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,I started working for Sundowners in March 1978 ,did my training trip with Kit Carr and Bruce Hester as a courier,did two Russian Scandis,Beerfest and the season was over.Got the oportunity to to do my psv and the chance of an Overland .November the 11th 1978 i left with Syd Mckinley in coach rsy trip QW20 a flyer London/Kathmadu 28 days ,little did i know it would be eight moths before i made it back to London.Arrived in Kathmadu on the 9th December to find about 15 crews in various states of relaxation .Now i could understand what made people do this amazing trip,the aroma in the air the constant need to eat,drink and laugh.Most crews flew home or back to London,Rocky,Rabbit,Syd,and i
had to stay to do the first tips back to london in jan 79.Had Xmas/Ny in Thailand at some beach which was close to paradise except we gradually ran out of money and had to return to the Blue Star.Left with Rabbit on a Caravan but never got past Kabul as the Afghan border was closed.This was the start of the Indian shuttles ,passengers flew on to Istanbul and the driver returned to Kathmandu.Did two more shuttles back forth,then got the nod to travel empty thru Iran,Syd joined me on the 1st of may 79 to drive from Kabul to Istanbul.Tom sawyer and kit had gone ahead ,i think the first westeners to get through after the Shar was overthrown in late December 78 .Our trip had its moments ,getting involved with a local ute ,clipping the front of coach owo and rolling 4 times into the desert,stopped again about midnight and questioned by police drug running ,guns ,and breaking curfew the usualstuff but never forget thinking syd and i would be the next western hostages,5am we were told to go.the presure off ,the police told me he was educated at Oxford University still bloody pleased to be on our way.Our next stop was in Turkey, a place many will remember fondly as the first place after kabul where you could get a decent feed, Dogibyzit.No more fkn safron rice and eggs. Finally made Istanbul only to be stopped by the military police for running a red light ,exhausted i gave them the full kiwi verse which has 7 fs 5 bfcs, looking in my mirror Syd at the back of the coach exiting via the back door yells out ive got you passport Plough good luck, needless to say i was arrested and taken to the tourist police ,but as usual an apology small fine and we were good to go.First turkish bath what a delight to feel clean again ,it took us five days and nights non stop to do the five thousand ks and we made in time to have a night at the Galatta tower with the group we had left in Kabul.Time to clean Owo rest and pick up a Troika and head to London via Russia and Scandinavia ,Owo had not let me down but the oil pres was reading 20 psi under load over the final couple of days pluss 4 litres of oil daily.Finally ariving in London on the 28th of june 1979, 8 and half months since leaving ,11/11/7 , Going to the reunion and looking foward to catchig up .Vicar your foram is great, certainly helps the memory ,I worked as a driver over four years.Started or finished 13 Overlands but only completed 2 west bound tours from start to finish ,it was 1980 before ihad the chance to do a european.Worked with 28 different drivers couriers and cooks ,where else could you travel the world, havefree food,get pissed every night,and have money in the bank,how things have changed.
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