We were still making tracks for Georgia and now we are about to leave Greece and enter Turkey. Jim was worrying about whether we would be permitted to cross the border at this point as the rules on border crossings between Greece and Turkey changed from time to time. In the event the border proved to be pretty unremarkable. As is often the case, there were quite a large number of heavy goods vehicles lining up on both sides waiting to be processed. As we had learnt from our earlier travels, the right thing to do is to pass them by and get into the domestic transport lines. Our Sprinter just about cleared the width and height restrictions for this and we took our turn. On entering Turkey, having exited Greece, they wanted to do a bit of van inspection. I showed them my electric bike and then they looked into the vehicle to see if we were harbouring a hidden undisclosed motorbike! Once they were satisfied that we were simply a camper, with no stash of motor bikes, we were waved on through. What was remarkable was that immediately we noticed that the quality of the roads were on a par with, if not better than many we had travelled on in Europe. Turkey with its spires and Mosques had modernised. Head scarves were more common but still very much optional. And one of the first things we noticed is that motor fuel was now about 25% cheaper than at home.
We now found ourselves crossing the border on a Sunday and were left without Turkish SIM cards to connect with home or to research much in the way of camping spots. So a priority the following day was finding a SIM card shop. For Jim today, the first priority was to find a supermarket to replace his razor and blades - left in a Greek campsite! This was accomplished and the Sprinter got a carwash after filling up with cheaper diesel fuel.
Before the loss of the SIMs, we had researched I Overlander, an incredibly useful app for overlanders which recommends spots to park for free or useful campsites with amenities when required! This particular recommendation for free camping, only an hour from the border, took us up a steep hill and as is often the case, and down a bumpy track up to a popular beauty spot which cleared out at night. But not before a couple photographing their two young children stopped to chat and gave us some poppies to decorate our picnic table.
We did not quite find the hidden glade, but we found a flat raised clearing with unparalleled cliff top views over the Sea of Marmara, which divides the European part of Turkey from Asia. This spot was absolutely fabulous. (Although we did have to do some litter picking).
The snow capped peaks across the sea were in Asia. It felt now, that we had really come a long way and that, all things being equal, we and the Sprinter were going to make it to Georgia. In the setting sun we brought out the real wine glasses and a chilled bottle of Saint Veran.

The next day, (after finding SIM cards in a modern shopping centre in Tekirdag), the plan was to bypass Istanbul and head across the Bosporus into the Asian part of Turkey towards the Black Sea coast and Georgia.
I cannot let our short visit into Tekirdag go without comment. We were hoping for a quick dash into a Turkcell shop, located in Google. However, it was a bigger place than we had imagined and the shop was hidden in the highest reaches of a modern shopping complex. This was surrounded by a massive Monday fresh fruit market, buried deep in the old quarter of town with typically narrow streets. The only wide road was full of market stalls! This meant the Sprinter had to squeeze through the tiniest of alleys to find a place to park and for us to locate the shopping centre. Every lane we emerged from was blocked off with trolleys bearing goods for the market. Fainter hearts would have given up, but when it comes to internet connectivity, Jim and I are very motivated! The mission was accomplished and we escaped from town to progress our journey.

Progress was accomplished on first class motorways passing through the outskirts of Istanbul. There was heavy traffic and as we got fairly close to the residential areas we passed hundreds of fairly new high rise tower blocks. Jim commented that it looked a bit like China which is growing so fast. We swept across one of the modern bridges across the Bosporus and were delighted to see the sign welcoming us to Asia. I should say that we had not managed to work out how to pay the road tolls yet as everything was based on number plate recognition. And Jim was getting twitchy, that every police car was going to ask to see our credentials! (They did not and we cracked it the next day in a small town post office).
It was not long though before we continued sweeping through green wooded countryside and mountainous valleys.

The first time we paused for lunch at a service station in Asian Turkey we were offered Costa Coffee or Starbucks and had a bakery sign in English and the promise of free wifi.

But also in the complex was a cafe and we had a set lunch for six euros, each comprised of lovely homemade lentil soup, a choice of main and rices, a salad and a dessert and coffee. No cooking for us tonight! On returning to the Sprinter we saw that it had sprung a leak! So now we reset our compasses for our first Mercedes garage in fairly nearby Izmit.

For those who followed our journey with the Landcruiser, barely a week went passed without our trying yet again to find someone to sort out our ailing gear box. Then, two gear boxes and umpteen clutch plates later, it was only in Australia that the minor fault was found and rectified. Some of our best (and worst) experiences were in garages! So we took this hiccup in our stride. The first garage in Ismit that we found, was actually badged as a Mercedes garage, but in fact it was one of those car zones with hundreds of tiny garages fixing anything that moved. We manouvered our way into the zone and after a few false starts located a Mercedes spot. They then got us to go and see their mate! We wriggled our way around various obstacles and a way was cleared. They looked grave and we asked how long and how much! They said half an hour and 10 euros! Any visit to a Mercedes garage in the UK involves a lot of abuse and taking out a mortgage to pay and returning the next week and paying over again! So this was a breath of fresh air and much relief. Don’t ask me what it was because I am not sure we will ever know. It did involve a replacement jubilee clip!

The rest of the day took us through absolutely amazing countryside off the main road. We weaved along many curves and up many steep windy bends. The van was absolutely perfect. For the first time I Overlander let us down. After a long days drive we had passed many spaces where we might have stopped but bore onwards to find the recommended spot. It was too narrow, not flat and virtually impossible to turn around and guarded by hungry dogs! We found a spot nearby and fell asleep after a long day.

We always feel full of optimism as days start. We decided to go and find a recommended fountain up a remote track to top up our water tanks as they were no longer full. (We have a hose and a pump). The water trough was a deep disappointment (not working and stagnant) however behind it was a valley brimful of brand new unfinished Chateaux. It felt like we had walked into some kind of weird film set, the likes of which you would never see in real life. As if to mock, up on a hill behind this apparition was a real chateaux complete with conical towers. The design was apparently based on a typical French chateau. There were many hundreds of these new unfinished Mac mansions.

Burj al Baba is the name of this development and it had the look of deep gloom. There may have been roofs and windows but almost certainly not roads, landscaping and mains services. It is hard to paint the picture really. Imagine driving down the lane in Beaubery, past umpteen battery chicken sheds all nestled into fabulous wooded hillside and then coming across hundreds of half finished chateaux all next to each other like MacMansions. Obviously this project was someonés dream which failed, involved many lost millions and the full story is told in the link above!

We headed off deeper into the countryside vaguely aiming to rejoin the motorway via some more authentic experience of Turkey. And we eventually rolled into a little mountain holiday resort. Don’t get me wrong here, we are not talking tacky, but an amazing authentic ancient little town. It looked like an ancient spa town where in years gone by people might have gone for their health. Beautiful architecture, ancient buildings and surrounded by mountains. Our intended destination for the morning was to try and hit a small town with a post office where we could buy a motorway pass, before we got serious kilometers under our belt. We were getting there but with many distractions, we had arrived in Mudurnu. We had to stop and explore. We got out and found one of the many breadshops. Here we purchased a large hot loaf and the friendly owner stuffed extra bread in my bag for the journey.

We discovered that it was indeed an ancient spa town and before that had been on a major trade route including the Silk Road. It had kept its charm and character. The hardware store could sell you half a dozen beehives. The pot store could sell you dozens of samovars and then in a tiny back street you could select a new hookah pipe.
What is more it had its own post office. In the post office we had the undivided attention of three staff who were determined to help us sort out our motorway pass - an absolute necessity as the lack of authorisation to use the motorways was causing Jim some anxiety! Much friendly use of Google translate was involved and we came out with the relevant sticker. (We think). Fortunately their computer revealed that we owed the princely sum of 5 euros for the whole of the previous day’s motorway driving. We can now pop into any post office top up our account with a 15 day grace period. A bit more relaxed than the Dartford tunnel toll!
This was an accidental detour definitely worth taking and also meant we did not have to take another detour to resolve our motorway issue.

I am not sure that you can really drive through Turkey without mentioning dogs. There are many thousands of packs of stray dogs hanging around the edge of carriage ways, outside shops and service stations, and at the entrance to towns. If you stop anywhere to have a sandwich it only takes a minute or two before a dog appears from nowhere to see if you have scraps. They seem pretty harmless and they are fed by passers by but it is quite unsettling to see so many scruffy mutts scavenging for food.

On the next leg of the journey, after another fab transport cafe lunch, hazard lights started flashing in the car warning that there was an Ad Blue issue. For the uninitiated this helps to reduce the négative impact of diesel. But if it malfunctions, you only have a limited kilometres before the car will not start at all! This time, only the real deal would do and whilst Jim was driving I found a real Mercedes main dealer in Samsun on the coast. This was a bit a bit further than planned but necessity dictates. I called (on my Turkish SIM) and had an option to speak to an English speaking member of staff! Joy.
I explained and booked in at 9am the following morning. We found ourselves in Samsun on the sea, camped nearby crammed between the sea, a motorway and a mosque. More joy. At 9.30pm we had filled up our water tanks and dealt with other necessities and I settled down to play on line bridge with my mate Richard back in Greenwich. After a bit of a false start, the icing on the cake was that we topped the charts this week at Castle Morpeth on-line bridge.

We arrived at the Samsun Mercedes garage at 9am and it was the real deal. Very shiny. We were met at the door by the English speaking member of staff and following formalities, which included Turkish Coffee in Mercedes cups and iced water, the diagnostics were done. We sat and waited in plush Mercedes air conditioned comfort under the watchful eye of Ataturq who would be marvelling at the modernity that he had spawned.
After a short wait, they announced that it was a software issue and not dodgy Ad Blue and that they would update the vehicle software, clean the van, take details of our blog and send us on our way for €250. We are grateful to the Mercedes team for dealing with us so quickly. (Not so grateful as later the problem would re-emerge. I am told there is a bit of a tendency to reset the warning lamps and not diagnose the problem properly). Once dispatched by Mercedes we had time to find both a laundry and the famed Soumeli Monastery outside Trabzon, a full days drive away along the Black Sea coast.