chazzer:
I think there could be a very long thread started on the subject of repairs done on the car park of the National Hotel as every time I went in there it seemed someone was fixing something.
Mike, your a year older than me but like you I was brought up in school on the diet that we British were still rulers of all we surveyed, how different I found it when venturing overseas in a truck at the tender age of 22, in fact the only person I met who still considered the British to be superior was Andrew Wilson Young.
But then Andrew was a cut above the restâŚ.
No one had that charm and air of command like Andrew. At the Passport office on the Saudi border, Andrew would just push his way to the front shouting âExcuse me I am Britishâ and it was like watching the parting of the waves.
One of the nicest characters I have ever knownâŚâŚâŚ.RIP Andrew
Wheel Nut:
Oh! I am sure I have paid baksheesh to several car park attendants. I am loving Mikes old stories but he has me at an disadvantage now as I didnât go past Izmit and believe me, many others get mixed up between the two.
come wheelnut tell us who gets mixed up pm if you like
It is quite easy to confuse Izmit with Izmir and believe me it has been done!
im confused wheres izmit i thought your spelling was getting as bad as mine
Mcdonalds have a motorway serves area now at izmit, last western meal, , got to top of woth a bit of junk food before entering chicken and rice terrritoryâŚ
richmond:
Mcdonalds have a motorway serves area now at izmit, last western meal, , got to top of woth a bit of junk food before entering chicken and rice terrritoryâŚ
richmond:
Mcdonalds have a motorway serves area now at izmit, last western meal, , got to top of woth a bit of junk food before entering chicken and rice terrritoryâŚ
NoâŚâŚ not any more You can get that old McDonalds junk all over the Middle East including SaudiâŚ
Long gone are the days of only chicken and riceâŚ
Apart from the junk outlets, the GCC has now also got some of the best franchised food outlets in the worldâŚâŚâŚat a priceâŚâŚâŚ
yes rdf actually thats true, havent been for ten months now so im forgetting, gave me passport in two months agoâŚThat should have read, last mcdonalds at motorway service for a while, In saudi , of course, there is a lot of happy bunnys, my missus wants me to get her one of themâŚhavent seen mcd in turkey after there, or syria or jordan, but we dont go into towns more bypass them nowadays, so maybe theres some in the towns, havent seen any in saudia or qatar either, but plenty of happy bunnys, with no women allowed in, rather ironic reallly,
richmond:
yes rdf actually thats true, havent been for ten months now so im forgetting, gave me passport in two months agoâŚThat should have read, last mcdonalds at motorway service for a while, In saudi , of course, there is a lot of happy bunnys, my missus wants me to get her one of themâŚhavent seen mcd in turkey after there, or syria or jordan, but we dont go into towns more bypass them nowadays, so maybe theres some in the towns, havent seen any in saudia or qatar either, but plenty of happy bunnys, with no women allowed in, rather ironic reallly,
Plenty of mcdonalds in Saudi and several outlets in QatarâŚâŚâŚGod only knows how many in KuwaitâŚ. This is why the GCC has one of the highest diabetes levels in the worldâŚ
They call a Big Mac with double fries a âsnack between mealsâ
What ever happened to stopping at the little Thai restaurant at Ar Ar just past the âHalogen controlâ on the way down !!
I just went there on Flash Earth!! Latitude 30. 57. 17.7N / Longitude 41. 2. 6.8E
Then there was the âGolden Archesâ Filling station, (LLatitude 29. 30. 49.7N Longitude 43. 36. 32.8E) where I used to sleep,(if I didnt fall of my perch before,) out in the open under the stars, on the tarmac floor to the right of the "U"shaped building (on my big Syrian mat with my quilt folded for comfort up) next to my trailer, like the Saudiâs did. You could see the lit up arches from about forty Klicks away, in the distance, between nodding off !!
GS
Hi all.Ok,lets see if we can get a bit further down the road.
Now iâm officially in Asia and cracking along at a whopping 42mph. As yet i have seen no sand merely a not very good tarmac road. As i approach the bottom of the long climb up Bolu ââtake your time,just let others go past if they want,i was told by the other guysââ[as if i had much choise with 150hp] I was thinking ââItâs not going so badââwhen suddenly the engine died .Now what i thought.The tanks were half full so i started poking about to find something[not easy when you canât tip the cab and everything you touch burns holes in you]. As i was parked on a slight bend all the traffic had to come round me.Many of the turks had a helper in the truck and as they went past he waved his arm out the window at me.Ithought they were being sympathetic and so smiled and waved back.It wasnât until much later i discovered that the energetic arm waving was actually the Turkish sign forââwhat a â â â â â â â â â
All at once a Dutch truck pulled up behind me and the driver came towards me.ââgâday sport whats up cobberââ,it turned out that the guys family had emigrated to Aus when he was little but it was startling to say the least.
ââLets have a dekko thenââsays he.ââhave you got dieselââ ââOf course ââi replied indignantlyââ,iâve got half tank according to the gaugeââWe fumbled about for about 1 hr.ââIâm buggered if i knowââsaid my new friendââweâll have to clean the feed pipes,thereâs nothing coming throughââ.He then proceeded to trace the pipes back to the tank.All at once i heard a loud exclamation.ââWhat a drongoââ[which i later found was basic Aussie for fâŚg idiot]. ââTry pumping nowââhe shouted,lo and behold diesel appeared.With a mighty roar the engine burst into life.ââWell doneââ i shoutedââwhat was blocking the pipeââ.ââStupidityââ he said.I didnât understand but then he showed me and my shame was complete.
When they had taken the gbox out in Istanbul they had disconnected the feed pipe between the two tanks and of course turned off the taps.When they re connected it all they forgot to turn on the taps and being an old truck it seemed that one tank was the feed and the other was the gauge.so while the gauge was reading full the feed tank was emptying. We then got going and i promised my friend a free â â â â up if i ever got to Ankara.After creeping up Bolu and down the other side and chugging my way to Ankara.Iarrived late as i went sooo slowly down the long descent towards Ankara to what they called 'âdeath valleyâ'having no exhaust brake and a trembling â â â â â â . Having once again met several members of the 'âbaksheeshâ'family
along the way[i had purchased some Malboro so was prepared for 'âgratuitiesâ'to family members.[i seriously began to think of investing in cigarette companies when i got home as i could become seriously rich very quickly].When i arrived in Ankara at the truck stop i had a meal,got my friend luricated,and took information for the next part of my journey.The info i received did nothing to allay my fears as they told horrifying stories about Tarsus,and when they mentioned 'âMardinâ'it was in a hushed whisper,at the same time making the sign of the cross as if to ward off evil spirits. To say that i slept badly is an understatement even after having a deep and meaningful conversation with my French friend Mr Martell. See you in the morning.Mike P.S. Sorry the trips taking so long.
Dirty Dan:
HI im new to this site. im a lorry driver from sweden and just love to read the storys about meddle east trucking! nice to see the old pics to!
Hej Hej Svenska Kolega. Hu mor du ? Skol Ta me fan
Welcome to the Middle East. !!
I used to meet up with several Swedes from Umika, Lindfors, Vebetrans, Combitrans and some others that pass me at the moment. We spent many days " not having today" in Turkey and other eastern European places.
Great guys.
I also spent several Mid-summer nights in Sweden, drinking Absolut Vodka and eating Sik (its a fish, not vomit).
I lost touch with all my Swedish buddies, maybe you can help me get back in touch with some â â
dreva:
some names if you lads can help
tuncer
habur
sarikaya
mardin/kapisi
ekim
bazargan
RightâŚ
I dont know Tuncer, Sarikaya or Ekim! They might have been Polis Kontrol Posts where you had to get your Polis paper stamped, en-route Bazargan, which is the exit border to Iran. There is a place called Sankaya in that area near Yozgat, maybe it is that.
Habur is the Turkish Exit Border into Iraq.
Mardin near Kiziltepe)(Flash Earth Latitude 37.19. 42N / Longitude40. 46. 40E) is where the detour used to be (because of the Military road ) en-route to Habur, before my time.
Ask the old hands about the boys that used to jump up on the catwalk on the hairpins and disconnect the brake suzies !! and throw rocks at them if they didnt pay the family âBaksheeshâ !! All Good stuff⌠Hoss told me all about it.
Its fathers day and my 5 year old daughter keeps bringing me big glasses of Rum and Sprite, Iâm on a roll now. Pedal to the metal and make that V8 roarâŚand that s before my roast pork Sunday lunch !! Poor old Young Phil McEveley, suffering at Ancona today !!waiting for the Patras Ferry. Happy Fathers Day Phil.
cheers gs it was 74/75 ish upto 77 i think cheers and have good day with the family took my two back to there mums about 2 and happy fathers day to all the dads that are no longer with there loved ones and to all the ones that are away from there kids today.
Of course the trips taking a long time Mike your driving an ERF with a 150 Gardener in it.
ps Iâll email you some pics I promised now your on tâinternet properly
I was thinking ââItâs not going so badââwhen suddenly the engine died 
.Now what i thought.The tanks were half full so i started poking about to find something[not easy when you canât tip the cab and everything you touch burns holes in you]. 
As i was parked on a slight bend all the traffic had to come round me.Many of the turks had a helper in the truck and as they went past he waved his arm out the window at me.Ithought they were being sympathetic and so smiled and waved back.It wasnât until much later i discovered that the energetic arm waving was actually the Turkish sign forââwhat a â â â â â â â â â 
the engine burst into life.ââWell doneââ i shoutedââwhat was blocking the pipeââ.ââStupidityââ he said.I didnât understand but then he showed me and my shame was complete. 
Having once again met several members of the 'âbaksheeshâ'family 
