Turkish Delight - 1985

How can I describe the amazing journey through Turkey? Trundling along in the wee Morris Minor we would pass people who stopped their work to wave at us. Everyone had a smile for the three crazy foreigners squished in the friendly car. The road to Ankara just blends together because we were rushing to reach the capital. I do remember camping on snow. Turkish police asking us to pick up camp, we drove down the road a bit and then circled back to re-pitch the tent. Money was of the essence so we could not afford to be looking for a traveler's lodge.

Ankara proved to be a paradise of sorts. Stephen had a distant relative who lived there. They were working with Shell. We were to hook up with them and stay at their house while we worked on visas for Greece. What do I remember of their house? Hot showers, lovely beds and delicious food are just a few of things I remember. I recall their wonderful hospitality and now looking back, I am amazed by their open greeting to three scraggly travelers. Ankara held wonders I couldn't wait to explore. Museums and other great attractions beckoned me, but first we had to work on visas. All our attempts at procuring visas were dead ends. I was actually supposed to end my journey at this point, but I can't remember how I changed my mind and decided to continue all the way to London. This decision was to change my life forever.

After a couple of days in Ankara, we knew we had to move on. We drove down to Konya and planned to drive along the Mediterranean Coast through Antalya and then up to Ismir. This was one of the most spectacular parts of our journey.