muckles:
It’s reconised by Turkey and there are no sanctions about exporting stuff to Northern Cyprus. The place exists so it must be reconised as something, maybe just Cyprus. When it come to making money certain political barriers can be overcome.
I understand that it is recognised by Turkey but it is not being delivered to Turkey and as they are about the only country in the world that does then it would make more sense if the was where the delivery was going (then to be exported to Northern Cypress).
It does exist but it is recognised as Cypress by the international community as that is what it was before Turkey went in.(have you nioticed that since the second world war we have a habit of going into/coming out of other countries starting a fight and then walking away).
Having said all that I think your last sentance sums in up nicely
There seems to be some confusion over where Ian is actually going. Once he get his wheels turning again he’s planning to go through Turkey to the far tip and then catch a boat to Northern Cyprus as that’s where the delivery is. Originally he had planned to sail from Greece to Southern Cyprus as someone recommended on here but he was informed that he’d have a hard time getting from Southern Cyprus to Northern Cyprus (for obvious reasons) so that’s why he’s having to go through Turkey as there are no boats from Greece to Northern Cyprus, see.
can’t see how any amount of advice from anyone would’ve helped when the bulgarians made a ■■■■ up with the permits and the engine on the wagon went west!
at least he’ll be clued up for the next run
Well, I’ve never seen so much evidence of people not reading posts correctly, or even at all.
Apology accepted Bob, good job I decided to read further down before diving in, my feathers were well ruffled at that point and I only just managed to bite my lip .
Rob said: I understand that it is recognised by Turkey but it is not being delivered to Turkey and as they are about the only country in the world that does then it would make more sense if the was where the delivery was going (then to be exported to Northern Cypress).
Which is what I was worried about earlier, I would have thought that the less said about the final destination the better as the rest of the world is antagonistic towards Northern Cyprus and would have provided an excuse not to let the load through. Anywhere, but definitely not Greece.
Just to clarify a couple of points of history.
The Turkish community was not involved to any great extent in the opposition to British rule years ago, perhaps because they could see the writing on the wall as to who the Greeks would be turning on next when the Brits left. This is because they were terrorised by the Greeks at the time and their fears were born out later which is why the Turkish government stepped in to protect them.
As far as joining the EU is concerned it was decided that Cyprus as a country could join as long as they had a referendum on re-unification first. The EU in it’s naivety thought that this would force a reconciliation. The Greeks realised however that there was no stipulation to vote ‘yes’ only to vote, and accordingly voted no to re-unification. The Turks on the other hand voted yes to re-unify and join the EU. As both sides had to vote yes to unify this was a dead duck. The mere fact of having the vote meant that Cyprus could join but as the (Greek) South was the only bit recognised that was the only bit allowed in. The crafty Greeks had got their way (in without unification) and the scandal is that the daft EU couldn’t see it coming.
Hope it all comes good for you Ian, but if it was me I wouldn’t be saying anything more about final destination till I was safely in Turkey, the only country that wants you to succeed.
jj72 and Trucky, neither of you have ever met me nor have I ever stated or boasted about my experience on the road so have no idea who I am or what I have done! Only two people off here have ever met me and thats how I intend to keep it!
I criticized you, Trucky because sitting here as an ‘outsider’ your first post was extremely condescending, I admit you have since apoligised for that, and your second post wasn’t much better.
I read Ian’s original post and have followed his adventure closely. Maybe if you had spotted the original post then maybe you would have reacted differently when the crap hit the fan out in Bulgaria.
I feel that as he seems to have been badly treated in Bulgaria, he needs all the support he can get, not the “I told you so” attitude.
Having lived in Cyprus for three years I learned that what Spardo said just about sums up the place i.e. the Greeks were taking the pee with regard to all aspects of normal life (housing, jobs, education) and the Turks were losing-out big style!! So much for equality.
The Turks will tell it was a liberation force that went to Cyprus; the Greeks will tell you it was an invasion force. I kinda though it was an invasion force that had to do something to protect their people!! I had/still have both Greek & Turkish friends and count myself as neutral.
Travel across the green line (UN border) is much more ‘free’ these days, definately for tourists & residents but i’m not so sure about trade (and especially ammo!!). Remember that (both North & South) Cyprus is also know as the “crossroads for Middle-east terrorism and weapons”; being in the EU hasn’t changed that!
Is that much ammo going to be used for hunting?? Quite possibly, yes!! Cypriots think that shooting anything with fur or feathers is their right and do it at every opportunity!!
If TRNC (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) was so unrecognised they wouldn’t have progressed as far as they have! Someone already said, money talks! Kyrenia is a stunning, developed and thriving tourist resort with quite a few ‘5 star’ holiday complexes. Asil Nadir (Polypeck empire crash) lives there since legging-it from London; I don’t know what that says about the place though!
Finally, I wish Ian and Dave well and look forward to reading the feature packed diary!!
Maybe there’s a book to rival Coffee’s; 'Bulgaria with a Bang! A Tale of Headgaskets and Bullets
Spardo:
Rob said: I understand that it is recognised by Turkey but it is not being delivered to Turkey and as they are about the only country in the world that does then it would make more sense if the was where the delivery was going (then to be exported to Northern Cypress).
Actually that was me.
I think this has gone off on a tangent a bit.I wasn’t trying to point fingers at who’s right or wrong in that area of the world & maybe I used a poor choice of words when describing the Turks role in the matter.
What I was really trying to get at is the paperwork side of things re the load he has got on.
I assume he would be running under TIR as he will be leaving the EU but once through Turkey he will be going to a country that doesn’t officially exist so I was wondering what it has on his paperwork.
I’m sure Ian is following this thread closely (if he’s not airbourne) and he will enlighten us
I hope Ian wants to and can keep this job. It nice to hear of British Trucks making still getting loads out of the EU.
There is a ferry from Trieste to Istanbul, 3 day sailing I think, but drivers can either stay with the ship or fly. A lot of Turkish drivers use it to avoid Greece or the Balkans and they get three days at home if they live near Istanbul.
We used it to get to and from the Turkish GP, all the arangements were handled by a company called Billitz (sp), who managed to handle the whole GP circus, including all customs clearance and hotels and flights for all the drivers, in and out of Turkey without a hitch.
marcustandy:
Asil Nadir (Polypeck empire crash) lives there since legging-it from London; I don’t know what that says about the place though!
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What it says Marcus is that, in international eyes, the country doesn’t exist. Bit difficult to extradite someone from oblivion
And Sean, my apologies for a senior moment (similar to what Trucky did in respect to me, and yes, he’s about the same age I reckon) in entirely misattributing the ownership of the copyright which was indubitably yours . I know you are a connoisseur of posh words 8)
I notice that Rob was so blinded by the erudition of your post that he hasn’t disclaimed it .
Both Poseidon and Salamis ferries both stopped crossing from Greece to Cyprus a couple of yearsa ago and as far as I know the only sea route operating is a cruise liner to Syria that takes 5 days and calls in to Rhodes then Cyprus on the way over.
Could be why he elected to go to Turkey and enter on the Turkish side.
One must presume his load was destined for the Turkish side or the UN buffer zone as well because if entering the Turkish side one can’t cross to the Greek side, but you can go vice versa on a day permit.
Good to see the light is beginning to shine at the end of the tunnel, Ian.
How this thread ever got to 4 pages, I do not know?? I reckon its because there are lots of “seasoned truckers” on here who have never been across the water and are jealous of your trip, Ian.
Some people are always only too happy to jump on the “I told you so” bandwagon on here.
No, Trucky, despite my previous comments to you, I am not referring to you … I respect the fact that you ARE one of the ‘proper’ seasoned truckies on here. Not like some of the Tesco’s chauffeurs we get on here.
I’ve been reading this forum for quite some time, because I was interested how things are done in other places, never posted anything though. I work for a bulgarian trucking company (international) and even though I might introduce some more confusion, here is what I think:
There is NO NEED for any road permit to cross Bulgaria with GB-licenced truck. This is the bilateral agreement betweeen GB and BG (funny words) that concerned road transportation. It doesn’t matter what the load is, ADR or not, for people or birds.
The whole mess was indeed created by the Bulgarians. Firstly in the media, there were messages, that the truck in Vetren did not have any permits (poor journalist do not understand between road permits, transit licences and the whole other bunch of papers that go with any load)
What I believe is missing is a document, issued by the Ministry of Economy about the dual purpose nature of a special list of goods (this is extremely long list, which includes also goods such as polyester wool, wood carving machines , just to give an idea how stretched it is). The customs are required to ask for this document at their discretion, so I suppose in Ruse, they decided the bullets are OK (because they are transi probably) and let the truck in. Than the turbine blew.
A transit goods are allowed only maximum of 4 days to transit Bulgaria. The exact term is specified on the carnet TIR or the transit declaration, whichever IAN is using. In case of a brakedown, an extention is needed, and in case of long stays, you will be asked to storage the load into a customs-warehouse - as you did in Burgas. Beeing late for 1 or 2 days generaly will only cause the exiting border customs to yell at you, but is not something to die from.
Since we operate DAF’s, I’m sorry to tell that the wait will be long. In the DAF service in Sofia we have one unit waiting for…TURBINE…since 12 days. Now that they have two tractors waiting for same part, will probably expedite things, but to be honest, DAF people in Sofia are nice, but terebly slow with deliveries.
Well, the chance of leaving Bulgaria without the truck is slim, but I believe with the help of the British Embasy in Sofia, not unbelievable. The customs will probalby make you sign a bond-declaration, which costs some money.
7 Or, if you decide to stay in Sofia, approximately 300 meters from the phone palace, from where you have been calling, there is the DUBLIN - pub where most of the Brits in Sofia hang out, so you can catch some home atmosphere. Well things will get all sorted out, hope you get out with few financial losses
ianyng:
"Because of the type of load, it was not possible to go by ferry from Italy to Turkey. I made loads of calls and e-mails, but it’s too hazardous by sea.
You never mentioned that you looked into the Trieste to Istanbul service on the Euro forum, but it was mentioned that there was no way the load would be allowed on anything but a frieght only service.
So, hoping that this would end up as a regular run for you, I thought I’d mention it, not to make out that I know more than you, but because I was trying to be helpful.
Finally I’m pleased to see things seem to be starting to go the right way for you after what must seem like a mad few days.
All I have to say on the matter is that well done to Ian for hanging on in there. It was by all accounts out of his control, it wasn’t a fault on his part and so what if this run is out of the ordinarry, there always has to be a first man to do something. If it wasn’t for such people, British trucks would never have gone to the Middle East, Morocco or deepest Russia/Kazakhstan in the first place and made it possible for many on here to gain their experiences doing such things. I’m sure the notion of sending trucks from Europe to Pakistan in the 60s was a lot more out-landish than Ian’s journey to Cyprus, yet it was done and well done to the lads who did it and opened the way for the rest.
and I only just managed to bite my lip 
.
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