The road to Syria and Jordan. Motorhome trip to the Middle East. Part 6, Turkey

This trip was not to be done. This year Tina, my wife had a big problem with the teeth, operations, medications and a variety of applications, so a problem that had lasted over time and with a substantial cost. The dentist came to my aid, and between a transaction and another had to spend at least 60 days, just long enough to make this trip by his friend Lawrence asked about the Desert Club last minute Tina has agreed to place, and we started.
The trip, departing from Ancona April 30 begins with a ferry that will take us to Patras and from there, through Greece and Turkey will reach Syria and then Jordan, our main goals. In return, the crossing will be shipping from Cesme in Turkey with more landing in Ancona on May 10 and then journey's end.

These are our costs of travel:

Medicines and vaccines € 162
Maps and guide € 61
Mechanical preparation camper € 290
Phone € 50
Food € 548
Fuel € 944
Tipping € 65
Highway € 55
Entry sites and museums € 160
Parking € 32
Stamp passports € 80
Souvenir € 255
Restaurant € 455
Newspapers € 40
Bar € 60

Total € 3237

Quota Club Desert ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .... ... .... € 3133

Total ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... € 6370

 

Truck parking on Turkish border

At the start the police tell us that there is a distributor in the country and open with their presence we appear to refuel, but only those who did not have the 20 liters last time, will fill up.
Now it goes to Ebla, the last city to visit. There is another, called the dead city and ask to visit someone in the group, but the No. 1, while ahead of schedule, refuses.
On this site of Ebla has no columns to be admired, the city is too old and was built with mud brick, which mostly were pulverized with time, but it's actually see, indeed, to imagine a city that size, built 4500 years ago . And also, seeing these ruins, we could understand the excitement experienced by archaeologists in their search for antiquities.
Disappointed to have seen little or nothing of what remains of this great city, we close the trip to Syria back to the border, toward Turkey.
Lengthy process on the Syrian border, then he starts for the no man's land to Turkey. We pass a long line of trucks stopped without understanding why, but we understand at once when, after a curve, we see the street interrupted by an articulated vehicle with the load of a self-propelled crane that moved him and three other cranes are fixed. We stopped for about three hours because more than half stopped, another column in the opposite direction is firm like us. We see campers and shortly afterwards received a visit from friends who were with us in the journey to Egypt last year. Exchange of news and greetings, gift them my tanks empty, very useful for the precarious supply in Syria. During the forced break we have dinner: noodles with fish sauce. Just finished feel that you call the engines in motion, I move straight to the driver's seat and the other half on the asphalt on dirt we can pass between the parked truck and camper with our friends. Turkish to the border where we'll undertake the usual bureaucratic delays that leave us free only to 22.30. Stop at the parking Tir the first leg.

Service station parking

We are in turkish territory. We first insert in the street and then into a beautiful highway. We travel 342 km, and we stop at a crossroads. 2 crews will be leaving us tomorrow because they extended the 15 day journey to visit the best Turkey. This evening we celebrated the birthday of Mary, No. 15, without cakes for lack of time but with different cupcakes jumped out from the pantry.
All in bed while I began to have chills. I never such a thing happened. I can not get warm and I shudder even more. I'm so cold and turn on the stove, a refrigerator truck will make me company, with its engine running, all night long.

Egirdir – Liman Oto Park

I have not slept all night and the morning I think we should leave the group and start in Cesme, a meeting place for boarding. In addition to fever, vomiting and diarrhea, and I surely I will have to stop several times. I will not be a problem for the rest of the group and after having informed the No. 1, I go to greet George and Anna, who continue the journey.
Exit from the distributor wrong road and instead go towards Konia take for Ankara. At the first intersection I notice the error, unfortunately, having come a long way back in again and given my health was better to have been avoided.
The road is nice and you pass through the hills with lakes. We stop at a pay parking lot near a lake in Egirdir and while I rest, Tina goes shopping at stores where he met the rest of the group parked a little 'later.
I have a fever of 37.8.

Cesme – Port parking area

During the night I sweated a lot. Tina gave me some paracetamol for fever and diarrhea for dell'Imodium. In the morning I feel better and decide to continue to Cesme.
After the road, we find the highway that will take me to the port of embarkation where to park in a beautiful place near the marina.
In the marketplace across the street are also boxes for Sketch as the spoiled, not eating much.

Cesme – Port parking area

I continue to feel better and took the opportunity to visit the town. There is a beautiful castle but just look outside. I'm tired of castles, I have seen too much lately and the town there are countless souvenir shops. There's a lot of people (it's low season), we also find the Corriere della Sera yesterday, but for us, which for more than 40 days we are far from Italy, the news is brand new. There were those who won the votes and we have heard from several phone calls made to our friends.
In the afternoon we take a ride with the camper until the tip of the peninsula in a yard where we can also download the waters clear and gray.
There is a problem in the valve of the tank water reaches the taps in lesser quantities and is better! Tina consume less water! The failure to find the house consisting of a piece of cloth from the tank, sucked by the pump, you got to switch the tanks.
This evening I have a stomach ache and vomiting but no fever.

Cesme – Port parking area

They arrive in twos and threes the other and I see them parked at the port of embarkation. We achieve them after lunch.
I still have a stomach ache and I prefer to remain calm in the camper

Cesme – Port parking area, embark

This morning it is raining. The No. 1 and I charge a bit 'of women in the group and buy plants and seedlings in three nurseries in the area. Are plants that are just fine by us, but here, for some reason, are more beautiful.
In the afternoon, the group reassembled, minus the two who remained in Turkey. The No. 1 collects the passports and the tickets for the ship.

Cruising aboard Cesme ferry of Marmara Lines

Boarding at ten. With the rest of us campers, cars and SUV forty French who made the journey Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Turkey. A nice tour we did we but three different occasions.
The customs are the last of the group and lose much time because the car before us has problems and crashes the whole column. When they arrived on the ship, all friends are already settled into the cabin. Even the No. 1 is gone and there delivered the key to our accommodation. Sketch shows signs of restlessness in a cage but luckily Mary of the No. 12 staying in his cabin. Meanwhile, Lorenzo shows up and realizes that for us there is an error because the cab of the Ancona, which listed a cabin less. Everything is resolved by an employee who first wants to give us the key that everyone is settle. Finally reached the accommodation rid Sketch sniffing and inspects the new place. The cabin is smaller with the course and has no portholes, and even the ship is smaller than the Greek. The sea is rough and roll feel much.
To eat, you go to self service, you pay with a card pre-paid to the bank of the ship. Only breakfast is included in the ticket price for two lunches and two dinners will spend € 110. Many French lunch in the cabin with cans and perhaps it was better organized and do it ourselves. Would eat better.

Cruising aboard Cesme ferry of Marmara Lines

We are at sea. On the ship's all. We just have to spend time in the best and enjoy this "holiday" on the Mediterranean, between water and sun, to remember it for a while 'time. Oziam from morning to night. ... Who said that idleness is the father of all vices and bad?

Majano

Meeting at 9 with all the luggage, we are able to reach in the hold and campers leave the luggage with Sketch, which finally free, takes possession of his usual place. During the trip, because the rough sea, has not eaten anything, will resume, only to return home.
Arrival at the port around noon, the Italian police gets on board and check passports. We welcome all participants with a promise to meet again, perhaps in another trip.
Leaving port we take the highway. We stop at the first convenience store for lunch and then after a short rest, a single pull up at home ... ... ... .. the grass has grown out of proportion...

The end

At the end of this trip is one last thought. What fascinated us most? We have seen great things, witnessing the various cultures, architectural complexes pharaonic city beautiful, each in its kind, for example, the cave temples of Petra, the colonnades of Palmyra, Apamea and Jerash, the ancient water wheels of Hama Umayyad Mosque of Damascus, the castles of the Crusaders and Saladin, the colors of the suq, Wadi Rum and the Red Sea, but in my opinion a great little thing has literally enchanted desert. I've seen lots of deserts, from Karakum in Turkmenistan, the Libyan desert, to the Egyptian, Moroccan and a Tunisian, but the Wadi Rum, with all its many colors is magical, is spectacular. The desert is not complacent, smooths and sculpts the soul, the body molds. As some say, the desert does not lie, it is clean, is the salt of the earth. The desert transforms us but makes us rediscover our identity, the true way of being. To know the supernatural is said that we must rise above nature. Well, these trips that we do not already half the elevation of the spirit? And it is not better when you cross a desert? The profound silence, the vastness, the magic and mystery of mirages, the sky-blue so deep and clear as the eye goes up and up without ever stopping the night with its brightly stars who give us the idea immensity of the universe. While being aware of being a small molecule, the self, upon contact with the immense, the feeling of approaching the supernatural.
And about those who are still vivid in our minds ... see you in addition to those of Petra, the desert, the Red Sea, the color is perhaps the most fascinating of the eyes of our cat that Soria (old name of Syria and from which hence the name Soriano) gave us a thousand years ago, when the Middle Ages to Venice, a merchant ship coming from Syria, landed a litter of kittens tigers bred and soon flooded the streets of the city and came to these days ours: Sketch, perhaps he welcomes these his ancestors, who knows ... ... ...
In addition to the various sensations experienced during the trip, we can say that everything went well. Although many of us, there have been no discussions or quarrels, was a fine company and I wish them all again in a future trip. The means, excluding numerous punctures immediately repaired, have proved adequate even when driving is not always perfect. Among the participants, only some have intestinal problems, including myself, but this has not delayed or halted the trip. Lorenzo, with some tirade misplaced, has lived up to the commitment made and expertly guided us through two states with many issues. Even Saman, Nael and Aziz, go our thanks for the help they gave us to learn the history, traditions and customs of their countries. Sofian not want to forget that with his sympathy has welcomed and helped us all.

In all we covered km. 8,103