2009/9 Turkey start

After an hour and a half getting through customs into Turkey – we needed visas, a visa for Stan, all of which had to be paid for at different offices – we finally made it. An immediate change, as so often happens when we change countries – donkeys and carts on the main highways, along side lots of very smart, late-model cars. we had finally twigged that all the German cars racing along the motorways of Northern Greece were not Germans, but returning Turkish nationals.

After a quick consultation of the map we managed to purchase at the border tourist office, (Maps are a sad story in Turkey – if you are ever coming here, purchase a good map in advance), we decided to make a sharp right turn and head down to the Dardenelles –Gallipolli country. On David’s birthday we visited the museum, then  ANZAC Cove where ANZAC forces landed on the wrong beach and had to be content with the steep hills behind the beach. Then on to several other memorials and grave sites, all well kept, on well maintained roads.  David’s father landed at Suvla Cove and he wanted to find graves of his father’s regiment, The Royal West Kent and although the roads deteriorated we did at least find several such graves. We ended at  Chunuk Bair, the high point of the peninsula captured for a day only, with an NZ memorial, lots of Turkish flags, pictures of Mustafa Kemal (later Ataturk), coaches stalls etc. All very poignant and sobering. In the afternoon we caught the ferry across the Dardanelles from Ecabat to Cankkale,it was memorable seeing the shipping passing through one of the world’s great sea passages to the Black Sea. Ended the day in the garden of a little seaside hotel with a barbeque and plenty of wine in company with a German, and an Italian couple, all motorbike camping.  David got a somewhat drunken Happy Birthday sung in 3 different languages!

We followed a pretty coast road South. Had run out of fresh bread when we stopped for lunch, however 2 minutes after stopping, a mobile bread man turned up at our door.  Spent the night at Assos with a picturesque harbour and an upper town with castle ruins from something BC – we get blasé about dates in this part of the world, anyway Aristotle lived there for a while.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                    Through Ayvacik and its colourful bazaar, then onto the harbour of Ayvalik where we enjoyed the old town and a beer ,watching the day trippers return from their day on the offshore islands, with great displays of nationalism – flag waving etc. This is a very common sight as we move around. The Turks are very proud of their country. Many of the places on this coast have their origin when it was part of Greece, and the Greek islands are very close, so there is a lot of Greek influence – food, architecture etc. 

 

There followed two days of activity, with early starts to beat the heat.(Early starts, despite all our good intentions, are not something that we are very good at.)  Stopped at Bergama to visit the Pergamon site on a hill behind, lots of bits of temple etc but very poorly labelled and expensive to park and enter. We joined the throngs of perplexed sightseers trying to figure out what exactly it was we were looking at. Drove on South to overnight stop in the street at Selcuk. We made a terrible choice of position and lay awake to the roar of traffic all night. However true to our new resolution of early starts we were up on bikes and on the road to Ephesus by 8.30am.

You can’t fail to be impressed with Ephesus, despite a million tour buses off the cruise ships. Of course our early start put us ahead of most of them. We then went on to visit some other local sites and an ambient (if somewhat touristy) Greek village in the hills behind. Finished up having lunch in a very rustic cafe at the top of the hill, where our Gozlemes ( sort of stuffed, crispy pancake) were cooked over an open fire.  Back in town we managed to solve our slightly worrying propane gas problem (how to get more), by just basically buying a new one filled with gas. Still cheaper than a refill at home. Spent the afternoon back at the beach, working on the tan! Found a great site, literally on the beach, cafe next door. Free camping is alive and well in Turkey. We have learnt to follow the Italian campers. They must have a list of good, free campsites in Turkey.

After a bad first night, Seljuk turned out to be highlight of our time in Turkey so far. It is a real live working Turkish town, (as opposed to completely tourist driven) with plenty of cafes plus some ruins with storks nesting on top, which always appeal to us, along with a number of important archaeological sites – St John and St Paul and reputedly the Virgin Mary, figured quite large in the history here.  Although there are thousands of tourists at Ephesus by day, most don’t get near the town and are all back to their resort towns or cruise ships by evening. Our stay in Seljuk was made all the more pleasant by meeting up with an English expat, Robert and his friend Adrian.  They have both lived in Turkey for years and know their way around. They were able to give us heaps of advice and Robert took us around the area, to places we would never find, with a delicious lunch in a country restaurant.

Early start again next day,(these early starts are getting exhausting) and on the road inland to Pammakule, an amazing geological phenomenon, of extensive travertine terraces (much much more extensive than the NZ pink & white terraces of old). The archeological site of Hierapolis rests on the plateau above the terraces, made especially famous and appealing to us uneducated in the classics, by its link to Cleopatra and Mark Anthony.   

We were able to walk up to the site through the travertines (bare foot but even that will have to stop before long), gaze at the pool that Cleopatra reputedly swam in, we couldn’t because we forgot to take our swimming togs, and explore the ruins. The theatre there is the most amazing we have seen, (and you get to see a few in Turkey!) beautifully restored.

Headed off next day down to the Datcha Peninsula via Marmaris. It was a long, hilly but really interesting drive through mile upon mile of incredibly fertile farmland, valleys, hill climbs through pine forests with panoramic views. Down the long hill to Marmaris – stopped for a look and a photo,because when Joanna was here 32 years ago it was little fishing village – is now a massive concrete jungle.

On down the hill, arriving in Marmaris with a clunking engine which finally expired outside a Shell service station with Sezai a helpful English speaking manager who has made sure all is well. Someone is looking after us because it could have happened on our long drive today. Consequence is this is being written outside the Ford service centre in a part of Marmaris that no tourists would normally see.   No one speaks English except George the accessories shop owner, but all very friendly. Turkish people in our experience are incredibly friendly. They are curious and interested to know about us, but language is a problem,especially when you have a problem with your engine! .

We are camped outside the Ford repair workshop,in an area of town that has over 100 auto repair or service workshops all small, greasy, just a few employees and a boy to clean up.  We are surrounded by all sorts of sights and noises associated with car repair, hammers, engine tuning, compressed air, and an electrical workshop opposite that installs car stereos with it seems a test of the loudest in the evening.  Work is a 12 hour plus day from 8 untill 9 in the evening.  Joanna is the only female for miles. However although not very scenic, it is a most convenient campsite – electricity, shower, loo (if not quite the standard we are accustomed),   a chair to sit down and a cay (pronounced chai = tea) is offered to us by all and sundry, loads of friendly neighbours, melons arrive at the door, local restaurant a few metres away, the boy who cleans and tidies tools will fetch a beer or whatever as requested – all this camping for nothing.

What’s more the Marmaris sea front is only a short bike ride or walk away. In spite of a not very flattering write up in the guide because of the number of tourists, it is set in a lovely and very large harbour, the beach in town may not be up to much but there is plenty of life in the old town.  With so many lily-white English tourists the beer prices are competitive and the full English breakfast easy to obtain – if that’s what you want in this heat. We hade a quick look at the night scene but the disco noise is too much for us oldies.

   Mohammed, our friendly mechanic invited us for a wonderful day out on the Marmaris harbour, with  and his family and friends. With typical Turkish hospitality. We were taken around a selection of beautiful bays, well fed and later taken for a ‘cay’ picnic by car on the other side of the harbour, then home for showers and a night in a real bed.

Cycling in town is an art learnt from locals.  Chose one way streets, but going the wrong way – you can see the bus coming rather than a wing mirror brushing your shoulder.  Shopping malls and pedestrian only streets, to be preferred.  Helmets a no no, only for tour de France cyclists.  Our shiny UK ones, unused and taking up valuable space.

The sad story of Stan’s motor is that we have a new refurbished mechanical fuel pump as there is an electrical fault in our UK one and they don’t use electrical ones in Turkey. So an expensive exercise plus we have the original to try and offload in the UK. However after a stay of 6 days we were on the road again on the 19 th August heading to the Datcha peninsular. See rest of Turkey in due course.

David & Joanna (parked 30m from the sea at Palamutbuku – yet another little paradise).