Sat 25 Jun 2016. Gallipoli to Ipsala (Turkey), to Komotini and Kavala (Greece)

Sat 25 Jun 2016. Gallipoli to Ipsala (Turkey), to Komotini and Kavala (Greece)
GirlRob woke with migraine, spoiling an otherwise cool, idyllic setting. Bumped our way down the rough track after breakfast waiting first for a couple of tractors, then for a flock of sheep to move out of the way.

Drove from Gallipoli to Ipsala, pulled into servo for fuel and car wash to finish last of Turkish currency. Easy pass through Turkish Customs and passport control - fewer soldiers manning bridge over no mans land today, all smiling or saluting us. We wish miss the Turks smiles, friendliness and willingness to help (and probably their decent roads!) Entry into Greece was a very different matter, only one car lane open, approx 20 cars before us, and 8 bikes, very slow progress - 2 hours, a long crossing for us (worse for bikers standing out in sun).

Greece - good road to start, green hills, sunflowers, not near as much agriculture as Turkey. Road toll €6 based on height (officer lowered a bar to measure us). Little roadside prayer "letterboxes", miniature orthodox churches. Dark-legged storks or cranes in fields. Olive trees, white houses, terracotta tiled roofs. 













Turned into Kavala, obviously a resort town, hit the high, twisty, narrow streets we'd been warned about.

Pulled into Batis Camping, right on the beach (for all the good it did us - wall to wall umbrellas covered every inch of sand). BoyRob put on casserole of beef, eggplant, peppers and Turkish spices with rice whilst GirlRob wrung out washing at site. When she went to find clean rinsing water, was surprised to find washing machines in a laundry. One had a sign saying " private" and one seemed spare, ie had clothes in it that were rinsed and spun. After waiting for owner for 10 minutes, GilRob moved the clothes into the dryer, and put hers in - owner came in and gave her a serve, saying "this private machine, paid money". No apologies or offer to pay soothed the irate camper and GirlRob went meekly back to hand washing. Things improved with such a good dinner and an unexpected air show: turns out it was Thassos WWI Aviators Golden Anniversary, an "I love Greece" holiday, with jet flyovers, aerial synchronisation, smoke trails and hearts, and aerial acrobatics. 

A light breeze came up after our showers and a cuppa, but not much cooler inside Ozzie, so had to get the big fan out for a more restful sleep...

Fri 24 Jun 2016. Pamukkale to Gallipoli

Fri 24 Jun 2016. Pamukkale to Gallipoli
Woke up thinking it is really too hot to be in southern Turkey much longer. Farewelled our bus friends, (Giovanni extending an invitation to get together in England next year, and promising to let us know his best travel hints for St Petersburg), and left Pamukkale.  

Multi-coloured mineralisation

Ozzie and passengers travelling well, so kept going past day's 300km destination, then past Boomer’s recommended campsite Misakca at Mediterranean, turning west towards ferry at Cardak to find out if it carried vehicles, and was still running. Day was too impossibly hot to stop to prepare lunch even if we could have found shade; ate hot mince and eggplant meal (hot as in chilli and red pepper hot!) in a fan-cooled roadside cafe instead.

Blustery head wind picked up, hot and full of dust across the plains, almost blowing over man carrying bale of hay, and pushing down Ozzie's fuel reserves alarmingly. Stopped for fuel and toilet and to get rid of final coins, ice cream melting down our hands as we walked out of shop. Irrigated crops, forage grasses, orchards, row upon row of chicken houses, in an otherwise dry and uninspiring landscape.

Ooh, these three vehicles are mighty tight...

Just managed to squeeze on 6.00pm ferry to Gelibolu/ Gallipoli, in spite of 15 enormous trucks and 5 cars ahead of us. It was so tightly packed very few could get out of their vehicles for the 20 minute trip. Off the wharf, turned right and followed coast road until came to a dirt track, followed it along the shore, past houses and agricultural fields until reached a headland. BoyRob found the most level spot - had to pick a path between pretty but stinging nettles setting up for dinner. Once GirlRob's antihistamine worked to clear up allergy to dust from afternoon’s travel, it was very pleasant to sit outside with our tomato sandwich and cuppa. A shepherd's three large dogs came to check us out (albeit from 50 metres away). 

Ouchy...

Double ouchy....

We decided we were not only too tired to rinse and wring out our washing but also thought it best not to leave items out overnight whilst free camping (or “wild camping” as fellow travellers call it). A sweet breeze came up from the ocean, we sat watching lights come on on the opposite shore and the last freighter straggle up the Dardanelles. Had a good wash in water from tap, lukewarm from the day, before lights out.

Thurs 23 Jun 2016. Egirdir to Pamukkale

Thurs 23 Jun 2016. Egirdir to Pamukkale
Had beach to ourselves for early morning swim in our freshwater lake, on almost-sand with almost-waves. We were packed up ready to drive out when Laurentin appeared offering Turkish coffee, so we disembarked and BoyRob got our chairs out again. Our host said he was born in Turkey on the Black Sea coast, and his wife was from Albania, but they have lived in Sweden last 7 years. He was happy to listen to our observations of his home country, and answer our questions eg we commented that some nights we had mosques in stereo, one either side of the camp, and asked if there is any difference in the night and morning prayers? He said no, except the Iman adds at 3.50am "praying is better than sleeping"!! His wife did not appear, and GirlRob was not offered the water or Turkish Delight - it occurred to us as we were driving away that maybe he had only extended the invitation to the male Wanderoo, and there was no need after all for the female Wanderoo to tell him politely that she didn't drink coffee....

Drove out around the mountainous point, GirlRob taking a photo of a huge message with a Turkish flag on a hill; a soldier in the military complex opposite yelled and gesticulated towards truck "no camera", no doubt sensitive about their installation being vulnerable if filmed...(oops, sorry...) 

Passed a long saline lake with huge mounds of glistening salt on edges (does it have anything to do with proximity to Pamukkale's travertine mountain?)

Old irrigation system still in use

What on Earth...?

Saline river running between the mountains and rail and road

Arrived in Pamukkale mid morning, not believing the height and breadth of the travertine mountain that loomed before us. Entered through the southern gate closer to the sprawling ruins of the Greco-Roman and Byzantyne city of Hierapolis built on top of the "White Castle", and admired its majestic view. Founded as a thermal spa in 2nd century, the healing city contains ruins of many interconnected baths, and not surprisingly has a necropolis reflecting the large numbers of retirees who came, stayed, and died there!

City in its former glory on top of the White Castle

Low Southern Gate

 

Ruins are quite spread out

Theatre

Ancient building method or restorers?

Large Baths

Medieval Fortress

It was way too hot to explore too many kms of the ruins, so it wasn't too long before we walked in bare feet down the travertine pools, with guards blowing their whistles at tourists every few minutes "no shoes, no shoes". 

Moved to "cool" shade and ate tuna rolls (sparing none for the begging cats). Walked the boardwalk around the top of the mountain, found a piece of travertine to take back to grandson Nathan for his rock collection. 

Lording it over the town...

Drove around White Mountain to see it from all sides, before seeking an evening's camp. Between the mineral structures and the surrounding rock, the original inhabitants just "joined the dots" to secure their hill with perimeter walls. 

Chose Tepe Camping out of town up a steep hill, because they advertised panorama views, restaurant, and pool, and was hopefully cooler up the mountain than staying in the hot-hole of a valley. It lived up to its reputation and had grass sites to boot - outweighing that the view was obscured by heat haze, and that we had to drive past "stinkytown" on way up (cows kept in small yards all day in own excrement, with no pasture to be let out into). There was a bonus up top, a huge Overland bus had just pulled in to the campground. It could take 44 people but there were only 6 travellers this trip, 4 of them Aussies, including a young man with dreadlocks "spending his house deposit" going to Iran, Georgia, Armenia etc. They were all interesting people to chat to with a beer around the pool, Giovanni (who's poor partner Fiona was camping with a broken wrist) was wildly enthusiastic about EarthCruiser, he's been looking into one for years and was tickled at the unexpected opportunity to inspect one “in the flesh”. We stayed on around the pool for dinner of sizzling chicken and beef on individual spirit burners, glad to have vegetables as a change from salad. We chatted until dark waiting for the air to cool, enjoying Giovanni's travel stories and exuberance, our new friends coming inside to check out the EarthCruiser in minute detail.

Not a bad view for Ozzie..

A blustery wind was the signal for the campers to retire to their tents. Doing a final tidy up before bed, GirlRob realised her well-travelled wine glass (white wine largely BYO in this male dominated country) was missing, and had to go back and retrieve this vital piece of equipment!