26 days in... Look where we have been so far!

Welcome to Asia, farewell Europe

Crossing from Bulgaria to Turkey is always a bit of an adventure as the customs staff don’t really know what to classify us as – truck, or bus.  We had all the paperwork that we required, we just needed someone in Ankara to give the border guards a number to write into Pete’s passport which would show the authorisation for Calypso to enter Turkey.  Unfortunately Ankara’s computer system went down…  and the waiting began…  Fortunately we were entertained by the rally cars doing a two week race from Austria to Jordan – after we got chatting to a couple of the guys who were having their own challenges getting across the border we Odyssey-ed their cars with our new stickers, and even signed one of the cars.



6 hours later…  we were in!  The customs guards took pity on us and decided that we had been at the border for long enough and they didn’t want to search us, and then we had the final 4 hour drive into Istanbul.

 
Istanbul’s historical significance is unquestionable – as the crossroads between Europe and Asia it has been the centre of empires and religions, and continues to be a fascinating melting pot of the two very different cultures.  The Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cisterns and Topkapi Palace were highlights for those who had not visited before, and boat trips up the Bosphorous, fish sandwiches by the Galata Bridge and exploring the streets on the other side of the Golden Horn were enjoyed by those who had visited before.
 
Images of Istanbul:
Istanbul from the Bosphorous:


The Blue Mosque:
Inside the Blue Mosque:
Inside the Hagia Sophia / Aya Sofia:
   

The Spice Market:


Darrell, Alice, Neill & Mike enjoying a cup of Turkish Tea:
The fish market:


Fish sandwiches:
  
Istanbul has an official population of around 7 million people, but the actual population is far higher and the city is sprawled over a vast area.  Dividing the two sides and continents is the Bosphorous and as we crossed over into Asia with a toot of the horn, there was excitement amongst everyone on board and the feeling that now the journey into the unknown was really starting!

After the hectic tourist town of Istanbul, our next stop in Turkey was Akcakoca, a small town on the Black Sea coast of Turkey.  As we drove through, we felt like celebrities as it seemed like the whole town was standing on the street watching open-mouthed as we drove past.  A popular resort town for Turkish people, they don’t see the likes of us very often, and we can be sure the town is still talking about the big blue truck now.  Our two nights in Akcakoca give everyone a chance to relax in the sun, and enjoy an amazing view from their tents…
Leaving the Black Sea (well, for now anyway, we will be returning to it’s shores again later in Turkey, and in Georgia), we wound our way down to Goreme, in the Cappadocia Region of Turkey.  Many people have seen images of the amazing rock formations, however seeing them from a hot air balloon, or hearing a local guide explain how the formations occurred and what it was like to live in one of the underground cities that dot the area gave a whole new perspective.  The underground city was particularly interesting as we tried to imagine 7,000 people living in a system of caves up to 6 levels below the ground, together with their livestock…the general consensus was that we were glad the smell no longer remained!

Our local guide Adil explaining how the ventilation shafts worked for the underground cities:

Not all the tunnels were this small!
   
Hot air ballooning is a highlight every year, the early start is more than made up for by the amazing feeling of floating silently above the rocks.

Another thing for which the region is famous are the carpets.  We have the opportunity to go along to see how carpets are made in the area, and to see the range of carpets produced, along with the opportunity to buy them (and to have a free lunch!).  After a lot of deliberation several people bought carpets and sent them home, a little present waiting for them when they get back from their travels!

A traditional Turkmen style-carpet, soon to be resident in South Africa!

Our final stop in Turkey before crossing into Georgia is Sumela, famous for its monastery clinging high to the hills.  It is a long drive from Goreme, so we spent two nights bushcamping along the way, and the first bushcamp was high on a mountain pass at 2,200m – not high compared with where we will be going, but as the fog rolled over the peak and the temperature plummeted it was such a contrast from earlier that day when we had been wandering around town wearing t-shirts.  We have been blessed with amazing weather so far on the journey and the next morning was no exception as we woke up to a gorgeous sunny day, not a cloud in the sky or a breath of wind, and surrounded by hills and mountains.  Most of the group headed off to explore the nearby hills, whether embarking on a 2.5 hour hike to the top of a 2,900m peak, or just having a bit of a wander on the more gentle slopes.

Odyssey Overland 2010:

From the mountain pass we wound our way down towards the Black Sea again, stopping off in another bushcamp in a picnic area – Omar, the grandson of the owner, was delighted to see us back again as he remembered us helping him with his English homework on the expedition in 2008, although it as hard to recognise him as he has grown about 2 feet since then!

At Sumela Monastery:

Tomorrow is our first former Soviet state border crossing as we head into Georgia, the home of wine (well, so they claim), and of Georgian hospitality…  everyone should expect to leave again about 2 stone heavier!

Happiness is… Bulgaria

Bucharest can be a challenging city – along with most of Romania it appears not to pander to tourists… or in fact to provide any information unless absolutely necessary!  We had three nights in Bucharest, and many people found one day in the city to be enough as it gave them enough time to visit the Peasant Museum (mixed reviews) and the Palace of the People (recommended by everyone who went).  We all met up at one of the city’s oldest and most beautifully decorated restaurants for a meal, accompanied by traditional Romanian music downstairs, and later some flamenco-style dancing upstairs which gave Maggs, Nick, Ned (the gnome) and a couple of others the chance to show off their dancing skills!

It was a fairly quiet day for many of the group the next day, with most people choosing to enjoy the sunshine which has been following us across Europe (long may it continue!), catch up on some washing, read, sort out photos, and in the case of some of the lads, help to wash Calypso (which of course ended up in the inevitable water fight).

Washing the truck, Darrell and Mike-style:

It was then time to leave another country and head to Bulgaria. A couple of days into the expedition we had received an email from a new campsite near the village of Veliko Tarnovo.  Pete had been to the village before and was keen to visit again, so the group agreed that we would head off to the new campsite, site unseen.  After a painless border crossing we wound our way through the hills, mostly in the right direction - all the instructions for how to reach the campsite had been given in English, but most of the roadsigns were in Cyrillic! When we arrived at the campsite in the early afternoon we were rewarded with spectacular views over the rolling Bulgarian hills, plenty of opportunities for walks, and even a spot of fishing for Darrell and Neill. And we were also given an incredibly warm welcome by our hosts who could not do enough for us while we were there, providing a taste of the local firewater, Rakea (general consensus was that it wouldn't become anyone's drink of choice), and a full cooked breakfast the next day for anyone missing beans, sausages and bacon.

Camping Veliko Tarnovo:

It was quite difficult to convince everyone to get back on the truck after breakfast with some of the group suggesting they would be happy to stay there and we could pick them up when we came through with the 2011 expedition! But finally everyone was on board and we took a short drive into the town of Veliko Tarnovo itself. It is safe to say that the town was not designed with overland trucks in mind, narrow cobbled streets and low overhanging buildings! We managed to navigate through without incident and everyone had a couple of hours to wander around the beautiful town on another lovely sunny day.

Veliko Tarnovo: 

 

 

After four nights in organised campsites it was time to go bush again, so we found the most level piece of ground possible near a lake on the way to the Turkey border, set up camp, launched the boat, and made a campfire to cook a barbeque feast celebrating our last day in Europe (according to Mike who is, at this moment, still in Europe as we haven't yet crossed the Bosphorous into Asia, but don't tell him!

"Don't splash me, I will get in in my own time"

Ben could run, but not fast enough...

Out in the boat

Darrell demonstrating how to cast off... just a little too close to the trees...

A barbeque feast (or as both Pete and Neill are South African, perhaps better known as a braai feast)

Into the wilds – Eastern Europe and bushcamping

Leaving Germany we headed for the Czech Republic and it’s capital Prague.  It is an incredibly beautiful city with the Charles Bridge and Prague Castle being two of the best-known sites, but one that unfortunately is firmly on the tourist trail with school groups, stag parties and bus loads of tourists from all over Europe cramming the streets.  So it gave many of the group who have been there before the opportunity to explore some of the lesser known sights away from the crowds.  As it is so crowded and many people have been there before we only stay for two nights before heading to Budapest, the capital of Hungary.

 

The square in Prague:

 

In Budapest we stay at a lovely campsite close to the town centre where we we pitch the tents on a terraced hill in a forest.  We arrived on a sunny Saturday afternoon and after a bit of fancy driving by Pete (with the guard from the American Embassy and a growing crowd looking on with interest), we were able to squeeze our way past the randomly parked cars at the campsite entrance.  Many of the group chose to take a bus into town to wander around the city, so chilled and calm after the crowds of Prague with wonderfully ornate buildings and the Danube River flowing through it's heart, while others took advantage of the hills near the campsite to get some exercise and be rewarded with fantastic views.

 

The Budapest campsite:

 

Kylie, Kaye, Katie & Alice at the top of the hill behind the campsite (well, whether it was actually at the top, or just a nice viewpoint on the way up is still under debate!):

Out of Hungary and into Romania - and our first bushcamp.  Well, it was sort of a bushcamp as there were port-a-loos if you dared, but most only ventured in once!  We were camping in the spectacular (but unfortunately named) Turda Gorge.  After setting up camp we were amazed to see parasailers descending upon us - the local mountain rescue guide who also operates hiking tours and parasailing jumps off the escarpments. Every year's group is different, and this year we have a lot of the group who are keen walkers (including Ned, our new truck gnome - check out Mike's blog for more information), so the next morning, after a hearty bowl of porridge, most of the group headed off with two guides to walk to the top of the escarpment.  Apparently the walk was "easy" and a "10 year old child could do it", however you can judge for yourself that those who ventured off very much earned their lunch when they returned 3 hours later!

 

Our campsite in Turda Gorge:

The intrepid hikers:

 

The smallest of the hikers catches a lift with Mike:

On the way up:

 

 

Spectacular views from the top of the escarpment:

 

Everyone made it, even Ned:

 

What goes up…

After dropping the tents and packing away camp we had a short hop down to Sighisoara, a world heritage town in the hills of Transylvania.  Along the way we stopped to do lunch along the road, and were swamped by local onion sellers and their kids.  It is always amazing when you stop at a seemingly deserted location, within minutes there is guaranteed to be a crowd.  While cook group prepared lunch of hot dogs, other members of the group used their very best sign language and hand gestures to negotiate to buy onions (no onions were purchased, we were definitely getting "tourist prices"), and gave some helpful advice about how to avoid producing more mouths to feed.

 

The old town of Sighisoara is famous for being the birthplace of Vlad Dracul, the man now popularly known as Dracula thanks to Bram Stoker (although only the name seems to bear any relation to the truth!)  The sun was shining again in the afternoon when we arrived and wandered up to the clock tower and the impressively decorated church on the top of the hill.  It is a lovely town, and also home to a great pizza restaurant (well the food is great, but the staff leave a bit to be desired!) where we met up for a meal (don’t worry, traditional Romanian cuisine is sampled in Bucharest).

The next morning brought our first… rain!  This has been the driest start to one of our expeditions which has been great, and the fact that the rain chose to visit us on a hotel night was even better!  We stay in a hotel only a short walk into town, and everyone was delighted to have an ensuite and endless hot water!

Before anyone books on the expedition, and before we start off from London, we make sure that everyone is aware that our itinerary can, and does, change, sometimes because we decide to change it, and other times because someone else decides to change it for us!  Romania saw our first change of the latter variety as we were due to visit Rasnov Fortress, just south of Brasov, however a rather grumpy policeman informed us “no”, and turned us around. 

As close as we got to Rasnov fortress:

The choice was given to the group – bushcamp nearby (where ominous black clouds were gathering), or head into Bucharest a day early.  The general consensus was to head to Bucharest, so we kept going, and arrived into the Bucharest campsite late in the evening where we would be staying for 3 nights to give everyone the chance to see the city, and catch their breath a bit.  We do run through Europe very quickly – this expedition is about getting to the wilder, less-touristed places where the truck and our style of travel really comes into it’s own and once we hit Turkey we slow the pace down and spend time really getting to understand the countries that we travel through.