richmond:
… took me 3 days in kapicula and a lot of greif and two fights with turks.
Come on Richmond you can’t leave it there!!!..tell us WTF happened then!!! 
long , long story, shortened to, dont go to kapicula, dont have fight with a lot of turks, in turkey, when you are out numbered 20 to one, and dont forget that if you are stupid enought to do this, that at the next border, which was bulgaria, you will be standing alongside the people you just had a fight with at the other side of the border, also you will be stopping in 9hrs time to park up, and guess what, so will all of them too.Actually i like turk drivers, just not on that day…;To be fait, they did forgive and forget, but it was the next day before that happened…
richmond:
long , long story, shortened to, dont go to kapicula, dont have fight with a lot of turks, in turkey, when you are out numbered 20 to one, and dont forget that if you are stupid enought to do this, that at the next border, which was bulgaria, you will be standing alongside the people you just had a fight with at the other side of the border, also you will be stopping in 9hrs time to park up, and guess what, so will all of them too.Actually i like turk drivers, just not on that day…;To be fait, they did forgive and forget, but it was the next day before that happened…
Crikey, and we think we have border wars here 
I found this on the internet.
.Seven kays from the border,
And I ain’t yet moved today.
But I’m wide awake and ready,
Just wanna get on my way.
How I hate this endless waiting,
And the need to stay awake.
The need to keep the air up,
For the quick release of the brake.
I ain’t saying that they’ll come past,
But it’s a chance you cannot take.
Last-time ever through Kapicule,
You gotta learn from your mistake.
Should have pushed on down through Yugo,
Gone on into Greece.
Cheaper fuel and better food,
And no hassle from police.
Could have had a day at Kavala,
Parked up on the beach.
Lying on the sand in the hot sun,
With a cold beer in easy reach.
Why’d I have to come through Bulgie,
It’s always the same way.
Ipsala might be further round,
But in the long run it’ll pay.
Kapitan Andreevo,
Who the hell were you?
Kapitan Andreevo,
Four days in this queue.
Kapitan Andreevo,
When will I get through?
Kapitan Andreevo,
What did I do?
To deserve this!
This poem was written in December 1984 while waiting in a long line of trucks waiting to cross the Kapitan Andreevo / Kapicule border from Bulgaria into Turkey.
something badly wrong with me because i STILL want to do it …even after reading tha lot …
This is what it’s like trying to leave Syria, guess who’s piggy in the middle? The volvo on my right was driven by Barrie Barnes, the muppet on his right was that hell bent on removing Barrie’s mirror that he did not notice his mate who was in front of him, stop, result bent quarter panel, bust headlights, broken windscreen.
The fridge on my left did get through, but his mate who is out of picture was that intend on having my mirror did not see the car that was parked in front of him, result he got himself boxed in. 
be warned do not give an inch or you will be there a long time trying to get through.
Dave.
richmond:
ed209trucks:
freshir:
ed209trucks:
thanks for the info lads,
i`ll speak to kev at astrans when my passport comes back and ask him what the deal isfreshir wrote ;-
Hi Ed, As a matter of interest have you run M/E before ?Hi Freshir, i
ve never done it before, ive been as far as athens.
They are going to run me with someone for the first trip, and it`s convoy through syria. i rang them up and i had to send them a little bit about myself,he who dares.Inded ! who dares wins rodders, syria, convoy, its a concept, not an actual reality…Its the worst bit, you do it all at night ! In reality there is no convoy at all ed, do what i do, make freinds with a turk and stick to him like glue !damascus is really cool, but you only see it in darkness , though there was a rumour theywas going to change it to day time,o
The only way to drive through Damascus is in the rush hour!
RICO:
I found this on the internet..Seven kays from the border,
And I ain’t yet moved today.
But I’m wide awake and ready,
Just wanna get on my way.
How I hate this endless waiting,
And the need to stay awake.
The need to keep the air up,
For the quick release of the brake.
I ain’t saying that they’ll come past,
But it’s a chance you cannot take.
Last-time ever through Kapicule,
You gotta learn from your mistake.Should have pushed on down through Yugo,
Gone on into Greece.
Cheaper fuel and better food,
And no hassle from police.
Could have had a day at Kavala,
Parked up on the beach.
Lying on the sand in the hot sun,
With a cold beer in easy reach.
Why’d I have to come through Bulgie,
It’s always the same way.
Ipsala might be further round,
But in the long run it’ll pay.
Kapitan Andreevo,
Who the hell were you?
Kapitan Andreevo,
Four days in this queue.
Kapitan Andreevo,
When will I get through?
Kapitan Andreevo,
What did I do?
To deserve this!This poem was written in December 1984 while waiting in a long line of trucks waiting to cross the Kapitan Andreevo / Kapicule border from Bulgaria into Turkey.
Wow, i havent seen or heard that before, it is really good and accurate, thats pretty much nailed it !Does anybody know who wrote it.
Hey thanks for the info,
What about running money can you use dollors i’m guessing deutschmarks wont be much good or do you need local currency??
Can you use cards in turkey i hear diesel is expensive there and you can only leave Syria with 400ltrs??
Thanks.
These last few posts have certainly brought the memories flooding back and one didn’t need to be as far as the Turkish borders before you got your mirror taken out. It happened to me once on the Salzburg border by a Turk. I got a hammer out of my toolbox, went down to his cab and smashed his mirror. A stupid thing to do perhaps (I wouldn’t have done it if we had been in his country) but a great feeling of satisfaction!!
Regarding the queueing at the various borders, I used to find it beneficial if there were a few of you together (in my case, Brits) and we would take it in turns for one of us to stay awake and as soon as there was movement up ahead the one on watch would run to the other wagons and bang on their doors. You would get out of your pit and jump into the driving seat in just your shreddies, start your motor and build your air up and be ready to pull out and pass those that were still asleep. Dog eat dog was the rule of the game.
Perhaps not relevant nowadays but I remember when on Simons we went over to having turkish vehicle insurance organised through our agent Taci Kocman. That was after the guvnor, Geoffrey, was doing time due to an insurance issue…but I’ll say no more!! Except that I did get pulled over by the coppers at the top of Jubilee Way once and when asked for my insurance papers, I showed them my turkish insurance with a ‘green card’ to cover the other countries, Britain being included. They reckoned that being a British registered vehicle, it should have British insurance to which I replied “what about all the foreign registered ships in the world that are insured with Lloyds of London?” That got them thinking and they let me continue on my way…ha! ha!
Matty J:
Hey thanks for the info,
What about running money can you use dollors i’m guessing deutschmarks wont be much good
Can you use cards in turkey i hear diesel is expensive there and you can only leave Syria with 400ltrs??
Thanks.
You are out of touch.There’s no such thing as a Deutsch Mark now.
It’s a great pity as the DM always was the currency of choice,in any country.
Yeah but i’m sure i still have a few in a jar somewhere along with a few francs/lira & pesetas!!
I bet the euro isn’t as popular??
Matty J:
Yeah but i’m sure i still have a few in a jar somewhere along with a few francs/lira & pesetas!!
I bet the euro isn’t as popular??
We use euros, then change english to, turkish, pay the syrians in english, he changes it, the jordanian in english,change english to saudi riyals, but we do it in jordan cos its esier, and just change a bit in qatar for local, keep some dollars handy, it always a get out of jail currency, always, always, make sure you carry some small notes …or marlboro, actually i dont smoke, that stones them a bit wheni offer them biscuits…Then we always also have a bit of local for eats etc, but ya dont need much for that.
bestbooties:
Matty J:
Hey thanks for the info,
What about running money can you use dollors i’m guessing deutschmarks wont be much good
Can you use cards in turkey i hear diesel is expensive there and you can only leave Syria with 400ltrs??
Thanks.You are out of touch.There’s no such thing as a Deutsch Mark now.
It’s a great pity as the DM always was the currency of choice,in any country.
Why did the Bulgarians only want US Dollars and not DM? I never understood that, as the DM was gold plated at the time 
All this pushing and shoving reminded me of an incident at Derra on the way home with the late Jerry Whelan and Trevor Long R.I.P both of them ,George Hall and I had just got out of our trucks ,as we were three rows back from Jerry and Trevor ,when we find Jerry helping a Turk back up his truck to get round the next in front Jerry stood at the back calling in a muffeled voice ella ella or somthig like that, the turk came back quickly and dismantled the Syrians long bonneted Merc behind Jerry quietly walked away as if nothing had happened ,we did our Passports and on returning all hell had broken loose ,was funny at the time ,but not for the Turk ,but that was Jerry for you,oh well time for Darjeeling or Earl Grey
Roger
Come on excuse me, say something…
Wheel Nut:
[
Why did the Bulgarians only want US Dollars and not DM? I never understood that, as the DM was gold plated at the time
You should of asked her at the time Malc, did you try a jar of coffee .
sinbin31:
All this pushing and shoving reminded me of an incident at Derra on the way home with the late Jerry Whelan and Trevor Long R.I.P both of them ,George Hall and I had just got out of our trucks ,as we were three rows back from Jerry and Trevor ,when we find Jerry helping a Turk back up his truck to get round the next in front Jerry stood at the back calling in a muffeled voice ella ella or somthig like that, the turk came back quickly and dismantled the Syrians long bonneted Merc behind Jerry quietly walked away as if nothing had happened ,we did our Passports and on returning all hell had broken loose ,was funny at the time ,but not for the Turk ,but that was Jerry for you,oh well time for Darjeeling or Earl GreyRoger
I like these cockup stories, my admission is of the first time that I was going to Saudi Teherany Barney warned me that there were no road signs in Domestos and advised me to look out for this and that and turn left here and turn right there but the info went in one ear and out the other and I decided to worry about it when I got there - when I was entering the city a Hungerocamion
went past me and I hung onto him as I knew that these chaps knew their way about - What a result YEAH !! youv’e guessed it, I ended up in their depot and I will never forget that driver getting out of his M.A.N and knowing what I was doing P*****D himself
laughing - annoying at the time but a treasured memory - Honest Fred !!
I did the same as you “freshir” when I first went through Damascus but I luckily tagged on to a truck that was travelling on to Ramtha. Not so lucky on the return leg though and ended up on the road to Beirut and had to double back when I eventually realised my mistake.
Hi Ron, somethings never change, all the way from the border there are overhead signs, Jordan & Lebenon,that is till you come to the turnoff in Damascus, there you will find a little sign pointing right with Daraa written on it, miss that and you may find yourself in Beruit.
One other point DO NOT stop at a red light, no one else does.
Dave.