Arriving in Visby. The Scania job was actually a very simple one - drive to Nynashamn, get the ferry and drop off the goods in Visby - something any monkey could do. Why it had to turn into such a nightmare I cannot imagine. Nykvist had literally screamed at me down the phone about his truck. Should have hidden the keys after setting me up to fail, lol. He said that if there's so much as a scratch on it he'd drag me through the courts and sue me for as much as he can get, and I'm lucky he didn't call the police. Well, I dropped off the cargo in Visby without incident and was just getting ready to head back and face the music when a car pulled up nearby, some woman jumped out and told me that she desperately needed my help. The company who provides trucks to haul stuff for their farming business has gone bankrupt and there is no one on the island to help them with a unique issue - they urgently need a mobile drilling rig on their farm. Why, she wouldn't say, but I have a soft spot for people in distress, and seeing as I'm probably going to get fired anyway, I agreed to help.
And so I set off on a very pleasant tour of Gotland. How convenient - I wanted to see the PM scenery anyway. This is the village of Tingstade.
I was to pick up the drill from a quarry at a place called Slite. Given that I normally deliver groceries, I was a bit nervous about what this might involve, especially as I'm driving my boss's truck, and he already wants to kill me. Well, it involved a very dusty and stony track which I traversed as slowly as possible in the hope of keeping the paintwork pristine. The sound of objects bouncing off the door kind of told me I was failing at that.
Once again, my nerves were being mercilessly wracked. What on earth am I doing pulling a drilling rig, I wondered. Would it fall off if I took a corner too vigorously? Will the trailer sink into the mud on this corner, which we're going to have to cut?
We managed to get out of the quarry area okay and were heading for Burgsvik in the south of the island when I realised we needed fuel and would have to make a detour east to Ljugarn.
The route was scenic - another great bit of mapping from the PM team.
This is Ljugarn. Hopefully they have some fuel in stock - you never know on an island like this.
They did, which eased at least some of the worries on my mind.
But now it was getting late. I didn't much fancy the idea of lugging a drilling rig down narrow unknown country roads at night, but what choice did I have. I could smell an opportunity here - their company's gone bankrupt, and here's Anni stepping in to save the day. Lindkvist is going to get rid of me anyway, but perhaps the Big Boss might forgive my somewhat extreme actions, especially if Scania stay on board.
A beautiful golden sunset accompanied us on the way to Burgsvik.
Reached Burgsvik at dusk. Another picturesque location.
Almost dark, and OMG, I don't like the look of this.
The last few kilometres in the dark were very tense, but somehow we got to the farm, and a bunch of people showed up to unload the rig and drive it who knows where? Maybe a shaman has determined that there is oil to be struck, but only if they drill tonight by the light of the full moon? In any case, the lady was extremely pleased. She treated me to a massive meal of herb-fed beef, saffron pancakes and a plentiful supply of gotlandsdricku. We talked until late in the night, but she never did say why she needed a drilling rig. She all but forced me to sign a contract to deliver their products and supply them with various necessities. I said I didn't have the authority to sign for my company, but I'll take it back to the mainland with me and do what I can. And of course I agreed to haul something to Visby for her, as I was going there anyway.
The next morning I woke up very early with my head feeling like it was gripped in a vice. After a hearty breakfast and strong black coffee, it was time to pick up a trailer full of garlic and head back to Visby.
The journey was a lot more pleasant by daylight and with a 'normal' cargo.
There was plenty to see.
Unfortunately it got misty for the last part of the trip, but I think we saw most of what there is to see on PM Gotland. Nykvist called and said he'd be waiting to take back his truck in Nynashamn. What a nice meeting that's going to be.
Anni
