swivelling round in his<br />
chair to eye me up and down.<br />
They called the owner over again and the heated debate continued,<br />
this time at a much higher volume. Not being an Arabic speaker, I<br />
had no idea what they were saying, but it was definitely about me<br />
and undoubtedly far from positive.<br />
Without warning the one-eyed man suddenly stood up and started
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