HOW WAS THE TRIP,
Salty asked, when we finally arrived back into London from the tour.
I see you found Ron and the group alright then ?, .
Yes,
no worries I said, everything was good.
I mean what can you say, regarding the Trials and Tribulations, of the Overland Tour.
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Prior to that London departure, Brian had said to me, Ron from our Sydney office is coming
as tour leader with the next group, you will pick him up in India.
That’s good I said, its hard work on your own, and he can drive the bus for a while
and I will look forward to seeing him again.
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The drive out via Europe, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Jordon, Lebanon, Iraq and into Iran, it was all very good, everything was smooth as silk, everyone happy and enjoying the tour.
We were all travelling well, having
just crossed the Lut desert
and driven through some of the
most remote southern areas of Iran.
We finally drove into the Baluchistan region
of Pakistan, and into the city of Quetta for our few nights stop over, before heading towards Lahore, and across the border into the Punjub and Amritsar before heading on down south through India to meet the
ship with the new passengers that were coming from Australia, led by Ron.
As with all Borders it pays to get along well with those in charge, and the Iran exit into Pakistan was no exception, he was a busy body, at the best of times, but we got along well
enough and he always served chai while he
smoked from the carton of English cigarettes, that he
like magic found on his desk, he had his men hurry the group through the border rigmarole, post haste.
The Pakistan
border post was different for instead of tea and talk, unlike the Iran police/Army, he wanted to wrestle, it didn't deter him that I was several inches taller and several Kgs to the advantage.
As soon as we arrived in the line with the other vehicles, he would call us through, and I would park our vehicle up front near the
customs police post, I knew what was coming.
He announced to all and sundry, how he and I were to wrestle, and the preparation for this was carried out by his men drawing the circle, and he stripping down, doing press ups, getting
his shoulder rubs etc, all the while those travelling were gathering around awaiting the grand event.
In short it was for three rounds, no stopping until a fall was had, and one of us was pinned to the ground for the count.
The
Sundowner passengers were well informed and loud cheering was encouraged, not for me but especially for the Sergeant.
He won the first round, me the second and he the third, but what a struggle we had, he winning two to one making him the winner of course, in each round the wrestling went on for many minutes,
you have to put up a good show.
Then we all congratulated him, me saying that he was lucky and how I would beat him next time.
However it was so much quicker this way to get through the Border, than to wait in the line.
We went on to Quetta, and after the accommodations were secured, for our stay, we all went and changed money as the rates were good, and as we were travelling on through Pakistan
for several more days we changed what we thought we would need,
as for me,
I was coming back into Pakistan on the return with Ron
and the new group, I too took advantage off the rates offered.
The following morning the chief of police called at our accommodations
bringing along their army chief and said, you must return into Iran, India has attacked Pakistan and we are at war, you cannot go any further in our country. we are in a state of war with India.
I said, but we must
be able to go on as I have these people to take to India and another group to collect for the return journey.
No they said, you will leave in the morning with an escort to the border, if you refuse to go you may be arrested as spies, and put in jail for a while.
Now we
all know a little of prisons around these parts, so I agreed to depart.
In the meantime other Passengers informed me that the two English females had gone off with the
chief and the local Mayor.
I said you had better go get them because we might have to leave in the morning, they said they wont come we have been to see them and since then, they have been shifted to another place and we don't
know where they are.
I went and found the chief of police and asked for the two females to be returned, he said ,they want to stay with us, and don't wish to continue with you.
I insisted I speak with them and finally he agreed, he called a Jeep and we set off, to where they were
keeping the two soon to be ex passengers.
I insisted I spoke with the two women alone without he or others being in the room, and
carefully explained the problems which they could soon find themselves in, but all to no avail.
In the end I had them both sign release forms explaining their intentions to leave of their own free will.
I called the chief of Police aside and said, there was another small problem, some of us have purchased Pakistan money, and the Iranians won't except your Rupees, we expected to remain
in Pakistan for some weeks. we have cashed a lot of dollars into Rupees, and although I have tried they won't cash them back into dollars for us, or even into Iranian Rials.
This I said is a real problem for us, as we have come a long way from England, and being towards the end of out travels we are short of Dollars.
I think I understand
the problem he said, perhaps you might do as some other persons do.
I thought about his comment a while and thought he might consider leading me astray and then give me a holiday at the states expense.
He said again you can buy something here and sell it in Iran.
I said, I wouldn't know how to go about something like that what would you suggest we buy.
He said, we in Pakistan have the best tea in the world and it is highly thought of in Iran, buy some tea and sell it when you arrive into Iran.
I said, I think that might be illegal, don't you think, oh yes he said I'm sure it is, however people do it.
Should you need further help let me know and I will help you choose the best tea.
I said, I would prefer to just exchange the money.
That won't happen he said, come along I will help you, so he did,
He took me to the market and we purchase two tea chests of first grade tea.
He suggested we remove them from the boxes as that was too conspicuous, being so large, and he
arranged to be made several double thickness cotton bags,
and the tea was put into them.
We finally loaded these on to the roof rack and tied down the tarp ready to depart
early in the morning.
Later that night he arrived with more police, and called me aside.
He said, we have a small problem. HELLO I THOUGHT welcome to Pakistan!.
Then to my relief he said,
there are some people with English passports who are like you, caught up in this war and all flights are cancelled and they need a ride into Iran, and
then back to England.
I said that's no good as I have little room on board and I have another group coming from Australia docking in India, and I have to take care of this group and then locate the new group.
No matter
he said, these people must depart from Pakistan and get back into England and they will travel with you in the morning, besides you have two extra seats
now don't you.
As they say what can one do. Come the morning the English family arrived mother, father, and seven children.
Starting at this height and going down to that height, and their luggage.
They had more luggage than us, that's all of our group put together.
The cherry on the pie was
the might have English passports, but
they were all from Pakistan, looked like it , dressed like, like,
like.
I said this cannot happen, Iran will not approve, of these people, I cannot take them.
I think you will, oh yes you will, you know you will, if not you might be detained for carrying
something with the intention of selling it in Iran, also who knows you could be spies.
I rolled back the tarp
to load All their stuff, and right away the smell of the tea was
so strong, I can't tell you what I thought,
I loaded their load on the roof rack and roped the tarp down tight.
I said to myself, they won't travel far, once in Teheran they are off the bus.
However I knew we would have trouble on the Iran border with my friend, them having British passports was one thing, being from Pakistan was another. Passing
out of Pakistan was no problem.
When we arrived
at the Iran Border the official came to the door and looked, he recognized the bus from some days before.
He waved and stood there, I suppose he was wondering why we were back so soon.
Me, I was wondering about what would be happening
within the next few minutes once he found out who and what was crossing his border, I prayed he wouldn't want the tarp rolled back for an inspection.
I
parked down on the road as far away as possible from the customs house, and walked up to the office with the passports, as usual I handed them over to the customs man and went to join my friend
for the chai and to explain why we were back so soon.
All was going well, until a passport customs man going through the pile came to the British passports and saw the photos of those whose original place of birth was Pakistan.
He cried out something to whoever, the official looked at me and put down his chai, then mayhem arrived, soldiers everywhere all armed, my friend the official went mad.
We were all to be arrested, and then he asked to clear the roof rack, of all luggage, smugglers all, those
Pakistan people he said, take every thing down.
All you people on these passports you line up here, he yelled waving the British/Pakistan passports
I honestly thought they would shoot them.
I refused to empty the roof rack of the luggage,
because I knew what would happen if I did.
The official was getting angry and impatient, he then instructed one of his men to climb up and throw down everything off the roof
rack.
In two seconds I was on the roof of the bus and rolled back part of the tarp, the aromatic smell of the tea was at its best, they could smell it in Bombay or even Sydney I reckoned.
I threw down
as far away from the bus all the belongings except ours of the group, and then pulled the tarp over again.
We were going to be here on this border for a very long
time, I finally decided it was
all getting out of hand, so I asked to speak to him in his office which he
finally agreed to, and whilst we had some chai, I decide to tell him all, as it happened, he listened and I carefully explained the situation, he didn't know the war was on.
He made a phone call and that
part was confirmed, we talked a lot more and I laid it out as it happened about how the policeman had done this and that including the threats,
and my two missing passengers and I asked what could I do.
Finally he calmed down and made me promise
that I wouldn't do this again, I assured him I wouldn't.
We arrived into Teheran and off loaded the British /Pakistan people and all their luggage at the British Embassy, I felt sympathetic towards their plight however these things happen from
time to time, and the conditions of their reentry back into the UK was to return by a certain date.
There was no mail, and after checking shipping
I was able to establish they wouldn't dock in Bombay.
I was easily able to sell the tea, down in the market area, we made a slight profit on our deal , and once all
passengers were re financed again, we said our farewells, for they were to depart for Australia from Teheran, and I had to give some urgent thought to where Ron and all the new
passengers might possible be.
I thought if the ship sails past the port of Bombay because of the War,
which I had found out it would
where could they go, now days we would get on the mobile phone, but back then we had no communication, of any kind no means of knowing, would they stay on and disembark in Italy, but
then I thought maybe Cairo.
I decided Beirut was where I would go first, If I couldn't locate them there, I
would head for the port of Genoa, the ships home port.
So off from Teheran and out of Iran into Turkey down past lake Van, and down into Syria through Aleppo, Homs and through to Beirut,
I drove up to the hotel and parked the coach and bingo.
Ron and the rest of the group were just arriving.
Their first words were
bloody hell, how did you find us, how did you know we were here.
Now, I thought to myself, that was a very good question.
To all those who held the steering wheel, and to all those who watched out the windows and made it all become a reality.
_______________________________
Robert (Bob Wilko) Wilkinson.
Limestone coast S.A.
Sundowners Overland London
1964 -----November 1977
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