Beginning his trek in Rajahstan in North Western India,
Zippo's route will take him through 12 countries and two continents, passing
through some of the most desolate regions on the planet. After leaving
India, he will pass through the rocky deserts of Pakistan, Iran and Iraq
and the dry lowlands of Syria and Jordan in the Middle East. Zippo will
cross by ferry from Jordan to Egypt, where his journey will continue through
the sands of Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Algeria before finally reaching
his destination in Morocco. This is a route that would be impossible by
motorcycle, and hell in an ATV. Only a camel, with its unique ability to
go days at a time on minimum sustenance, could possibly make such an arduous
journey.
But what could make a man, especially one so accustomed
to the relative comforts of life in Taiwan, attempt such a trip?
Hailing from New Zealand, of mixed Samoan descent, Zippo is a man of many nations. He has made his home, at various times, in England, Australia, India and Thailand. For the past six years, Zippo has lived in Taiwan, earning a reputation among those who know him as one of the best Children's English teachers around. Although he had no experience with camels prior to beginning this trip, he refused to be intimidated by the possibilities.
In a conversation we had before he left for India, Zippo brashly proclaimed "I'm ½ Samoan, man...my people were sailing the Pacific and practising cannibalism until as recently as this century. Riding a camel can't be all that difficult for someone with my genes!"
When Zippo first conceived of taking a camel trip, his route was nowhere near as groundbreaking as the one he eventually decided on. Zippo writes from India:
"Basically, I just thought it would be a fun thing to do, setting a world record by riding a camel a great distance. But as the journey became more and more a reality, I began to think of what I could do to make the world a better place using this journey as the means. I began reading about Islam, and I came to realise that many of the stereotypes I had been taught since childhood about Muslims was simply not true. I wanted to learn more about Islam, and so it just seemed like the best way to do it would be to ride a camel from India to Tunisia, not merely to set a record, but also to bring about an increased level of understanding between the Muslim and non Muslim worlds."
In addition, Zippo is hoping to use his journey to raise funds to begin another dream of his, the founding of small, self supporting homes for orphans in each of the 12 countries he passes through. Outlining the concept for "The Zippo House Fund", Zippo writes "(It) is a proposal that has been germinating for some years now. It wasn't until the idea of this Camel journey that I could see a way to make it possible. Each House would house ten orphan children and be staffed by volunteer teachers. The structures will be built from recycled materials and will be as environmentally friendly as possible".
Before leaving for India, Zippo wrote scores of letters to various heads of state and religious leaders throughout the Muslim world, while at the same time seeking corporate sponsorship for his journey. Although Zippo has yet to receive any corporate endorsement for his trip, he received a gift of US$5000 from one of his students, Frederick Hsu of Hsinchu. To honour Mr. Hsu's generosity, Zippo has named his camel "Fred". In addition, Zippo has received several warm letters of encouragement and support from various offices, most notably that of King Hussein of Jordan and the United Nation's World Muslim League.
Zippo then looked into the problem of getting his Camel across the borders. Many nations have strict regulations that require an animal to quarantined for weeks or months before being allowed through. Luckily, most Middle Eastern countries view the camel as a respected member of any entourage, requiring only a certificate of heath and vaccination from a licensed veterinarian. Unfortunately, visa regulations are somewhat stricter for humans, and Zippo is still waiting for several letters of approval even as he begins his journey.
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On August 30, Zippo left for New Delhi, where he began preparing for his trip in earnest. By mid September, he had procured the camel that would be his steed and companion for the next six months. In choosing the camel, Zippo had guidance from some local people who were sympathetic to his cause. They took him to the open air camel market in Jaipur, Rajasthan, famous throughout Asia for its fine selection of quality camels.
Zippo writes of his first meeting with the camel who would become known as "Fred" "He didn't look too pleased about being sold to me, almost as if he had a premonition that he was going to be used for more than just simply riding around Jaipur! You know how they say that a camel spits? Well, this one would have cursed up a blue streak if he could have!"
Zippo did not take the camels reluctance to heart, and soon a bargain was struck with the owner. "Fred" was examined by Veterinary Surgeon, Dr Dinesh Sharma on 14th September 1997 and given a clean Bill of Health, as authorised by the Department of Animal Husbandry of Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Two weeks later, Zippo had been accepted as a convert
to the Muslim faith, and given the name Khalilur Rahman Zippo ("friend
of the merciful"). No longer would he be a stranger riding a camel through
foriegn lands. For Khalilur Rahman Zippo, all the lands of Islam were now
home, and every man within a brother.
Although his visa to Pakistan had yet to be aproved, Zippo held a press conference (attended by members of Asian and Middle Eastern press corps, as well as by local Indian television and newspaper reporters) on the morning of October 15. After it was over, Zippo mounted his camel and rode off in the morning heat towards the Pakastani border, some 200 kilometers away.
It is not entirely certain whether Zippo will be able to complete this great journey. Besides the obvious challenge with obtaining visas, There also exist a great many potential hazards. Of the many possible dangers that exist along the way, none are so frightening as that of the elements themselves. A small mistake, such as straying off course and missing a watering hole, could be fatal. But Zippo refuses to be pessimistic. In his most recent post from New Delhi, Zippo wrote
"I have been given the chance to do something great,
and I need to be optimistic about the outcome. Whether I succeed or fail,
its the fact that I tried that is important. The great achievements of
this century are not the sole property of heroes… they belong to any who
dares to try."
Zippo toyed with the idea of bringing along a notebook computer with a solar powered battery, but financial and security realities intervened. A happy compromise was reached when a friend in Australia offered to create a beautiful web site dedicated to the journey. The site (http://throughthelandofislam.com) will be kept up to date both by it's creator, and with the help of a network of people throughout the Muslim World who will be using their systems to upload the latest news, journal entries, and pictures from Zippo himself as he rides through the land of Islam. In addition, mail will be forwarded wherever possible to Zippo, and Zippo hopes to correspond with as many people as possible during his long trip