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Beware Greeks bearing bribe!
Page 66
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Peter Orr finds that
the port of Patras, once guarded like Fort Knox, is now swarming with well-heeled illegais...
My neighbour's son. Wayne, always wanted to be a truck driver, so more years ago than I care to remember he started saving up and when he had enough money he bought a driving lesson.Then he bought another and another until, after two years, he passed his test and asked to come out on the road with me. New licence, new passport: off we went.
Leaving Plymouth with a load of fish. I asked Wayne if he had ever been abroad. No, he said, although he had been toTorquay once. When I told him we were off to Athens I could see the look of excitement on his face... at last, a big city the other side of Bristol!
We drove through France to Italy and then down to Bari where a retired Seaiink ferry took us across to Patras. When we arrived. Wayne was surprised to see police. Customs and the army all well armed: the port of Patras was like Fort Knox— hard to get into and just as hard to get out of. But that was before Greece joined the EU.
No slip-ups in Greece
What a surprise awaited me when I returned this year after a long absence! Now there are magnificent Superfast Ferries and the usual array of Brit drivers moaning they had to share a luxury cabin (obviously none of them has ever travelledTruckline when its busy). Patras is rather different today too. it was nice to be so warmly welcomed by the 'illegals' wandering around the port: "See you on your way back," they called with a cheery wave.
Athens is in a state of chaos as it prepares for the Olympics. Everybody's working flat-out for the big day but even while I was parked up to unload would-be migrants approached the wagon asking for a lift to England:They had plenty of money —they were working on the Olympic facilities too.
As usual there was no load out of Greece, so back I went empty to Patras for the ferry to Italy. With the container lock on and everything of value either hidden out of sight or on my person, I went outside the port to get my ticket. I had several hours to wait before embarking so 1 sat in tho cab just watching the goings-or "No security men drove roun the port in a little Fiat while the 'illegals' just wandered around. a truck pulled up they would str over,examine it for likely acces points, climb up and check insid the cab and then either return to their mates or simply vanish.
Groups of trucks would park together, leaving one man behh as security while the others wet off to do the business. Greece obviously does not have the money to offer proper security Patras today. Strange, consideri that it did before itjoined the E
Check and check again
However,stringent checks wer carried out before we boarded ferry Italy and when we arrived in Italy. Regulars now know the score and the consequences: check.check and check again!
Oh. I nearly forgot.You wan to know what happened to my protégé Wayne? Well, an unfoi tunate accident with a shotgun curtailed his trucking career but didn't stop him doing othe things.And he regularly travel further than Torquay. •