glad its coming along.
as an aside, during your investigations into routes etc, did you find ANY crossings from Greece to Cyprus at all, regardless of later findings it was too dangerous - cos I need to make the trip by sea, on a motorbike trip, and finding passage from greece to cyprus then onward to rhodes is proving fruitless…
robinhood_1984:
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.
utter cobblers robinhood, we don’t live in the 1960s, this is not bob paul setting off from singapore for london in his landrover so don’t get all misty eyed 
this is not frontier work by any means, and although i fully acknowledge ian has had some pure bad luck with the truck, what i object to is the cavalier way the trip was obviously planned (or not planned more to the point) 
and don’t lecture me about the first people to “open up” routes, when i organised 2 of the convoy of 3 first european trucks EVER to go into kazakhstan back in 1993 i took 6 to 8 weeks about it and did it PROPERLY
if i sound pompous then tough - i’m getting sick of some of the plastic pioneers
who post on here after reading cola-frigging-cowboys twice 
jj72:
utter cobblers robinhood, we don’t live in the 1960s, this is not bob paul setting off from singapore for london in his landrover so don’t get all misty eyedthis is not frontier work by any means, and although i fully acknowledge ian has had some pure bad luck with the truck, what i object to is the cavalier way the trip was obviously planned (or not planned more to the point)
and don’t lecture me about the first people to “open up” routes, when i organised 2 of the convoy of 3 first european trucks EVER to go into kazakhstan back in 1993 i took 6 to 8 weeks about it and did it PROPERLY
if i sound pompous then tough - i’m getting sick of some of the plastic pioneers
who post on here after reading cola-frigging-cowboys twice
I really don’t see what you’re getting at, from what all of us have been told, it wasn’t even his fault this happened and had his truck not even broke down, something that can happen even if you plan it for 6 or 8 weeks, he would no doubt have got through Bulgaria, into Turkey and no doubt onto Cyprus and everyone on here instead of giving off the “I would have done it better, I know more than you” attitude, would be patting him on his back and telling him well done. If its the Bulgarians who are actually at fault, would it really make any difference how well he planned for it, if matters were taken well out of his hands anyway?
Anyone fancy taking a trailer full of Turbos out for Daf, to Sofia; seems there is a shortage!!! Opportunity there…!
Forget the bullets to Cyprus, its Turbos to Sofia u shud be carrying!!!
Ian, can you not get a Turbo and/.or other parts flown out from DAF here ? At their expense of course, its under warranty!
Firstly sorry its all gone a bit wrong for you mate, and that i couldnt be of anymore help, the first i knew about your trip was when i had a txt from kindle530. At the time i was on my way back and its not the best of ways to relay info via text mesg and a third party. Ive just quickly looked through what has been said, I can’t stay on here to long as its a free internet at a tank station in Padborg, your right about the snow in Romania i caught it coming from Bors down to Cluj. The only thing i will say is if you are coming back to UK sort your visa for Turkey before you go back, as i got the impression from kindle that you were hopeing to get it on the border, as i said at the time, to the best of my knowledge! i dont think you can, i was with a astran seller before the summer and he got bumped back trying to get it in Athens and a Dane see him further up the road and he still had not got it sorted. It was a shame i wasn’t at home as i could have given you a call to sort things, bit late now i know. Im tipping in Denmark tomorrow morning and will start reloading friday, don’t know were for yet either Bulgaria or Turkey i think, but will try and post again before i leave as if i got to Bulgaria will def be in Sofia next week.
Best a luck mate and hope you get sorted
Steve
Biggles:
The only thing i will say is if you are coming back to UK sort your visa for Turkey before you go back, as i got the impression from kindle that you were hopeing to get it on the border
you definitely can’t get a visa on the border, certainly upto april this year you could still get them at komotini - but going kapic of course that’s no help so think your advice is probably best biggles 
jj72:
robinhood_1984:
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.utter cobblers robinhood, we don’t live in the 1960s, this is not bob paul setting off from singapore for london in his landrover so don’t get all misty eyed
this is not frontier work by any means, and although i fully acknowledge ian has had some pure bad luck with the truck, what i object to is the cavalier way the trip was obviously planned (or not planned more to the point)
and don’t lecture me about the first people to “open up” routes, when i organised 2 of the convoy of 3 first european trucks EVER to go into kazakhstan back in 1993 i took 6 to 8 weeks about it and did it PROPERLY
if i sound pompous then tough - i’m getting sick of some of the plastic pioneers
who post on here after reading cola-frigging-cowboys twice
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Oh nuts have I been asleep that long I gotta early start tomorrow 
jj72:
utter cobblers robinhood, we don’t live in the 1960s, this is not bob paul setting off from singapore for london in his landrover so don’t get all misty eyedthis is not frontier work by any means, and although i fully acknowledge ian has had some pure bad luck with the truck, what i object to is the cavalier way the trip was obviously planned (or not planned more to the point)
and don’t lecture me about the first people to “open up” routes, when i organised 2 of the convoy of 3 first european trucks EVER to go into kazakhstan back in 1993 i took 6 to 8 weeks about it and did it PROPERLY
if i sound pompous then tough - i’m getting sick of some of the plastic pioneers
who post on here after reading cola-frigging-cowboys twice
well done jj i fully agree with what you just said i was waiting for someone to write it as i couldn say it myself it needed to be said by someone with the voice of experiance.
jj72:
Biggles:
The only thing i will say is if you are coming back to UK sort your visa for Turkey before you go back, as i got the impression from kindle that you were hopeing to get it on the borderyou definitely can’t get a visa on the border, certainly upto april this year you could still get them at komotini - but going kapic of course that’s no help so think your advice is probably best biggles
Speaking as someone who knows sod all about it JJ, do you not think there may be an exception in Ian’s case as he is in effect ‘breaking a blockade’ of N. Cyprus by the international community? Something Turkey is no doubt very keen on.
A bit like gun running to the Sioux. I don’t think Crazy Horse would have turned him away just before The Little Big Horn. 
Salut, David.
Spardo:
Speaking as someone who knows sod all about it JJ, do you not think there may be an exception in Ian’s case as he is in effect ‘breaking a blockade’ of N. Cyprus by the international community? Something Turkey is no doubt very keen on.
A bit like gun running to the Sioux. I don’t think Crazy Horse would have turned him away just before The Little Big Horn.Salut, David.
in my view that would cut no ice whatsoever with the turks at kapicule, had he needed the help of the turkish government in some way before setting out then yes, your drift may be right - but not on spec at the border, just my opinion of course
we took a 2nd hand leather press to lefkoniko quite a while back, and didn’t experience any preferential treatment, welcoming committee etc 
Deleted.
Glad you’re both back OK, mate.
Glad that you are both back home and fine. Hope you can sort the Unit and Load out, without too much of a performance
Welcome back Ian, pleased your OK, best of luck getting things sorted out.
jj72:
…i’m getting sick of some of the plastic pioneers
who post on here after reading cola-frigging-cowboys twice
excellent!!!..totally PMSL… 
PS…did cowboys really manage to do that with cola■■? 