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Driving our 5-ton in the Netherlands to the DoT for road safety testing.
A friend of me and I decided one year in the mid 1980s that Christmas and Silvester was getting boring in the Netherlands, so we bought a Volkswagen T2 "hippie bus", threw a platform with mattress and sleeping bags in the back, driving plates and extra water, and went south. Some 2,000 miles later, in In Salah, Algeria (Northern Sahara) our windshield was shattered and it was time to turn around. Through Tunis we drove back. Apart from some nervousness in Algiers, I never felt scared or threatened during that trip.
Now, its completely different.
Iran, Turkey, Egypt.
I was in Egypt this year, despite having doubts about safety. We flew into Hurghada, were driven with a shuttle bus 35 miles south to a mid-level Red Sea resort in the middle of nowhere. All included, 10 days great time, swimming in the sea or in the resort pools, with free drinks from the bar inside the pool. Great time, nothing scary or strange ......... in a completely isolated and fenced in resort. If you would tell me I was in Australia, or Morocco, or wherever, I would have believed it also. However, along the road, clear and visible police and military presence. Also, even in those resorts, smaller but deadly incidents happen almost yearly. The same goes for tourism resorts and destinations in Turkey, Iran etc.
Going anywhere outside those holiday resorts on a DIY holiday and you quickly run into a a complete different cattle of fish. One of our co-workers this year used to work for OSCE as observer for elections or cease-fires etc in Ukraine, some African countries and even some Balkan countries: not a nice experience.
The biggest problem, however, are the border crossings. Turkey is not really friendly with the neighboring countries and there are wars going on there, declared or not. So inside Iran there are enough places you could drive around safely, same for Egypt, maybe even Iraq. Problem is, how do you get your truck from one safe area through disputed areas with ongoing fighting into the other safe area. Also, I doubt if your insurance would be happy to cover you if you willingly and knowingly would make that trip.
A friend of me and I decided one year in the mid 1980s that Christmas and Silvester was getting boring in the Netherlands, so we bought a Volkswagen T2 "hippie bus", threw a platform with mattress and sleeping bags in the back, driving plates and extra water, and went south. Some 2,000 miles later, in In Salah, Algeria (Northern Sahara) our windshield was shattered and it was time to turn around. Through Tunis we drove back. Apart from some nervousness in Algiers, I never felt scared or threatened during that trip.
Now, its completely different.
Iran, Turkey, Egypt.
I was in Egypt this year, despite having doubts about safety. We flew into Hurghada, were driven with a shuttle bus 35 miles south to a mid-level Red Sea resort in the middle of nowhere. All included, 10 days great time, swimming in the sea or in the resort pools, with free drinks from the bar inside the pool. Great time, nothing scary or strange ......... in a completely isolated and fenced in resort. If you would tell me I was in Australia, or Morocco, or wherever, I would have believed it also. However, along the road, clear and visible police and military presence. Also, even in those resorts, smaller but deadly incidents happen almost yearly. The same goes for tourism resorts and destinations in Turkey, Iran etc.
Going anywhere outside those holiday resorts on a DIY holiday and you quickly run into a a complete different cattle of fish. One of our co-workers this year used to work for OSCE as observer for elections or cease-fires etc in Ukraine, some African countries and even some Balkan countries: not a nice experience.
The biggest problem, however, are the border crossings. Turkey is not really friendly with the neighboring countries and there are wars going on there, declared or not. So inside Iran there are enough places you could drive around safely, same for Egypt, maybe even Iraq. Problem is, how do you get your truck from one safe area through disputed areas with ongoing fighting into the other safe area. Also, I doubt if your insurance would be happy to cover you if you willingly and knowingly would make that trip.