“I’VE GOT A LITTLE JOB FOR YOU”.
Lane 6.
I had arrived in Jedda the previous evening after being chaperoned from the Jordanian border by an old Saudi guard. He had disappeared as soon as my papers had been handed over to customs. Perhaps he had to thumb a lift back up to the border. Can’t somehow see that though. Most probably went by air conditioned taxi. I was sitting in my lorry wondering what to do next. I had had my breakfast which didn’t consist of much as I was getting low on supplies. It consisted of coffee and biscuits but I wasn’t to worried as I had seen a Safeway supermarket from where I would replenish my supplies. That was one thing I liked about Saudi. They had joined the modern world unlike Syria, Iraq or Iran. You could even make contact with the outside world unlike Iraq where it sometimes took three days to get a phone call through to the UK and even then you were likely to be connected to a wrong number.
After breakfast Mike Sweeney and a local turned up. Mike was to do with security at the embassy and had the job of getting my load cleared of customs. The local guy handled that though whilst Mike and I chatted. By late morning I was on the move. I followed Mike’s car and was soon parked up in the road outside the embassy. Now here things are a bit confusing. I’m not now sure it was the actual embassy. It was a villa set in a nice area of Jedda but perhaps it was like in Tehran. There they have the embassy in the centre of town but have, what is known as the summer residence up in the northern suburbs. Of course in Tehran it was cooler up there in summer, you couldn’t say that about the villa in Jedda. It was by now early afternoon as I backed in through the gates and they clanged shut behind me. I had entered an oasis of calm, greenery and yet another swimming pool. Mike told me I would be tipped the following day and that I could make use of his spare bedroom and the swimming pool if I so wished. That was not an offer I or anyone else was likely to turn down especially after he invited me into his air conditioned kitchen whereupon he opened the fridge which was packed with a fair selection of the finest beer British breweries produced.
After a couple of beers and a shower it was time to check out the pool. Now I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea. I know it looks like I’ve gone from the sundeck on the ferry to a succession of pools as I made my way south but it was hard graft all the way interspersed with a bit of luxury every now and again. Well thats what I would tell “Staggie” if he asked. In the evening Mike did us a meal and I had to visit the pool again for one last dip before turning in. Next day the furniture was unloaded by midday and Mike came across with a telex for me. It was from the Promotor office in the UK. It just read “Imperative you contact this office from Amman on your way home regarding reload”. Now as I hadn’t been in touch with the office since I’d left and they had no idea of my whereabouts I guessed “Staggie” had sent it weeks before ready for it to be given to me on my way through. By now it was to late to get back on the road and Mike had offered his hospitality for another night which I readily accepted. So it was back to the pool again, more beer and another one of Mike special meals.
The next morning I would be leaving early. It was a fair hike to Riyadh and I was allowing two days to do it in. Mike said he thought I had to go back about 200 km north to Medina and to pick up the Riyadh road from there as he was certain I would not be allowed to drive over Taif which was the direct route. I didn’t like that idea and told him. Well if you do chance it just make sure you don’t end up in Mecca on your way through. I thought “Staggie” would have a heart attack if he saw on his TV “Infidel arrested in Mecca with load of furniture”. “Don’t worry Mike I know to keep out of that place” I said. However, its at times like that you need to be talking to someone with experience of the place like the boys from the Trans Arabia thread. Unfortunately I didn’t see any of them.
I left at the crack of dawn and made good time to Mecca. I followed the signs around the city and was enjoying myself. I was as good as empty so nothing slowed me down. I had about thirty small chairs in the back which if they weighed a couple of hundred kilos I would have been surprised. I pressed on towards Taif and the mountain upon which Taif is located, it loomed ever larger in front of me. Hell I thought nothings going to stop me going over there. I was burning gas like a good un. Flat out I headed for the bottom of the mountain and I could see the road snaking its way up to the top.
Then I saw this small hut on the right set slightly back from the road. Suddenly there was a uniformed policeman or soldier emerging from it. He seemed in a hurry and started to blow a whistle and wave his arms. Oh bother I thought.
