Day 32


Wednesday 21st October



Its been a very noisy night and morning. as everyone is very excited about going to the airport in the morning for Egypt, except me, Amer Nazir and Amina Uddin who are not going any further but returning to home tommorrow, most of the muslim brothers have been having very loud praying sessions right outside my cell where i have been sleeping. The stage area is about 10 metres away from the door of my cell whuch i have been sharing with my friends Dr Abdullah and Hugh. its been a regular thing every night at around 4pm when some brothers get together on the stage and switch on the PA system and the microphones and read Salah and do it for at least an hour and half every night. but tonight has been extra volume and with great enthusiasm. we hardly got any sleep.

up at around 9 am for breakfast (which i passed on again) and we all meet on the stage for our morning meeting. as Kevin is on board the ship, Zaher Birawi is holding the meeting and giving out the practicalities for the planes today. he explains that there willtwo flights, one at 3 pm and the second at 7pm. he reads out the names of the two groups so that everyone knows which flight they are on.

after this a surprise. the names of the five British volunteers who have been banned from Egypt are read out and everyone applauds and cheers. we are called onto the stage and one of the elderly Imams congratulates us and expresses his deep sorrow for our continuance on the rest of the journey. we are lined up and one by one we are presented a very nice looking parcel containing the holy Koran on behalf of everyone. This is a very enexpected and touching gesture. we are kissed by dozens of bearded blokes sweating perfusely. but its the done thing and we take it on the cheeks gracefully.

we are asked to say a few words to the whole convoy which is composed of around 400 volunteers from 30 different countries.

in my speech i thank everyone for their love and affection and then explain that it is a bitter sweeet day for me. on the one hand i am extremely dissapointed at not being able to continue with them on the remainder of the journey from Syria to Gaza through Egypt. on the other, i explain my joy for everyone else who many for the first time ever will enter Gaza in the next day or so and be in the holy land. i thank everyone for their company over the last month and express my best wishes for each and every one who has completed this epic journey travelling many thousands of miles overcoming many obstacles whilst never giving up. i tell everyone that even though i will not have the pleasure of having their company any further, my heart, mind and spirit will be with them.

i then ask Hugh to come onto the stage and present my suit of many siganatures and messages to him and ask him to wear it for the remaining journey and to deliver the messages of love, friendship, unity and solidarity to the good people of Gaza. Hugh accepts the suit and there is a massive applause and again many bearded and non bearded men come and embrace me with great big kisses once again. sweets and other confectionary is then given out to everyone to celebrate.

at around noon the first 4 coach loads of people are asked to get onto the coaches which are waiting to take them to Lattakia airport. we the banned also board the coaches to wave off our comrades and also hoping to catch a flight to Damascus from the same airport to make our way home.

at the airport we find that there are two flights leaving Lattakia airport every day for Damascus....except today, wednesday. what a let down. we wait till everyone has boarded the plane and wave them all off. its a very emotional time for everyone. again many kisses and hugs are exchanged.

we return back to our camp in the same coaches as we came in. the coaches will return to camp to pick up the rest of our comrades to bring them over for the second flight which will leave at 7pm.

by the time we get back to camp they are all ready to leave ans once we have all said our goodbyes, we wave them off and again its a very emotional kissing and hugging session. the last month has brought about many wonderful friendships and comradery amongst us all. its very diificult to part company and many tears are shed, including mine.

once everyone has left the camp, its seems like a ghost camp. very quite. what was an extremely lively and noisy home for us all for the last 17 days has all of a sudden become silent. we have to get out too so Amer, amina and i get a taxi to Damascus for the night to catch a flight out of Damascus at 10.30 in the morning back to London.

we arrive in Damascus are around midnight and book into a hotel for the night. its anice hotel with two rooms. one for Amer and myself and one for sister Amina. amina is very tired and goes to bed immediately whilst amer and i go for a meal before we return and do the same. Boy i miss a hot curry or a fish and chips with loads of salt and viniger.

well we shouild be back home with a heavy heart in a day or so. its the end of the road for us but Viva Viva Palestina and long live Palestine.