DAY 136 - KARLOBAG TO SV JURAJ: 32.9 MILES (65,800 STEPS)

5 September, 2011

32.9 miles (Total: 1354.92 miles) 65,800 steps (Total: 2,642, 041 steps)

At 3.00AM I was woken by a mosquito dive bombing my ear drum and I couldn’t get back to sleep, so I decided to set off again to put a serious dint into the baron stretch of coastline and cliffs between Karlobag and Senj.  Again I was not feeling in good health, but I didn’t have my rucksack which was a massive help. In conversation over dinner the night before we had been talking about the beautiful scenery and cliffs, but I felt utterly unmoved by the beauty—to me they were a Leviathan to be slain.

The romance of walking had disappeared somewhere in the southern suburbs of Athens and this was now a pure slog. I enjoy the company of Rob and Di so much it was a real wrench to leave them and not spend the entire week in their company—although as Rob said “If that is what you wanted then we wouldn’t have come out. We only came because you said you were going to be walking all day.” Point taken.

Without doubt what makes Rob and Di Parsons so utterly special and inspiring, is that for all their achievements their greatest gift is humour. The humour keeps them real. Socrates had the same idea—he thought that it was vital for people to be allowed to mock their leaders in theatres as an essential part of democracy because through the humour it kept the leaders feet in the city rather then allowing them to float up to the temples of the gods on the hot air of sycophancy and ego.

Together Rob an Di Parsons have helped millions of families around the world cope with marriage, kids, debt, drugs and disillusionment with Faith; this they have done through Care for the Family and through a dozen bestselling books, seminars and DVDs. Without any hesitation I would say that they have influenced more people for good than any other person or persons I have ever had the privilege of meeting.

They have a simple formula:

First, they expose their own mistakes with incredible honest.  This puts the audience or reader at their ease, as they think they might be about to get a lecture from some pompous leader who tells how they never let their kids watch tv after 5:50pm in the evening; spend time reading together as a family and playing board games; travel everywhere on bikes with the kids looking forward to putting on their helmets; and always have a supply of sliced apple and raisins in a Tupperware box with still water for when the kids are peckish whilst revising for their exams.  This tells you that are not the worst parent in the world, you are just normal.

Second, they use humour to get them to look at their problems in perspective.

Third, though vulnerability and humour they share some practical tips for trying to ‘get your kids through’ and get yourself through too.

It is an extraordinary mix and the impact in terms of releasing people from guilt, telling them they are not the worst parents in world and that in fact they are doing a great job, and giving them some practical tips as to how to get through.

I have attended dozens of their seminars over the years and they have the same effect on audiences time after time.  They arrive as if they were about to be told by the Inland Revenue that there had been a mistake and they owed £5000 which must be paid before they leave and they then leave as if they have found out that the mistake was actually that they have been overcharged £5000 and they can pick up the cash plus backdated interest at the door.

We relaxed in the evening in a chalet at a beach camp they found by having a competition to tell the best ever Tommy Cooper joke. Rob wins with:

Patient: “Doctor when I press here (prodding his shoulder) it hurts, when I press here (prodding this hip) it hurts and when I press here (prodding his knee) it hurts.

Doctor: “I think you have a broken finger.”

Runners up: ‘I went to the doctors. He said, “I’d like you to lie on the couch.” I said, “What for?” he said, “I’d like to sweep the floor.”;

A policeman stopped me the other night, he taps on the window of my car and says “Would you please blow into this bag, Sir?” I said, “What for officer?” He said, “My chips are too hot.”

“Two aerials meet on a roof – fall in love – get married. The ceremony was rubbish but the reception was brilliant.”

If you don’t find that funny then clearly you haven’t had enough wine yet…..

DAY 135 - SOUTH OF KARLOBAG TO KARLOBAG: 6.33 MILES (12,660 STEPS)

4 September, 2011

6.33 miles (Total: 1322.02 miles) 12,660 steps (Total: 2,576, 241 steps)

It was a lazy day at the beach with dips in the sea and ice cream—not at the same time.

As I read through the Saturday papers, which Rob and Di had brought out, I realised how out of touch I had been with events in the UK, indeed events anywhere outside the country I was in. I also realised that I had been out of the UK for longer (five months) than I had ever been I my life. The adage out of sight, out of mind works two ways.

That said, it was great to get caught up on the news and views from the UK and have a good debate about everything from Murdoch, the Met, the Euro to Cheryl Cole’s absence from the X-Factor (by far the most shocking news—go on Simon, in the spirit of the Truce, give ‘Our Cheryl’ her job back).

Being based in Sukosan for a night hadn’t been a great move because it had meant driving back 90 km from the point where Rob & Di had picked me up, so we decided to drive to Karlobag in the evening where I was dropped off about 6 miles south of there, at the point where I had been met the day before.  Meanwhile, Rob and Di went into Karlobag to scout for a hotel/ apartment and found one without too much difficulty.

When I arrived in Karlobag, we decided to have something to eat and the conversation and the jokes went on until late, probably too late, given the demanding day ahead.

I tried to sleep, but the leg cramps were back with a vengeance and another thing, I found that my eyesight was getting blurred, this concerned me because I have always had very good vision and haven’t needed to wear glasses, but now there was a distinct blurring and I wondered whether this was connected to the heat. I found it very difficult to work on emails and write and even to text on my phone. Probably just more of the general wear and tear from the walk.

DAY 134 - ROVANJSKA TO SOUTH OF KARLOBAG: 32.31 MILES (62,620 STEPS)

3 September, 2011

32.31 miles (Total: 1315.69 miles) 62,620 steps (Total: 2,563, 581 steps)

I couldn’t sleep, as I was again reeling with leg cramps periodically through the night. I was also looking forward to the arrival of Rob and Di who were going to pick me up somewhere on the road between Rovanska and Karlobag. I eventually got up at 3:00am and decided to set off on my walk. I hadn’t set off this early before, probably because of some apprehension of walking during darkness on busy roads, but with my torch in hand and fluorescent cagoule I set off. It is a strange experience walking in complete darkness, particularly as along these cliff side roads there were no street lamps.

Early on I realised that water was going to be a problem because I was passing through settlements before the shops were open. Fortunately I arrived at a camp-site just past Starigrad and there was a camp shop and cafe which I was able to get stocked up at. My legs were hurting and again it was going to be very hot. As the sun came up it revealed amazing scenery of high cliffs and mountains bordering with the sea. The frustrating part of the journey on this stretch, was that though you could see your next destination a few km away, the road would hug the coastline and might take you 10 km to reach. All the way through the day, water continued to be a problem. I seemed to be dehydrating fast and settlements were few and far between. I saw signs for Lukovo Sugarje and a restaurant—just in time I thought, for I felt I was about to faint, but when I got to the remote village the restaurant was closed.

It was still going to be at least a couple of hours before Rob and Di arrived, so my only option was to walk on. Eventually I came upon a remote farm house and knocked on the door—a young man came and I pointed to my Medugorje wrist band and said ‘pilgrim’ and asked if I could have some water—he immediately went in and came out with a one litre bottle of cold water and it felt like a scene from ‘Ice Cold in Alex’ as I drank it down virtually in one go.

Then his mother appeared seeming to be telling him off for giving me water and came out with some cheese and I thought how kind as she started speaking and offering the cheese to me.  Then I heard her say “10 euro”.  I smiled but she insisted “10 euro—good”. I thought this piece of cheese wouldn’t cost 10 euro in Harrods’s Food Hall and made gentle excuses that it was too hot to carry as I walked on with shouts of “8 euro—very good” ringing in my ears.

I walked on a few kilometres until I heard three short toots behind me and my heart leapt as I realised in was Rob and Di Parsons.  They pulled into a perfectly placed lay-by and we hugged each other as Rob rushed out with a selection of ice cold water, iced tea and Coke Zero to select from—I took all three and dashed out of the heat into their wonderful air-conditioned car and back to Sukosan. All of a sudden every ache, cramp, and dehydrating thought, evaporated and was replaced by pure joy at seeing my dear friends again and looking forward to our week together.