Mike Harris Page

 

Welcome to Mike Harris' Page:

I'm really pleased to have a page for Mike who worked at SV for a couple of seasons.
Thanks, Mike, for providing stories and photos!





DRIVERS TRAINING NOTES:







Camp site, blue tents in the reeds, looking towards road to Asilah

I started driving for ‘Safari North Africa’ just after the company changed from Minibus Tours down to Morocco, a tour around and back, to Coaching the 100 or so ‘Punters’ (one who puts their money down and takes a risk!) to Algeciras then over the Med to Ceuta (a Spanish enclave)  were four Safari Bedford trucks where waiting on the quay side, 25 punters per truck. The drive to the ‘Safari base camp’ acclimatised the boys and girls to the Moroccan smells, the inhabitants, and  the villages we passed through. I could see the anxious faces scanning the new environment that would be their home for the ‘Two week’ Safari’ – a three day trip to Fes, or the ‘Three week Safari’- a week or so round the country. The rest of the time was spent acclimatising and enjoying a ‘Beach Bar-B-Q, a day excursion to explore Tangier, and a Night time extravaganza for a ‘Moroccan meal’, a ‘Belly dancing Show’ ending up at a night club where they could dance till dawn. All ‘extras’ that all had to be paid for along with meals for the entire stay.


Myself!

The Drivers, none as I know ‘Professional’ were a buffer between the verbose and ridiculous Brochure, and the route restrictions imposed by the management! None of the Brochures ‘exotic’ promises were true.That’s not saying there was no excitement – Breakdowns  – Diarrhoea – Sunstroke – the odd riot and the evenings on the beach smoking ‘herbal’ cigarettes, anywhere we decided to stop for the night.

Onward, south to Agadir, passing the original town destroyed by an earthquake and newly re-built, now a popular bucket and spade tourist resort. 


another of the dreadful one way dirt track up to tizi-n-tess


Next, a hair raising drive up a narrow dirt track over the Atlas Mountains for a Night in a Hotel at Marrakech, where most slept on the flat Hotel roof!


The road from Agadir up the Atlas to tizi-n-tes























A long drive to Fes to a well managed campsite with a refreshing Swimming Pool plus fantastic parties smoking Pot. A trip round the massive Souk where you had to hire a guide. A visit to the ruins of a Roman town Volubilis the mosaic flooring kept fresh by the wind blown sand, then return to the ‘Safari Base Camp’ to recover for a few days then back to Ceuta and home. Twenty-five youngsters from all walks of life now forged by adversity into a competent team. Their basic needs full-filled - Sun, Sex, Suntan, Booze, and an opportunity to smoke Pot of which there was a plentiful supply 'tho I was a non-smoker!

For me that season with Safari left a lifetime of memories that I would not have missed for the world.


Punters in sand dunes
(beach over dune where pic was taken)

A trip to Fez. (added 21-01-22)

I don’t know the ratio of Three Week to Two Week Safaris. This is a description of the Two- Week Safari, I must have driven a few of them. I am going to describe a particular Three-day Safari that sticks in my mind.
The Two-week Safaris like the Three- Week Safaris started the same. Two days traveling down in Coaches. A free day to get roasted by the sun. Then offered the Safari Entertainment (that was extra and had to be paid for) that included a beach Bar-B-Q with bottles of red wine, bread, salad and herbily enhanced kebabs. A Day time shopping in Tangier and Nights entertainment in Tangier. Then the Two-week trip had a three-day Safari to Fez and the Three-week trip had a round country five-day Safari, then both (leaving at different times) had two days being coached back to Blighty.
The night time extravaganza consisted of a Restaurant (Moroccan) meal of couscous with entertainment, on to a Belly Dancing Show, followed by a walk through the dark alleyways of Tangier to ‘THE RANCH BAR’ with the catchy slogan “LIPS THAT TOUCH LIQOUR SHALL NEVER TOUCH MINE – EXCEPT AT THE RANCH BAR” where they could dance, drink, snog and smoke till dawn. 
The Belly dancing venue was shared with other Tourist Groups. Held in a well-lit highly decorated room appropriate to the impending show, that was surrounded with tables and comfortable chairs where drinks were served. The dancing was performed singly or in groups on a central floor. The most embarrassing aspect was when some unsuspecting male tourist was pulled from the audience, his shirt removed and a tassel was fixed to each of his nipples and he was invited to dance – to uproarious laughter and applause. The fattest belly dancers where the most attractive, they had more ‘Belly’ to shake around.
 A Three Day Safari left the base camp at dawn for the drive to Fez stopping for breakfast and lunch. The ‘international’ (or municipal) camp site was a good one. Lots of trees, a bar, restaurant, a wonderfully cold swimming pool with clear water, and most memorable everywhere ‘Couch Grass’. A dark green hard but spongy grass you could sleep directly on.
Safari had its own spot on the site to park the trucks, this time shared by some German lads that were playing Acoustic Guitars. The sun had ‘gone to hell’ and the effects of booze and Pot got the punters singing along to the German rendering of the Kinks ‘Lola’ then the ‘party’ moved to the pavilion at the side of the pool. The atmosphere was electric, sheer mind-blowing excitement! I had never experienced anything like it before nor since. Bikini clad girls danced with the uniformed Camp Gard's, who had holstered Pistols on their belts and had come to break up the party, and put joints in their mouths. That distracted them from their duties. Drugged fully clothed punters leapt into the pool, what a racket we must have made.
I fell asleep on the forgiving grass.  
The next morning in various states of conscientious we drove into Fez, paid someone to guard the Trucks they had badges as did the Guides who took our party around the Souk. The climax was a trip to the Tannery. We stood on a balcony and viewed a medieval scene from hell. Men covered in multicoloured dye and just wearing loincloths leapt from one stone bath of dye to another carrying hides that had been softened and cleaned in baths of human and goat urine. The stink was overpowering! Sprigs of Mint were handed out and once shared a glass of sweet mint tea. Money was exchanged.
We got back to the Trucks paid the guides and the men guarding the Trucks and set off for the remains of a principal Roman town called Volubilis. One could park up and just walk in. Streets marked out with sunken walls; remains of Pillared Villas with mosaic floors kept clean by the wind-blown sand, great to walk around and take pictures. Now you have to pay to be allowed in, probably pay for parking!
Back on the Trucks – Base Camp – Ferry across the Mediterranean - then Home.  




That's me standing in front, jeans, arm across chest first stop
 on way to Agadia. look at the suitcases of the intrepid explorers
- what a laugh! I have written a section about safari in a book
 of my life, trying to find it.



Marrakech with John Boffee



Truck on left with cinq cinq (prison) on passengers side wing is 
Peter Clarks truck Opps both the same pictures two chaps on roof 
could be employees, on the left john Lucraft?

Overlander writes;
2 guys sitting on the cab roof are Taffy(Hughes?) 
and Paul wot's his name, sitting in the truck
from l to r - Gordon Schomberg and Brian Jones(?






Myself - with "X" over head.



Ouch! Truck into tree - not good!

It just so happened that one of the (French speaking) Couriers that accompanied the 100 punters in four trucks wanted to get to Fes across-country. We drove down wadies and up the other side in four wheel drive, Punters unloaded of course, I knocked my wing mirror off on a huge cactus see picture of me in truck – no wing mirror. We drove into a steep horseshoe valley, so steep we could not drive out so we found a path but had to enlarge it.

Long story but gist is we were stuck on a very steep grass hillside and the four drivers decided to enlarge a footpath by digging earth from the up hill side and piling it on the downhill side. I paid the inevitable Arab boy who turned up (they seemed to materialise out of the ground) to get us some water and he came back with some of his mates with shovels and started digging. I paid the lad who brought the water and that might have been seen that we would pay for anything. More and more Arabs turned up and soon we must have had about 15 to 20 all digging away. We thought great - what wonderful people giving us a hand, we had no idea they had an alterior motive!

The punters had all cleared off to a café. When they returned and I got them all hanging onto a long thick tow rope we all carried that was tied to the side of my truck to keep it steady as I drove the first truck along the unstable track. What would have happened if I had toppled over I hate to think. It looked like a scene from a movie.

All the trucks made it, the punters got on board and we headed through a scrubby wood to the outskirts of FES. There seemed to be ‘unrest’ from the Moroccans running beside us shouting, when we got to a tarmac road next to a line of shops we stopped. Stones started flying. I/we all untied the canvas sides of the ‘roof’, tied on top for shade, and sealed the punters in

One of the two couriers (that accompanied the two coach loads down) came past and I shouted “What’s going on?” He shouted back “they all expected to get paid!” I had my pickaxe handle out keeping the baying mob from my truck and the other drivers followed suit.

One truck window was smashed, but shortly after two police land rovers came screeching round a corner sirens blaring, and drove along the pavement straight at the crowd who scattered, we did not hang around we were out of there like bats out of Hell!

18 comments:

  1. Hi, I am Mike Harris. I would like to thank Bob Friendship for letting me have a page on his site. Forty two years have rushed by since then and Driving for 'Safari' only took up fifteen weeks of that time! It changed my view of life forever (and provided my first wife, a punter on my first seven day Safari) WLTM any one who remembers me. Mike Harris.

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  2. You're most welcome, Mike.
    Thanks for providing most interesting stories and photos.
    I'm sure it will interest others, here, as much as it has for myself.
    Mind how ya go.

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  3. More Drivers Names - John Boffee, Dick Thompson, Mick Dean, Jungle Jim. Spike, Peter Clerk.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, you're welcome anytime.
      Happy Noo Year "Unknown".

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  4. Ref the postcard with the two trucks - the driver of the one on the right is Bertie Simkiss (RIP) the 2 guys sitting on the cab roof are Taffy(Hughes?) and Paul wot's his name, sitting in the truck from l to r - Gordon Schomberg and Brian Jones(?). My truck, not pictured, was SCD 520H. HAPPY DAZE�� JohnH

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    1. Hello John H, I know that name from somewhere, no wonder you know the names and faces. Have you read my stuff and looked at the Brochures? Get in touch.
      Mike.

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  5. Welcome, Overlander.
    Mike will be pleased to see your comments.
    If you have anything you'd like to add just let me know.
    Cheers

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  6. Hi JohnH, thanks for the only comment I have had so far. Bob the Blog 'owner' let me know. Do you remember me? did you live in the Fish Market? the pic of trucks in Marrakech John Boffee with heavy tan is squatting on the back of the far truck's roof. I was a 'novice' and only knew the characters I was directly involved with. One driver had a scarred back from a fire long ago, one large guy was called the 'Urban Spaceman', I met when we lived on the camp site, and a courier called Neil. I have the first 'ridiculous' Brochure but don't know how to send it to the Blog. I live in Yeovil 01935 476851 for a chat.

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  7. Mike, pack the brochure up well and send it to me signed for delivery. I'll scan it best I can without buggering it up and then return it to you by same means. No Probs! Cheers.
    Bob.

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  8. About to write a much fuller account of my summer with Safari!

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    1. Hi Maggie, I did not know you had left a message on my page, the only way I could get my name out there and to contact people. I could send you my story, I deleted it and have tried to get it back in a sorry state - mix of 'notebook' and 'word'i might have a go. Mike.

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  9. Received and read with a great deal of pleasure. You're a great writer with amazing recall. Thanks you very much for taking the trouble to send your memories, which have filled a lot of gaps in mine. Maggie x

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  10. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  11. Dear Maggi, I am writing this here as it might get some attention.
    Safari 'took off' after publication of their first Brochure and the first Minibus trips started up in March 1969 three months later due to numbers of applicants they started transporting the 'Punters' down by Coach the taken to a Base Camp were they were sorted into groups going on three and five day Safaris' Bar-B-Qs, day and night trips to Tangier as well as collecting and returning Punters to Ceuta. I left Safari in august but the last advertised Safari was Oct/Nov. It would seem that Safari base Camp changed into Safari Village with Hut accommodation, then it became Safari World. Unknown ending but Camp Africa opened and continued to 1983. That is now gone. There is a fantastic story opportunity here to write a history of the whole Saga. Would anyone with any information other than "we had a good time," about the characters and circumstances that made this unique addition to the Asilah landscape that touched so many peoples lives.
    Thanks Mike Harris

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  12. Hi Mike I was the mechanic with Safari in 1970

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    1. Good to see you stop by, SMIFF, hope alls good your end.
      Cheers,

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    2. Hi Bob, I was going to send you the brochure for 1970 but I see Mike has sent you one. I could send you the film/scan disc. Alan

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    3. Alan, apologies for delay in responding.
      Your suggestion sounds most interesting, what exactly is that?
      If you would like to have your content included just let me know - no pressure!
      Any materials sent for inclusion I try to return with one-two days.
      You can also contact me at
      bobfriendship@tiscali.co.uk

      I'm much obliged to you,
      Cheers,
      Bob F.

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