As a young teenager I used to dream of travelling the world. People say that TV influences the young and it certainly did for me. Four programs in particular, aired in the early 60’s, gave me the itch to travel:

My father had always wanted to travel. As a 14 year old he had been offered an unpaid job for one year on a cargo boat sailing between Liverpool and Ceylon by the captain, a friend of my grandfather, after which he would become a paid seaman. My grandfather refused because of my father’s age, and my father therefore started work in a local joinery company, later joining the air force in a maintenance crew. Not being able to take advantage of this offer was something he always regretted, he did however encourage me to travel.

I left home at the age of nineteen to work in Buxton (although still came home at weekends) and later worked in civil engineering / logistics in various locations around the north of England for the next ten years. During this time my travelling had taken me around the UK and to France and Spain, but the itch to travel further was growing.

In 1979 I landed my first overseas contract in Riyadh and in 1981 along with a colleague took a three centre holiday – Bangkok, Manila, Hong Kong - after which I was hooked.

Three months later I resigned, took my salary savings, bought a car in Riyadh and drove it to the UK. First I drove to Jeddah where I had a four day stay whilst deregistering my car and obtaining export documentation.

Then I sailed for three days on the Ro-Ro ferry Saudi Moon from Jeddah to Suez. Mainly used as an Egyptian migrant worker transport I was advised to take a first class ticket and was glad that I did. As the only first class passenger I had my own cabin, all the other cabins were 6 or 8 bunk ones, and I dined with the 8 man Italian crew in the wardroom, the other passengers having a free for all chaotic shove and push canteen.

After unbelievable hassle, corruption and bribes with Suez customs, I drove in darkness from Suez to Cairo along an unlit desert road. This road had military checkpoints every few miles where again small bribes had to be paid to progress.

Three days in Cairo seeing the sights and then on to Alexandria, where all the “decent” hotels were full and I ended up in a roach infested room with chickens on the rooftop for three days.

Then a holiday cruise liner full of 18 to 30 Club colleens, from Alexandria to Ancona in Italy via Crete, again three days sailing.

An enjoyable weeks drive up the Italian coast, across the Alps, through central France and up the North Sea coast, across to Folkestone by Hovercraft and finally onwards to Clitheroe.

Three months later I was back in Riyadh on a new contract and for the next few years took 6 month contracts (which were abundant and easy to get) in Saudi Arabia - to earn enough to then travel for 6 months. This was a very enjoyable time and I took advantage of the Pan-Am Round the World tickets which were valid for a year, multi stop. With each ticket I boarded in Bahrain, travelled east and many months later forfeited the final leg of my journey in London. During these years I travelled extensively and in some countries lived for many months*

Bahrain. India*. Sri Lanka. Thailand*. Malaysia. Singapore. Hong Kong. Philippines* Hawaii. USA Mainland. Trinidad. Barbados.

One of the best contracts I had was working for the Saudi Telephone Co (operated by Bell Canada) in Riyadh. I had complete freedom to set my own work and travel schedule based around two projects – overseeing the remote telephone expansion project warehouses and working on an employee ability assessment project. During this time I travelled three days each week through lovely desert scenery to remote towns and villages. Setting off at daybreak I breakfasted in small local cafés, arrived at destinations late morning, lunched with local staff at their favourite restaurants, and usually arrived back and checked in by sunset. Checking in was compulsory as in 1982 there were no mobile phones and as we were yet to install phone lines often no phones at all. Failure to check in resulted in a search along your expected route in case you had broken down. Also compulsory was to take a 5 gallon can of drinking water and salt tablets. Some of my more remote trips involved overnight stays especially travelling the “Empty Quarter” down towards the Yemen border.

The other three days I had meetings with my colleague John, which rather than have in our respective offices which were on different sides of Riyadh, we met in town at hotel coffee shops - a different one each time. We went to just about every coffee shop in the city from 5 star hotels to traditional local roof and walled garden cafés.

An unusual contract I took was with the Initial Company who wanted to set up cleaning services for shopping malls and office blocks across Saudi. I spent a month in their Jeddah office generally helping out, and was then asked to drive to Riyadh where I would be met and an office made available, also to book in at a 4 star hotel near the airport, and await further instructions. I was met by an agent and told the office was not yet ready – built, but no electricity, water or phone.

I stayed in a very nice hotel for 3 months, telephoning my boss each week and being told to wait another week for instructions, whilst company bank accounts were being opened, workers recruited and “things” being sorted out. So for three months I dined three times a day in the hotel, spent time swimming in the hotel pool, reading in the lounge, and in the evenings walking around the city – all very nice. After 3 months I was asked to drive back to Jeddah where I was told the contract had been cancelled and I was given 4 months salary, expenses and the value of a ticket to London. I was paid in riyals with a fantastic exchange rate of 3.90 to the pound and so was set up for yet more travel. “Money for old rope” I think they call it!

By the mid 80’s it was becoming more difficult to get contracts, so upon joining Marine Transport International in Jeddah, a British company which provided excellent facilities and generous vacation schedules with air tickets I decided to stay put. For the next six years, using my vacations and tickets I continued to travel in Europe, the Middle East and S.E.Asia.

Being lucky enough to start travelling in the early 80’s I managed to see many places before “Globalization” had taken effect. When I first visited Aberdeen Harbour in Hong Kong it was full of traditional Chinese junks and houseboats and on the dockside were fish markets where women in sampan hats sold live fish and there was lots of hustle and bustle. The last time I visited the junks and houseboats had gone, replaced by yachts and launches, and the fish market was now a co-operative warehouse with freezer facilities and the surrounding area multi-storey apartment blocks. The few Junks left are now operated as floating restaurants for tourists. I’m sure that the locals are living a better life as a result, but the whole character has changed and become internationally uniform. I found the same had happened to Stanley Market in Hong Kong and to many other places and countries.

Hong Kong Past

Hong Kong Prsent