Stuck at the
Border
Saturday 31st May Enforced rest day.
Sleepy woke first at 0630 and surprisingly we all had a good night’s sleep. The van had wooden boards at the back and although hard it was sufficient. We had a good look round the border post. There was a small village there – housing the employees’ families but no shops. We all washed our hair under the village tap, the only source of water we could find. Really enjoyed it. Then we had a cuppa and discussed what we could do for the next four days.
The customs post was a lonely outpost in the middle of a valley with Mt. Ararat seeming to tower over us although it was 30 miles away. We decided to take a walk across the valley and have a bit of a picnic.
We set out at 1000 with the weather very hot but not overpowering. After forty minutes we came upon a couple of Turkish soldiers who turned out to be a relief guard for a border post some miles away. By means of sign language we got to know them. After witnessing a fight between two bulls (white one won) we sat down to lunch with the soldiers.
They produced an enormous can of peanut butter and some bread and we all dug in. It was delicious. We returned the favour and passed around some orange juice we had to wash it down. They were very friendly and showed us photos of them in their civies. We left then after they’d indicated to us that if we had walked much farther we might have been fired on by the border guards. We made it back to the post by 1500.
We had made friends with a Dutch couple who were touring in their holidays from college. They were also stuck at the border. They had left their car at Istanbul because they didn’t think it would have made it over bad roads. The border officials wouldn’t let them through until they had official confirmations that this was so. They thought they had sold the car. All had a cup of tea and had a game of cards.
Sat around talking until 2030 when we had a good supper of stew, beans, cucumber, tomatoes and bread. We are already bored with this place. We again slept in the old van that night.
Sleepy woke first at 0630 and surprisingly we all had a good night’s sleep. The van had wooden boards at the back and although hard it was sufficient. We had a good look round the border post. There was a small village there – housing the employees’ families but no shops. We all washed our hair under the village tap, the only source of water we could find. Really enjoyed it. Then we had a cuppa and discussed what we could do for the next four days.
The customs post was a lonely outpost in the middle of a valley with Mt. Ararat seeming to tower over us although it was 30 miles away. We decided to take a walk across the valley and have a bit of a picnic.
We set out at 1000 with the weather very hot but not overpowering. After forty minutes we came upon a couple of Turkish soldiers who turned out to be a relief guard for a border post some miles away. By means of sign language we got to know them. After witnessing a fight between two bulls (white one won) we sat down to lunch with the soldiers.
They produced an enormous can of peanut butter and some bread and we all dug in. It was delicious. We returned the favour and passed around some orange juice we had to wash it down. They were very friendly and showed us photos of them in their civies. We left then after they’d indicated to us that if we had walked much farther we might have been fired on by the border guards. We made it back to the post by 1500.
We had made friends with a Dutch couple who were touring in their holidays from college. They were also stuck at the border. They had left their car at Istanbul because they didn’t think it would have made it over bad roads. The border officials wouldn’t let them through until they had official confirmations that this was so. They thought they had sold the car. All had a cup of tea and had a game of cards.
Sat around talking until 2030 when we had a good supper of stew, beans, cucumber, tomatoes and bread. We are already bored with this place. We again slept in the old van that night.
The view north from our side of the Turkish border to the Mt Ararat dormant compound volcano - Great Ararat (16,800 ft) and Little Ararat (12.800 ft) - supposed final resting place of Noah's Ark long, long ago. Our picnic walk took us along the Dogubeyazit Valley down to the right before we met the border guards. Image courtesy of Bruce Thomas.
Sunday 1st June Enforced rest day.
0800 we woke and had a good wash. It looks like being another hot day. We have decided to have a good clear out but we never got round to it. While Fred and Sleepy washed up the breakfast dishes at the village tap and I worked out our route through Iran. We’d decided to take the extreme northerly route which ran along the Caspian Sea, the people we have been talking to had recommended this route. The southern route was out of the question and the centre one was all bad roads. The route we were taking was an extra 200 miles but we hoped that the road conditions would not be as bad as the other routes.
We did all our dirty washing by dinnertime and played cards most of the afternoon. Our two Dutch friends received a telephone call from Istanbul clearing them at the customs and they went through the border OK. We’re sorry to lose them so soon and were wishing we could join them soon. At 1900 we had dinner of soup, beans and steak pie and went to bed early.
0800 we woke and had a good wash. It looks like being another hot day. We have decided to have a good clear out but we never got round to it. While Fred and Sleepy washed up the breakfast dishes at the village tap and I worked out our route through Iran. We’d decided to take the extreme northerly route which ran along the Caspian Sea, the people we have been talking to had recommended this route. The southern route was out of the question and the centre one was all bad roads. The route we were taking was an extra 200 miles but we hoped that the road conditions would not be as bad as the other routes.
We did all our dirty washing by dinnertime and played cards most of the afternoon. Our two Dutch friends received a telephone call from Istanbul clearing them at the customs and they went through the border OK. We’re sorry to lose them so soon and were wishing we could join them soon. At 1900 we had dinner of soup, beans and steak pie and went to bed early.
Monday 2nd June Enforced rest day.
Got up at 0730, had a wash and a cuppa after another good night’s sleep. I cleaned out the contents of the toolbox – what a mess, while Fred and Sleepy finished yesterdays washing, doing the whites.
Just after dinner we met four guys travelling with a Pakistani in the Paki’s van. Two of the guys are Dutch, one born in Hong Kong and he has a British passport, sounds crazy. The others are American and Irish. Three of them hadn’t got visas for Iran and they have to go back to Trabzon to get them. They were paying the Pakistani to take them to Pakistan. Apparently the Pakistani couldn’t afford for get there on his own. He just got through customs out of Turkey (he and the van are the other side of the barbed wire fence) when the the others found out about the visa issue and wants to take them back to Trabzon but they won’t let him back into Turkey – we thought we had troubles! Look at this lot.
Finally the Pakistani bloke decides to head on regardless and the four guys are left to fend for themselves. The American is a bit of a nut and also a vegetarian. He gave us some sunflower seeds to eat. Very nice but too small and it takes an age to get the shells off. Apparently he lives on them.
1700 and we were starving. We haven’t too much Turkish money left and we don’t want to change any more money because there is nothing to spend it on, the nearest petrol station is 25 miles away. Post is due at 1800, we were hoping there’s something for us. Post finally arrived at 2000 but no mail. We had a big stew to try to cheer us up. It didn’t, so we bedded down.
Got up at 0730, had a wash and a cuppa after another good night’s sleep. I cleaned out the contents of the toolbox – what a mess, while Fred and Sleepy finished yesterdays washing, doing the whites.
Just after dinner we met four guys travelling with a Pakistani in the Paki’s van. Two of the guys are Dutch, one born in Hong Kong and he has a British passport, sounds crazy. The others are American and Irish. Three of them hadn’t got visas for Iran and they have to go back to Trabzon to get them. They were paying the Pakistani to take them to Pakistan. Apparently the Pakistani couldn’t afford for get there on his own. He just got through customs out of Turkey (he and the van are the other side of the barbed wire fence) when the the others found out about the visa issue and wants to take them back to Trabzon but they won’t let him back into Turkey – we thought we had troubles! Look at this lot.
Finally the Pakistani bloke decides to head on regardless and the four guys are left to fend for themselves. The American is a bit of a nut and also a vegetarian. He gave us some sunflower seeds to eat. Very nice but too small and it takes an age to get the shells off. Apparently he lives on them.
1700 and we were starving. We haven’t too much Turkish money left and we don’t want to change any more money because there is nothing to spend it on, the nearest petrol station is 25 miles away. Post is due at 1800, we were hoping there’s something for us. Post finally arrived at 2000 but no mail. We had a big stew to try to cheer us up. It didn’t, so we bedded down.
Tuesday 3rd June Enforced rest day.
Woke up at 0800 and it’s even hotter still today. Had a brew up. Sleepy is washing his jeans. The American and the Irishman left last night. The other two left early this morning in a ‘dolmus’ for Agri.
About noon we met a couple in a Mercedes travelling to Europe from Nepal, an American and his Dutch wife. He was a great laugh and learning of our misfortune informed us that his wife had also accomplished the same thing back in India. Now every day he makes her show him the passports before they start off. They gave us a map of Iran showing the good and bad roads and also an English language paper from Tehran. There wasn’t much English news in it, still it made life a bit more bearable.
Sleepy has tried to bake the steak and kidney pies in a tin in the noonday sun, but they hardly got warm. We’ll have to think of something else. Bought two loaves of bread this morning. We’ve only got 1.35 Turkish lira left to spend (about 1/-). I tried to teach Fred to play canasta but didn’t have much success because I couldn’t remember half the rules. Still they’re coming back to me slowly.
Woke up at 0800 and it’s even hotter still today. Had a brew up. Sleepy is washing his jeans. The American and the Irishman left last night. The other two left early this morning in a ‘dolmus’ for Agri.
About noon we met a couple in a Mercedes travelling to Europe from Nepal, an American and his Dutch wife. He was a great laugh and learning of our misfortune informed us that his wife had also accomplished the same thing back in India. Now every day he makes her show him the passports before they start off. They gave us a map of Iran showing the good and bad roads and also an English language paper from Tehran. There wasn’t much English news in it, still it made life a bit more bearable.
Sleepy has tried to bake the steak and kidney pies in a tin in the noonday sun, but they hardly got warm. We’ll have to think of something else. Bought two loaves of bread this morning. We’ve only got 1.35 Turkish lira left to spend (about 1/-). I tried to teach Fred to play canasta but didn’t have much success because I couldn’t remember half the rules. Still they’re coming back to me slowly.
Part of the vehicle graveyard around the border post. There were more on the Iranian side. As we had seen ourselves lots of travelers missing the right paperwork have to make tough decisions on the spot. Image courtesy of Bruce Thomas.
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Our view across the fence at the border post. Couldn't wait to have that gate opened for us.
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At teatime Fred got talking to the guard at the post – he stands in the corner by our old van most nights, and eventually sold him the pack of cards for 6 lira. So now we can get a bit of food. BUT - no more canasta.
We then met a chap from Aden who was going back to England on a motorbike. He told me of the only campsite in Tehran and gave us directions. It sounded good to us, and it has a swimming pool. Oh, to be away from this dump. Also saw a chap from France who was cycling to Japan. He was very brown and loaded up to the handlebars.
Sleepy and I got on with making tea while Fred went round the post office. Post due at 1800 – arrived at 2030 but still no passport
We then met a chap from Aden who was going back to England on a motorbike. He told me of the only campsite in Tehran and gave us directions. It sounded good to us, and it has a swimming pool. Oh, to be away from this dump. Also saw a chap from France who was cycling to Japan. He was very brown and loaded up to the handlebars.
Sleepy and I got on with making tea while Fred went round the post office. Post due at 1800 – arrived at 2030 but still no passport
Wednesday 4th June Enforced rest day.
Arose at 0745 to a very hot sun. I had breakfast in bed. Coffee and one slice of bread and butter, we’re getting really desperate now. We have to await until 1900 before we know anything.
Mid morning we met a group of lads in a LWB Land Rover who were also going to Aussie. They had already been back to Trabzon for their visas. Three Yorkshire lads and an Irishman – 6’5” tall, he’s a giant. They had traveled the same way as us and one of them had actually handled Fred’s passport in the bank in Samsun!
After a non-existent lunch we gave ‘Betsy’, our name for the Land Rover, a good clean. She looked shining, bright and raring to go. 2015 post arrived and to great cheers the passport with it. We’ve never been so happy to see a mail van. These six days stuck here seemed like a lifetime and we’re glad we’ll be out of Turkey in the morning.
After a big tea and an extra cuppa our friendly guard showed us how to load and unload his rifle. I decided to test the lights and found one flasher bulb a dud. We were searching for another when the guard produced one from his pocket and it fitted too. We gave him a cup of coffee which he didn’t finish probably because the lack of sugar. Both myself and Sleepy have had to do without it till we can get some more. Retired early for a good night’s sleep.
Arose at 0745 to a very hot sun. I had breakfast in bed. Coffee and one slice of bread and butter, we’re getting really desperate now. We have to await until 1900 before we know anything.
Mid morning we met a group of lads in a LWB Land Rover who were also going to Aussie. They had already been back to Trabzon for their visas. Three Yorkshire lads and an Irishman – 6’5” tall, he’s a giant. They had traveled the same way as us and one of them had actually handled Fred’s passport in the bank in Samsun!
After a non-existent lunch we gave ‘Betsy’, our name for the Land Rover, a good clean. She looked shining, bright and raring to go. 2015 post arrived and to great cheers the passport with it. We’ve never been so happy to see a mail van. These six days stuck here seemed like a lifetime and we’re glad we’ll be out of Turkey in the morning.
After a big tea and an extra cuppa our friendly guard showed us how to load and unload his rifle. I decided to test the lights and found one flasher bulb a dud. We were searching for another when the guard produced one from his pocket and it fitted too. We gave him a cup of coffee which he didn’t finish probably because the lack of sugar. Both myself and Sleepy have had to do without it till we can get some more. Retired early for a good night’s sleep.