Your right mushroom man
Was a once in a life time experience.
Going back to the Kamarno bridge next week on the bikes on the way to Budapest.
Last time I was there it was new years day in 1981.The snow was falling,the floodlights were on ,the soldiers were about with their machine guns and alsatichian dogs.Was like a scene from a James Bond movie.
When I get there I know I am going to cry because all those memories will crush me.
Filling up now sorry
Mushroomman
Do you remember the truck stop at Adana?
God the amount of times the Turkish gentlemen escorted(carried) me back to my truck I cant count on two hands.
As you say if you were ever in the ■■■■ you could bet your ■■■ a Tonka would stop to give you a hand.Brilliant men bless em
Another experience comes to mind. Was queuing at the Iraq/Turkish border one day running home and a Turk knocks on my door and asks if I have a jack.As it was I had a twenty tonne bottle jack so I gave it to him.English bloke in front of me asks what the Turk wanted so I tell him I gave him the jack.He tells me I will never see it again.
About 20 minutes later the turkish bloke brings back the jack and tells me to come with him.I follow him to the back of a container were about 10 drivers were having “a bit of a do”
Ended up rolling bloody drunk (again) and had one of the best days of my life.
The queue was 20 klicks long on both sides of the road.
I gets back to the truck ■■■■ faced and falls into the bunk.Next thing I hear the motor start and we are rolling. The men I had been on the ■■■■ with didnt want me to lose my spot in the queue so they jumped in and moved my truck.
And all without a word of thanks from me (■■■■■■■
Would love to meet these gentlemen one more time just to shake their hand.
Bking:
switchlogic:
‘Bking’ and ‘humble’ are not two things I’d immediately associate with one another…Maybe that because I dont suffer fools gladly eg people such as yourself
And god knows there is a lot of folk like you about.
Awwww Bking, don’t be like that. Just because I saw through your attempt to become a popular & liked Trucknet contributor, you’ll have to work harder at that, in the mean time have a lovely afternoon won’t you x
switchlogic:
Bking:
switchlogic:
‘Bking’ and ‘humble’ are not two things I’d immediately associate with one another…Maybe that because I dont suffer fools gladly eg people such as yourself
And god knows there is a lot of folk like you about.Awwww Bking, don’t be like that. Just because I saw through your attempt to become a popular & liked Trucknet contributor.
I know 
although he may need a lot of luck with that one eh? 
What will come next ?
Carryfast displaying modesty, or telling us there is a subject that he is actually NOT an authority on?
Or is that a step too far do you reckon.
Both the Turks & the Arab drivers were stars & never wanted anything in return for their help.
My first trip out in 74 I hit the foot of the Taurus Mountains in the dark and coming over the level crossing at the start of what was a stretch of dirt road then, my front right side wheel went down a pothole with a sickening thud.
All felt OK so I carried on – by then it was too late anyway and after a hair raising first crossing dropped down the other side into the warmth of the Mediterranean climate.
I plodded on – anyone who has had a 1418 Merc will know how, utterly dependable and good to live in, but not built for speed – anyway got safely to Bab Al Hawa and took time for a serious look over the wagon.
I can’t remember exactly, but at least 4 leaves on the front o/s spring had snapped, one of the local drivers came over to have a look and within minutes they were all there, Turks & Syrians.
A search round their bodge up kit and back they came with an assortment of U bolts and wedges and set about a repair that saw me down to Jeddah & back to the UK with a backload out of Beirut with no bother at all.
A brilliant bodge and again none of them would accept anything for it, the explanation was always we were guests in their land and it was their duty to look after us – one of the delights of the Islamic world before DAESH and others corrupted it
In hindsight - once I got to know the quality of Turkish repair work - I should have stopped in Turkey for the spring repair rather than coming home and waiting quite some time for a replacement from Mercedes
I’ve often regretted not doing a Middle East trip when I once had the chance.
It was 1982, my own motor had took fire (mysteriously 
)
The firm I did traction for did runs over to Baghdad in pairs, one of their drivers had left or something, and I was offered the run, (brand new DAF 2800 with the air con unit on the roof) I had something on and didn’t bother…always wished I had done it ever since.
I borrowed the DAF on it’s return, to do a UK run, I was going down the M6, bored stiff, saw a switch, got curious and switched it on, …then got covered in a thin white dust (Sahara sand) from the faulty air con unit.
Bking, the caravansary or the T.I.R. park near Adana was called Oryxies which was not far from the Incelic American Air Force base.
You may of seen this photo of the border at Komarno which was posted by Trucknet member Klunk about ten years ago.
I do remember that when you eventually got on to the bridge over The Danube at Komarno then all the trucks had to be about 30 metres apart to distribute the weight, something which the Czecho soldiers strictly enforced.
switchlogic:
Bking:
switchlogic:
‘Bking’ and ‘humble’ are not two things I’d immediately associate with one another…Maybe that because I dont suffer fools gladly eg people such as yourself
And god knows there is a lot of folk like you about.Awwww Bking, don’t be like that. Just because I saw through your attempt to become a popular & liked Trucknet contributor, you’ll have to work harder at that, in the mean time have a lovely afternoon won’t you x
Full o ■■■■■ but what else can one expect
So good to hear from people who shared my experience.
The pay was crap but the buzz was something else.
Maybe we should organise a kind of reunion
Would be nice to be with people who know what the hell your taking about
Anybody up for that?
robroy:
I’ve often regretted not doing a Middle East trip when I once had the chance.
It was 1982, my own motor had took fire (mysteriously
The firm I did traction for did runs over to Baghdad in pairs, one of their drivers had left or something, and I was offered the run, (brand new DAF 2800 with the air con unit on the roof) I had something on and didn’t bother…always wished I had done it ever since.I borrowed the DAF on it’s return, to do a UK run, I was going down the M6, bored stiff, saw a switch, got curious and switched it on, …then got covered in a thin white dust (Sahara sand) from the faulty air con unit.
It was something else my man
> Bking:
> So good to hear from people who shared my experience.
> The pay was crap but the buzz was something else.
> Maybe we should organise a kind of reunion
> Would be nice to be with people who know what the hell your taking about
> Anybody up for that?
Harem Hotel would be a good location ■■
Bking:
switchlogic:
Bking:
switchlogic:
‘Bking’ and ‘humble’ are not two things I’d immediately associate with one another…Maybe that because I dont suffer fools gladly eg people such as yourself
And god knows there is a lot of folk like you about.Awwww Bking, don’t be like that. Just because I saw through your attempt to become a popular & liked Trucknet contributor, you’ll have to work harder at that, in the mean time have a lovely afternoon won’t you x
Full o [zb] but what else can one expect
The wheels soon fell off that charm offensive
switchlogic:
Bking:
Full o [zb] but what else can one expectThe wheels soon fell off that charm offensive
A leopard and his spots
Bking:
robroy:
I’ve often regretted not doing a Middle East trip when I once had the chance.
It was 1982, my own motor had took fire (mysteriously
The firm I did traction for did runs over to Baghdad in pairs, one of their drivers had left or something, and I was offered the run, (brand new DAF 2800 with the air con unit on the roof) I had something on and didn’t bother…always wished I had done it ever since.I borrowed the DAF on it’s return, to do a UK run, I was going down the M6, bored stiff, saw a switch, got curious and switched it on, …then got covered in a thin white dust (Sahara sand) from the faulty air con unit.
It was something else my man
Yeh, maybe it was, but I wasn’t a mechanic then, and I aint now.
Come on then, just out of curiousity (and to put me out of my misery for the last 35 or so years )…what do you reckon it was?
Switch on, unit on roof rumbling like ■■■■, sprayed with white chalky dust all over cab.
robroy:
Bking:
robroy:
I’ve often regretted not doing a Middle East trip when I once had the chance.
It was 1982, my own motor had took fire (mysteriously
The firm I did traction for did runs over to Baghdad in pairs, one of their drivers had left or something, and I was offered the run, (brand new DAF 2800 with the air con unit on the roof) I had something on and didn’t bother…always wished I had done it ever since.I borrowed the DAF on it’s return, to do a UK run, I was going down the M6, bored stiff, saw a switch, got curious and switched it on, …then got covered in a thin white dust (Sahara sand) from the faulty air con unit.
It was something else my man
Yeh, maybe it was, but I wasn’t a mechanic then, and I aint now.
Come on then, just out of curiousity (and to put me out of my misery for the last 35 or so years
Switch on, unit on roof rumbling like [zb], sprayed with white chalky dust all over cab.
It was probably Limeyphils regular vehicle, so probably a stray kilo of Nose talc
Reef:
It was probably Limeyphils regular vehicle, so probably a stray kilo of Nose talc
Hey, that explains it, …why I was suddenlly convinced I was dodging asteroids piloting Starship 9 while getting the urge to sing ‘Lucy in the sky with diamonds’
Bking:
So good to hear from people who shared my experience.
The pay was crap but the buzz was something else.
Maybe we should organise a kind of reunion
Would be nice to be with people who know what the hell your taking about
Anybody up for that?
There was a middle east themed do at the Gaydon truck show a couple of years ago, glad I made the effort, there were a few guys I knew, some I’d never met, and we all knew the guys no longer with us.
We are getting a bit thin on the ground now, a reunion may be the last chance we’ll ever get to look back on the job through rose tinted spectacles.
Reef:
On the subject of feeling old though, Yes I am, compounded by the fact it’s my 47th birthday in 2 days and 50 is getting increasingly closer
As somebody who is now over 50, got to say I feel more at peace with myself than I ever have, not that I’ve given up, still chasing dreams, still want to achieve stuff and still not sure what I want to do when I grow up, but more confident about who I am and my own worth.
OK sometimes my body does remind me I’m not in my 20’s anymore and there is an old man looking at me in the mirror in the mornings, but he is a dam good looking old man.