Read the exciting true tales of a long-distance trucker in the Middle East during the 1970s and '80s!
- A rollicking rollercoaster story of adventure, adversity, courage, camaraderie, high drama, and humor
- Over 70 photos from the author, showing real lorries in harrowing situations
- Full of disastrous near misses, mechanical failures, cultural misunderstandings, border control mix-ups, and spicy amorous encounters
- 240 engaging pages take you from England and Germany to Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, and back again
The Silk Road and Beyond contains the true accounts of one man's long-distance trucking career that began in the late 1960s. These adventurous anecdotes are told by one of the first pioneers in long-distance trucking to the Middle East, Ivor Whittall.
Ivor takes you on an engaging and entertaining journey through the adventures and misadventures of his daring career: From his early days as a newly qualified articulated truck driver to traveling overseas to Kuwait, driving the arid desert trek between Jordan and Saudi Arabia, and surviving the infamously dangerous (and sometimes deadly) Tahir Pass in Eastern Turkey that has claimed the lives of truckers with its haphazard landslides, avalanches, and tricky mountainous terrain.
Ivor's 'cab mate' in this enterprise is the editor Paul Rowlands, himself an experienced trucker and published author (Not All Sunshine & Sand, 9781910456309, Old Pond Books), who helps bring to life the colorful local characters, officious border guards, and band of fellow drivers Ivor encounters en route. Framing all the human and mechanical drama is the stunning landscape of majestic mountain passes, tranquil lakes, and wide-open spaces—and yet through it all, Ivor's favorite destination is always home to his wife and children.
With 72 contemporary color photos of trucks, drivers, passports, visas, and custom forms, you'll find yourself thrust into what it was like being a long-distance trucker in the 1970s. Full of disastrous near misses, border control mishaps, intense home sickness, mechanical failures, cultural misunderstandings, and so much more, this book will give you a driver's seat perspective!
"Amusing and scary stories ... I never tire of reading of the achievements of these drivers."
Vintage Roadscene magazine on Not All Sunshine & Sand by Paul Rowlands
Ivor Whittall is one of the early pioneers of long distance trucking to the Middle East.