Day: June 26, 2006

Fatigue, extreme fatigue!  

Serge isn’t interested in anything, he moves ahead with his head down, as if he had given up.  By 10H00 his T-shirt was soaking wet, like it had just come from the washing machine.  Even if we knew the heat would be humid, it was hard to imagine how unbearable it would be.  The change in the weather was too abrupt, in two days it was upon us.  To sweat all day long, even if you don’t move, gives the unpleasant impression of being a wet rag.  We crossed several small cities which were noisy and dusty.  There are days when even the followers can’t enjoy the scenery.  The caravan is wrapped in a dirty, humid cloud and we are overwhelmed by weariness.  What is more, fatigue corrupts the spirit; for some it becomes a nervous fatigue and for others it takes away all energy.

Up to now, Serge has preferred bivouacs, where everything is so well planned because the organization depends only on us.  In 45 minutes he can take his shower, read his mail and eat. Generally speaking, at 20H00 everything is put away and each of us had time to do what he needs to do.  When the team is together, communication is easy.  Since this extreme heat has taken over, Serge prefers hotels which give him the coolness he needs to recuperate.  The organization is not as easy and we become dependent on services which we can’t control.  This evening, Serge can finally eat at 20H45…. When you spend more than 11 hours on the road, each minute lost weighs in the balance and it’s our role to see to it that Serge never has to wait.  Joel, (a follower from Istanbul to Tehran) said “you always have to anticipate and be ready for anything.”  The organization has to be like a well-oiled machine.  Sometimes I’m rather tired of all this, tired of seeing Serge exhausted like a slave.  The orchestra conductor feels like throwing away her baton!

Many of you have asked how many kilometers are left to run.  That question needs some explaining and I will devote a whole log to it.  So, see you tomorrow.