Our first real border crossing was a test of patience. First we had to battle past the 2km (or so) line of queueing lorries. Then exit Bulgaria via a passport booth and a vehicle check booth. Then it was on to Turkey.
The first booth in Turkey was to photograph the vehicle occupants, and take the registration details - simple, huh. Then off to the next sequence of booths (with many cars queued up in the stifling heat). First stop, passport check, where you are told you don't have a Turkish visa (we knew that), so off to booth 92 (about 100m away) to buy the visa (in English Pounds), then back to the second booth to get the visa stamped in the passport. Then to the next booth to get the green card insurance check (no we knew we didn't have that either), so off to booth 91 (about 90m away) to get the vehicle insurance, then back to the third booth to get the insurance stamped in the passport, then off to get cash (booth 89 - 80m away), then off to customs to check the bikes.
All was going well, (processed in around 1 hour), and only one final check to go.
BUT.
At the 3rd booth inline, Scott's registration details 'did not compute' - we now realise that blokey in booth 1 had mistyped the registration details, so the final check could not be completed, as the registration numbers were mismatched.
Queue a Basil Fawlty hour long episode of Scott running from booth to booth, in reverse order, then correct order, then random order, whilst at the same time the border officials were in the middle of some sort of change in shift, meaning, of course, zero continuity.
Well, after 2 hours of Basily Fawlty activity we finally exited the border crossing, and number 1 priority - a kebab;
Then it was a mere 200km odd to Gallipoli for an overnighter by the Dardanelles Straits.
Finally, the first sign that this is a round the world trip.
ReplyDeleteClearly you are now learning what we have to put up with all the time with Scott!
ReplyDeleteThe Banana Bunch
Wellington College