While I was working in Greece ( Kos) on the beach as a beachboy, giving the holiday makers sunbeds, serving them the cold drinks and keeping them entertained, I decided to borrow some guests airbed and have a 15 min rest out on the water – that 15 min rest turned out to be 6 hours.
When I first jumped on that airbed, I had a cigarette in my mouth and I must have fallen asleep and the cigarette has fallen out of my mouth and burned a little hole in the airbed and the air in the airbed was escaping while I was asleep & little did I know, I was being swept further and further out to sea & then I woke up, as I sunk into the sea from my airbed and got the shock of my life, when I opened my eyes.
I could hardly see Kos Island, it was so long in the distance and when I turned around, I could see some other land called Turkey.
I was closer to Turkey than I was to Greece !!!!
What the hell do I do ? I have see the movie midnight express – where an American caught smuggling hashish, is prosecuted and jailed in Turkey for four years. and then his sentence is increased to 30 years – I went ” No Chance !!! ” and decided to make my way back to Greece- but it was going to be doggy paddle, hanging onto the the airbed, which had enough air in it for me to hang on it and go for it.
Well, this was the most difficult thing I have ever done and I was getting scared and I thought I was going to die out here in the Aegean Sea.
At one point, a cruise party boat went past me and I started to shout ” Help Me ” to the people on the boat, but I guess they didn’t hear what I was saying, as they just started to wave at me – probably thought I was so brave swimming out this far or what a bloody idiot !!!
The boat went passed me and I continued to doggy paddle back to Kos town and I was beginning to get tired and so thirsty, but I knew I had to fight and get back to land, or I am going to sink out here and this Scotsman will be no more.
Hours went by and it started to get dark, but I could see that Kos town was getting closer , but certainly not the place where I began my journey, as the wind had took me further down the Islands coast line and I had no idea where I would end up ?
But then I made it ! but when I finally got to shore it was dark and I had to climb over some big sewage pipes before my feet was finally on land & boy ! my poor wee legs were so sore, I could hardly walk back to my apartment & when I got back to my apartment, it was round 8pm & I was supposed to be playing the guitar to the holiday makers at 9pm down at the beach restaurant were I was working.
So quick shower and a change of clothes and I headed to the restaurant & when I got there, my boss asked me what happened to me today ? I explained every thing to him- and guess what ?
He Sacked me !!!!! as he thought I was lying to him – I didn’t argue with him, as I was so tired, so I went to get a cold beer and later on got another job, but this job wasn’t near any beach- that was enough beach and the sea for Billyboy !!!
Anyway, this incident spread around the Island and the story got bigger and bigger – it ended up with ” Did you hear about the Scotsman that went to Turkey on a airbed and when he got there, he did not have his passport, so the police made him swim back to Greece !!!!
When people asked me- do you know this Scotsman ? I would reply ” Never met him…….
