Kamyonistan Revealed

Kamyonistan is not just a place. . . It's a magical oasis we've constructed in our minds. Bingo is right. The truck stop near Damascus is an oasis - a paradise, even - currently recovering from the harsh reality of an Israeli missile attack. For the English teenager Ro and his Egyptian-born friend Nuri, it represents security, better employment prospects and a tolerance of their unusual lifestyle. The arrival of a majestic camel and her baby offspring presents a different kind of challenge. When unmarked containers also arrive at Kamyonistan in the depths of a severe winter, and Ro sees rifles being secretly offloaded by night, it's Nuri's cameleer skills that are needed - for gunrunning across the mountains into the hot spot next door: Lebanon. Trouble in paradise is the theme of this finely drawn study of the Middle East, where ways meet and customs frequently collide. Humorous cross-cultural banter and excellent images of life in the rough lane remain imprinted in our minds long after we have enjoyed author Robert Hackford's third visit to his other 'home' - Kamyonistan.