I never had a shot at Tehran… Shame… They used to say “At Ankara the boys turn right for Baghdad and the men go straight on for Tehran”. I always turned right…
Once I’d visited Baghdad - (prior to Promotor I went with Chris Taylor of Star Transport) I ended up being a Baghdad “expert” (ie competent). It seemed had more than my fair share of them. I went on my first (Promotor) Baghdad to the Fair and it was with Bugsy and I had to run around and do everything for him. Nice fellow but very lazy… He almost had us both arrested in Romania as he picked up two girls and we were followed by the Securitate for about two hours. The secret policemen were really mad at us that they had to follow us for hours and had a two hour drive back home in the night…
On the way home from Baghdad we met a Top Deck Travel bus at the Londra but the lovely girls were soon shepherded off to bed in the bus as the hundreds of lorry drivers that inhabit the Londra got drunk and over-friendly. Next day Graham & I saw the bus arrive at Kavalla and park up a mile down the road. Bugsy’s sore leg that had made it so difficult to walk anywhere or doing any manual work was suddenly restored to full health and we hurried off down the road to renew our acquaintanceship. Oh happy day! I have the photos somewhere…
The next Baghdad I had to travel with Wellie Ward, I suppose he meant well but I had to keep stopping to tell him to “get off my arse”. This would work for a short while and then we’d start again and he’d disappear. Disappear right behind me so close I couldn’t see him.
Generally I preferred to go on my own and choose my own company.
Back to work…