MERHABA,
We are just sitting in Istanbul, in some strange internet cafe … or more likely smoking room.
After finishing our last report we got by public transport to the outskirts of Nis the same day where we caught a car luckily in a while – soldiers, who had fought in Serbian wars, took us as far away as border of Serbia. After a few conflicts with customs officers we put our sleeping bags in the grass and then started to rain as usual.
In the morning we woke up in wet sleeping bags and walked over the frontier to Bulgaria again… There was a plenty of various small houses where we were still asked for something.
We got behind the frontier and shortly after two young Bulgarians, who went to Sofia, gave us a lift. They did not speak English very well so we hardly explained them that we need to get off at such place where it would be easy to set forward to Grcka (= Serbian expression of Greece). In the suburbs of Sofia they dropped us – fortunately it was really way to Grcka. We were suprised that a lot of people offered us a lift although they were not going where we needed. Then an older man took us (of course he wanted money for the lift) but we managed to bargain with the help of Russian, Polish, German, English and Czech that it would be free… Finally, he took us further than we hoped to and we started hitchhiking again. Then we got a lift from a young guy who wanted just money for the gas (ONLY 50 Euro – for a lift to the frontiers with Grcka what was round 80 km). However, we must look really poor so he took mercy on us and we moved over next 25 km. After that followed a great van driver who we talked all the way with and who explained us that Greeks use often word MALAKA (that means something like „dude“). Then he dropped us and since we gave him home-made slivovitz, he jumped backwards on the bucket and started throwing at us giant home-made tomatoes (as big as baby head) and even bigger cucumbers. Consequently, he posed for us with his vegetables, jumped to his cabin and disappeared with his van in dust cloudes.
Further we walked across a hill and then we met another great man who gave us a lift. It was older man who worked in Bulgaria in cement factory (he studied chemistry) but lives in Greece… So we travelled successfully through Bulgaria in a single day. In the city Seres, where we got off, we passed the night at local park. We had even running water there and we were happy to be in Greece – the country full of gyros and sandals.Next morning we (completely bitten from mosquitos) walked Greek 500 m (what is round Czech 150 km) and people were still saying us that it is to the exit road, that we needed to get to, really just 500 m…grrr… On the exit road it did not look like really well so we decided to go by bus but before its arrival we caught another car yet. It was driven by an older man who did not understand at all what we wanted. But he seemed to require some money from us… After all we went with him and finally he took us to the wonderful small village Orifa that is situated on the coast. Then he gave us lots of kisses and while he was laughing he and his stocky wife left.
In the first shop it was told us that a camp is 500 m (!!!) along the coast. So we found it after an hour of walking, spent some time on the beach near camp and then we showered and washed in the camp.
When it started raining in the evening, we got inside an empty tent and fell asleep. In the morning we found out that the fridge is on and full of food so we packed up quickly and in the afternoon the owners arrived :)
We spent next day by doing nothing and this time we passed the night at beach (although it was raining in the morning). We tried gyros and then we started our journey to Turkey. The same day we had the luck that we did not hope for.
First, young Greek couple gave us a lift (in Fabia) and we talked with them in English all the way. They were so kind that they took us even behind the frontiers although they did not have to go there (plus we got a “luxury” sponge-cake). We have to express our thanks to these people and we are hoping that they are going to follow our journey.
Then a problem of crossing the border with Turkey occured because we could not walk across the broken bridge due to the soldiers. We were surprised how many soldiers were watching it. We chatted up one nice Dutch who took us across the border and finally he gave us a lift till the first big cross-road towards Instanbul. We have to thank this man so much as well because not everyone is as courageous to take two crazy European guys, who look like homeless men, across the border.
Then we experienced the best hitchhiking so far because a bunch of super young Turks in a caravan offered us a lift. They were just coming back from holiday to Istanbul. It has been proven that Turkey is very hospitable and pleasant country. We got on a slightly messy caravan and started chatting… We learned a lot of things about Turkey, what to beware of and so on (I offered them pork pate with pleasure what was laughingly refused). On the way we stopped for a dinner, we had some typical Turkish meal that was similar to our meat loaf. We were surprised a lot that calling for a waiter is not a big deal here… Then we went on, learned at least some Turkish greetings (merhaba = hello) and changed national alcoholic drinks (we have RAKI). We gave them some postcards and we are hoping that our new friends are going to visit us in winter. At night we arrived to Istanbul, across the wonderful bridge that is said to divide the world in Europe and Asia. We received some money (Turkish lira), had to say good-bye to our friends and went to the bus-stop for a bus to Taksim.
WE THANK OUR NEW TURKISH FRIENDS!Of course, the bus did not go because it was too late. So we went – according to advice of young Turks – somewhere else where some hotels are said to be situated as well. We could not find any for a while (everything was roughly 80 UDS per night). Around 2:00 AM we – completely exhausted – addressed a man in fastfood who found a hotel for 20 UDS per night for us, took us by car there and even bought us some food (it is the Turkish hospitality)… We got a sleep and now we are already three hours writing this article because it is some strange keyboard here („i“ does not have a dot).
So we are slowly moving off… We are not sure when we are able to let you know again.
GÜLE GÜLE
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