This trip was not supposed to happen. This year Tina, my wife, had a major dental problem: operations, dressings and various treatments, so a problem that dragged on over time and at considerable cost. The dentist came to my aid, and between one operation and another at least 60 days had to pass, just the time needed to make this trip proposed to me by my friend Lorenzo of the Desert Club. At the last minute Tina agreed to do it and we set off. The trip, leaving from Ancona on 30 April, begins with a ferry that will take us to Patras and, from there, through Greece and Turkey, we will reach Syria and then Jordan, our main destinations. On the return, the sea crossing will be from Cesme in Turkey, landing again in Ancona on 10 May, and thus the end of the trip.
These are our travel costs:
Maps and guides……………………..…………..€ 61 Camper mechanical preparation……..……. € 290 Telephone………………………………………... € 50 Groceries………………………………………..€ 548 Diesel……………………………………..……€ 944 Tips……………………………….………..….€ 65 Motorway…………………………….………....€ 55 Entrance to sites and museums……………….….………….€ 160 Parking……………………………..………….€ 32 Passport stamps……………………….…………€ 80 Souvenirs………………………………..………..€ 255 Restaurant……………………….………..……..€ 455 Newspapers…………………………….……….……€ 40 Bar………………………………….…………….€ 60
We drive all day with a coffee and lunch stop, and towards evening we cross the border into Turkey. After the customs bureaucratic procedures, which are fairly quick, we stop at the first petrol station with a large parking area equipped with a little shop where you can buy everything and where we find the most important thing: bread. In a nearby pond there are many frogs; let's hope they let us sleep.
In the morning, at 8 o'clock, I'm the first to move and I fill up; diesel costs more than in Italy (1.42). Slowly everyone does the same, and then we set off. As on other occasions there's a great deal of confusion and heavy traffic on the Istanbul ring road. We take the exit for the airport and search in vain for a parking spot. Lorenzo has to wait at the airport for the arrival of one of his associates who is joining him from Tunisia. With the help of a taxi driver we reach a parking area along the sea, where there used to be a campsite. With the guard we agree on the overnight stay for 15 Turkish lira. It's late, it's already 14.00, a quick lunch of canned food, and then we reach the city by a little train. Not everyone comes; many stay in the campers.
First obligatory visit: Hagia Sophia (10 Turkish lira each), then the Blue Mosque, already visited a few years ago, but always beautiful and interesting. We head back towards the port to admire the Asian side. Some of us reach the Galata Bridge, which, spanning the Golden Horn, joins two parts of the old city. With others from the group we stay to wait for their return, but since Tina and I aren't dressed warmly enough as it's starting to get cold, we decide to take the train again and go back to the camper. At the parking area a surprise awaits us. Some people, elegantly dressed and seemingly important, inform us that we cannot stay and must clear out. Many of us haven't returned yet, and we certainly can't abandon them. After various discussions they agree that we can leave the next morning at 8.00. We have no choice but to comply, also because there's a police car with them.
At 8 everyone ready to leave. Yesterday evening's character had promised us that a person in charge would accompany us to the new spot about 4 km away. He arrives around 9.30. We set off driving along the sea and arrive at another suburb of Istanbul. Through very narrow alleys we reach a parking area that calling it a dump would be a compliment. It's practically a dirt courtyard with various potholes, wrecks of cars used as chicken coops with various pigeons, and with an exorbitant demand for the stay of 240 Euros (the manager doesn't want Turkish Lira). Unanimously we decide to leave, while Lorenzo insists on staying and taking on the excess expense. It's already 11, all together, except for Lorenzo who will take a taxi to the airport to pick up Sofian, we go to the station to take the little train that will take us back to the centre.
First visit: The Cisterns, a site we hadn't seen the previous time, very beautiful, with just one problem. Inside it's very dark and I didn't bring the tripod for the camera, but I still managed to take some nice photos. They were built by Constantine and enlarged by Justinian in 532 to ensure the city's water supply in case of siege. They were fed by various conduits coming from springs as far as 20 km away. The visit to these underground cisterns is astonishing and creates a unique atmosphere with the sound of the water. Their excellent state of preservation today keeps enough water at the bottom to allow numerous fish to survive. We continue, just Tina and I, stopping at a little restaurant for a quick bite and then heading to the Grand Bazaar. A unique chaos with everything and more on display, then the Egyptian bazaar, much smaller and less crowded.
Strolling along the seafront we find fabulous fish stalls and, following those, restaurants serving only fish. Unfortunately we had already had lunch and couldn't go back for seconds, otherwise we could have eaten a meal of fantastic fresh catch. We feel we can recommend the "Beyaz Restaurant". Returning towards the centre, in the square in front of Hagia Sophia, two demonstrations are taking place; one for the Beijing Olympics with folkloric performances and various music, and the other with pro-Tibet dissidents who want to boycott the Olympics. An unpleasant situation, from which we quickly move away. Having caught the little train again, we return to the camper, but not before buying fruit and vegetables in the shops along the way.
A day of transfer towards Adana on the toll highway. The surface is initially good but then towards the end it's rough and undulating. Yesterday, one of the group went to the tourist office and reported the exorbitant demand of our parking attendant. Probably someone took action, and this morning at departure, the manager who yesterday had pocketed the euros refunded what he had taken beyond the 15 Turkish lira due per camper. Moreover, the office itself informed us that a place to stop in Istanbul with campers does exist and it's between the Galata Bridge and the next one, on the right along the sea. May this be of help to those who come to this city, until the Atakoy campsite, now under renovation, is reopened, In the afternoon the road climbs, we reach a pass at 1580 m, then we continue onto a plateau always above 1000 m, where we even encounter a snowstorm.
By evening we stop in the parking area of a fairly modern petrol station. Right away, very hospitably, they offered us hot tea. Unfortunately one person in the group complained because he wanted to stop in the city to be able to see the shops and the way of life of the local people. In response, rightly, Lorenzo pointed out that a location for 17 campers in a small town is almost impossible to find and then, more importantly, today is a day of transfer and not of visiting cities. Tomorrow is the birthday of Lorenzo, Anna and Giorgio, the friends from the Russia trip. Remembering the cakes made at a party in Estonia, they asked me to make one for the boss too. After dinner I made two tarts, one with fig jam and the other with peach jam.
The usual departure at 8. The highway continues, not too good, partly with new asphalt and partly old with potholes and dips. We begin to descend towards the sea, every now and then we come across a toll booth for the highway payment. It's time to refuel, but, given how much diesel costs in Turkey and Syria, we calculate how much we need to buy to manage to reach the border and then fill up completely, because in Turkey it costs more than in Italy, that is 1.42 versus €0.50 in Syria. This solution will later cost us dearly because the diesel stations near the border are out of diesel and we'll have to buy it at a price above the black market. Towards evening, before reaching the parking area for the night, no. 15 gets a flat on the rear right tyre. He warns us by radio and we all stop.
The two Swiss crews, very well equipped, come to help and, like in a Ferrari pit-stop, remove and change the tyre in record time. We set off again and, having reached the overnight stopping point, Lorenzo gives us instructions on the documentation to prepare and the procedures to complete for tomorrow's crossing of the Turkish-Syrian border. Right after, a little refreshment with my tarts, a colomba cake and several bottles of wine, all to celebrate Lorenzo's 73rd birthday, who happily toasted with all of us.
We set off again from the truck parking area at 07.45, to be at customs when it opens at 8. On exiting Turkey, we get through in 90 minutes; at 9.30 we're at Syrian customs, at Bab El Hawa, "The Gate of the Wind", and we meet the Syrian guide: Saman (Simeon), a likeable young man who speaks perfect Italian. We'll later learn that he studied in Perugia. Unfortunately here we lose a lot of time; we won't get out until 16.30, they even want to check the chassis number. The request was dealt with by offering 10 euros per camper, but for each vehicle a multitude of documents must be written in Arabic and so time will be lost. We take the opportunity to have lunch. Finally, having left customs, we head towards San Simeone. Along the way we encounter a dust storm; it looks like fog.
Our guide warns us that at the place where we're supposed to go, the situation is worse and we wouldn't be able to see anything. We turn around and head back towards Aleppo. We'll return tomorrow morning by bus, before visiting the city. 20 km before Aleppo there's a campsite: it's simply a lawn of a house with olive trees where we park scattered under little plants. There's power but at low voltage; I switch the fridge to gas. There's water, but to reach it we have to slalom between the plants. I had a little argument with no. 15, who wouldn't leave the passageway, resolved by moving no. 7, who also needed to fill up.
Continues on Syria and Jordan 2008 - Part Three
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