Reaching Istanbul and the beautiful Bosphorus, Marcus, Kim and the children prepare to head out of Europe and into Asia
Problem!” said the border control officer, shaking his head while looking at our passports and vehicle documentation. Not a word you want to hear when attempting to enter a country – although thankfully it’s a problem we had been warned about, so we had what we hoped was the solution, which would smooth our passage into Turkey.
Kim handed over an additional sheet of paper, all very official looking, with company livery and a bold red notary stamp on it, which quickly disappeared through the small window in the booth we were sitting by.
A few nervous moments passed while it was read, and even the children’s morning excitement faded while we waited to hear the officer’s next words, for they would dramatically shape the coming months of our travels.
“OK, now there is no problem,” came the verdict, just as we had begun to fear the worst, and with it, a huge sense of relief. “You park over there, buy insurance inside, bring it back to me and then you enjoy holiday in Turkey.”
The barrier in front of us went up and I drove forward as quickly as possible, just in case Mezil, the border officer, changed his mind and turned us back towards Bulgaria.
In the time it took Kim to make Harrison and Dorothy some peanut butter and jam sandwiches, I obtained the required vehicle insurance, had our passports stamped and headed back to the ’van, eager to get on the road once more.
Gateway to Asia Turkey (or Türkiye, to give this beautiful country the official name it has used since May 2022) is much more than just another destination on our travels – it’s the gateway to what we hope will be the defining months of our journey.
Given its geographical location, it will enable us to leave Europe behind and cross into Asia, the third continent we will have visited since leaving Wales. In doing so, we also have the chance to visit Georgia and Armenia, two countries that have long been calling to our spirit of adventure.
A combination of the promise of such a unique trip, and huge relief that we had actually made it into Turkey after the doubt surrounding our border crossing, resulted in a heady wave of excitement as we headed east to Istanbul.
Official documentation For reasons that are unknown to us, the Turkish border authorities are particularly strict about turning away vehicles trying to enter the country that are not registered to the person driving them at the time of crossing.
