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April 5th –17th | Turkey
Route:
Cesme – Söke – Nazilli – Antalya – Alanya - Anamur
Early in the morning of April, 5th we reach the port of Cesme in Turkey after 57,5 hours of travelling by ferry. The entry works because of our Cane de passage, although this is not necessairy for the importing of vehicles into Turkey. But without the paper there would have been more problems with the customs, as it is not usual to import a tractor into Turkey.
At once we make a quick trip to the sea, stay for a day to get a grip on the mess in the mobile home. Then we pick up steam. We move along sideroads and this much faster than expected.The speed with which we are moving on is the positive surprise, but we are shocked by the prices in Turkey. With these prices for diesel nearly our whole budget for the day is flowing into Fergy´s tank. And it is also impossible for us to eat in inns, not only in restaurants for tourists.
In the interior of the country, that remained original, it is coming to our first freesetting of animals. In a small village we stop for a Cay at a small shop.
The woman who serves our tea is speaking english very well, she attended highschool in Ankara, her husband is from the small village. She asks us, whether we are eating frogs.
After having denied the question, she shows us some plastic boxes out of which it is croaking. Inside each there are three kilogramms of frog, bagged in green nets. The animals are caught here and sold for the export. At once it is clear, a frog is set free. So after a lot of photos four of us move on. Atreju is enthusiastic about the frog and he names it `Heute (Today).´ A plasticbox with a lot of air holes serves as a transportbox for `Heute´, until two days later, in which we try our hand at catching insects, he moves into his new home. A small pond, somewhere near Korkuteli. It seems as `Heute´ doesn´t want to leave us, he is hesitating for a long time, until he takes a plunge from my hand.
The second animal that shares our mobile home with us for a short time is the turtle `Jetzt (Now)´. Also this name has been chosen by Atreju.
We find it in the middle of a park in the town of Nazil, surrounded by streets with heavy traffic. `Jetzt´ says goodbye without much ado at a lake, where other turtels are already splashing around.
During our drive through the interior of turkey, we try side-sideroads. This excursion teaches us that Fergy is crosscountry fit, but not so our trailer. On the track littered with potholes, I am scared that the kitchen unit will take its leave through the base plate.
In Söke we get stopped in front of a petrol station. A television team makes an interview for the local station. In Antalya it’s a team of journalists from the second largest daily newspaper, the `Sabah´. After Alanya a second television team, this time the report gets broadcast nationwide. We are becoming small celebrities in Turkey.
Soon we are by the sea again and shocked about the number of bedcastles lined up here.
To the left and to the right of the busy four-track road hideous hotel complexes. No place for us, so we reel kilometers, rest by the road near restaurants.
At the departure from one of this places Ewald gets aware of our loosing air from our right front tyre. Our first breakdown. Instantly a man is willing to show us the way to the next tyre repair service. He is coming with us for the necessairy kilometer riding on the drawbar. The problem, a small hole in the tube is quickly fixed.
Shortly after Anamur we stop at a small fishing harbour. Just to take a walk and have a look at the boats. Mehmet, a fisherman speaks to us in english, at tea he tells us that he is a french teacher, who came from Ankara to this place one year ago, to take over the boat of his deceased brother and to care for his dependant family, the widow and the two children.
He sees no problem for us in spending the night in the harbour, so we find a nice place directly by the sea.
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