Through Eastern Europe and now safe in Munich

18 July 2009

So we’ve nearly made it!

We’ve had a busy but exciting last week!

Our friends Laurent and Amadine (who we met in India, crossed Pakistan with and hung out in Iran with) had a misfortune. Their car’s engine failed in Turkey and they were told the whole thing is kaput. They have been repatriated back to France from Trabzon, their car is being shipped back but they had one huge problem. The insurance company agreed to fly their darling dog back to France for them but Laurent and Amandine couldn’t find a proper crate to put her in for the flight. They look all over town, made phone calls and had no luck. They sent us an email telling us about the whole thing, and we agreed to take Gitane the dog back to France for them.

We drove from Cappadocce to Trabzon (on the coast of the Black sea) and picked her up. The Wombat had a HUGE birthday on the way there. He turned 400 000 kms old!

We told Laurent and Amandine we would take could care of their doggy, and they were off to France the next morning. We left for Istanbul. We didn’t make it there the first day, but nearly. The highways were great once we got closer to Istanbul, but there were traffic jams late at night because of construction. We stopped about 100 kilometres outside of Istanbul.

Crossing the bridge out of Asia and into Europe was pretty emotional. We spent many months discovering many sides of Asia, and we had to say goodbye.

We found the great parking stop near the Hagia Sophia that was recommended to us by our friend Flo. We had to pay 5 Euro a day, but it was safe, attended and at a prime location. The attendee was very sweet and loved Gitane. He quickly learned her name and ordered her around.

I took Gitane on some walks around Istanbul. I was thinking how crazy it is the amount of things that dog has seen! Still, you can give her the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, or the Hippodrome, and she won’t be impressed. Give her 4 square meters of grass and she’ll have the best time of her life for hours.

After visiting Istanbul for two days, we left and headed to Bulgaria. We had no insurance for Europe and had to deal with that. We tried at the automobile club in Istanbul but they could only sell us insurance for Europe (the green card) for 15 days for 80 Euro. We wanted to buy a policy for longer, and they told us to try in Bulgaria. Once we got to Bulgaria. We had to buy a minimum of 1 month for 130 Euro. You didn’t save by buying more months, they just multiplied 130...So we took a chance and lost 50 Euro. It’ll happen sometimes...

In Bulgaria we stayed the night on this mountain. Gitane really enjoyed it and so did we. We don’t normally buy meat when we’re on the road. We made an exception and bought some to cook so Gitane could eat the bones. I think she appreciated it.

We crossed into Romania the next day. We had some trouble there with exchanging money...they wouldn’t take my credit card anywhere, and most places didn’t accept Euro (or gave you a horrible exchange rate). We really felt like we were in a place where people have no interest in helping foreigners, it was a shame.

The next day, we crossed Hungary. Everything went well. There was even a nice stranger who was intrigued with our license plates. He offered us help, gave us some tips, and even gave us sweet corn from his farm! We only drove through Hungary, but that man left us a great impression :) The place was much less stressful that Romania because they accepted my credit card.

We spent the night at a parking stop on the highway in Austria. There were toilets, picnic tables, a water pump, and loads of forest and grass for Gitane to play in. I didn’t laundry and got help from Jonny to wash my hair under the water pump. I then used the solar shower outside in my bikini. It had been about a week, I was desperate!

The next day (yesterday) we eased into Germany without a problem. We called our dear friend Bahama Jon to get directions to meet him. I was so happy to give him a huge hug! It had been so long since we last saw each other. We met his girlfriend, Sandra, who quickly invited us in. We had beers and chatted. It was wonderful

Then we were offered to have a shower. A real nice hot shower. Sandra even offered me to use her shampoo and conditioner. She has no idea how happy that made me feel!

We spent the night drinking good beer and meeting friends of friends. It felt like I was home, which is strange because clearly I’ve never been here and do not live here. I guess seeing Bahama has brought back a part of home. It’s a little taste of what I’ll be feeling in the next month, and I love it!

Tomorrow: Luxembourg!

MC

Out of Pakistan, through Iran, and into Turkey!

10 July 2009

So much has happened since our last blog entry, it’s hard to know where to start!

Our last days in Pakistan were pretty stressful. We joined a convoy with friends to join another friend in Sukur. The plan was to cross Balochistan together, as a convoy of 5 cars. In Sukur, our friends Laurent and Amandine had brake problems, so we stayed an extra day there. We were in the police station, sort of closed in like zoo animals. I’m pretty sure it was the hottest day I’ve ever experienced. I don’t know if I felt like that because the entire situation was overwhelming, but it was nearly unbearable... Jonny was tummy sick and in the car all day, I can’t imagine what he was living through!

Once out of Sukur, we made it to Quetta and organized police escorts to cross the Balochi desert. There were a few misunderstandings along the way, but all worked out. At 5am we left with our escorts for a long long long day of driving all the way to the border. We slept on the Pakistani side and crossed into Iran the next morning.

Getting 5 cars into Iran is pretty time consuming. Carnets and passports being snatched from our hands from various police officers never makes for a calm situation. Jonathan and I try to stay positive, although I did snap when he disappeared to go look for Fabrice and I was left with an army man who kept walking away from me with our passports... Anyway, in tense situations we say “Jalan Jalan” which means “just visiting, or sight seeing” in Bahasa Indonesia. I see it as a reminder that this is why we’re doing this trip, to visit. If there are bumps along the way, there’s no reason to get riled up and take things personally.

Once in Iran, we weren’t exactly home free. We had police escorts all the way to Bam. Sometimes, they even sat in our cars with us. I don’t like Kalashnikovs in the wombat... One of the escorts was pretty entertaining. He asked me to play guitar for him, something I had never done while in the rolling car. Another one tried on Jonny’s Pakistani hat from Gilgit...we all had a good laugh. I guess you have to remember the good things in the unpleasant situations!

Right away, we could feel that there is a huge difference being the police and the average population in Iran. The police seems to be on this glorified power trip, while the people, at least in public, seem to fear standing out...We saw a man get arrested for no apparent reason in Zahedan. He was walking down the street and the police, who was escorting us, began searching his bags, pushing him around and questioning him. We didn’t see what made the cops want to search him, but it was a horrible sight to witness. We had been in Iran for less than a day, and we already witnessed what the government imposes on the public...I’m starting to feel that making women wear a veil (especially in this heat!) is a drop in the bucket of what the population has forced upon them by the government...

After a hellish evening in Zahedan (trying to find a place to park for the night caused problems), we headed to Kerman. First, some people absolutely needed diesel to make it to Bam. You have to understand that diesel is hard to get in Zahedan because it is near the border. They want to avoid people buying diesel for 2 cents a litre and selling it in Pakistan for a big profit. Also, you need a special government issued card to buy fuel, something none of us have... In Zahedan, you have to be ready to beg if you need diesel. I am so grateful that the Wombat can take 180L of diesel. We had just just just enough to make it to Bam, thank goodness. As Flo was filling his reservoir with a jerrycan, it spilled everywhere. He told me “This is the smell of Iran, get used to it”. It made me laugh.

Once in Kerman, Jonny and I were both surprised at how developed Iran is. It felt like we could have been in Canada! The cars were a bit 1980ish but other than that it was like home! (there is a peugeot 405 factory in Iran. They are everywhere!) We spent 3 days in Kerman doing absolutely nothing! We said goodbye to Lucie and Fabrice who were heading to Teheran. Amusez vous bien les amis!!!

After Kerman, we headed to Persepolis. We spent Jonny’s birthday exploring the ruins. I was really impressed. I kept picturing myself attending one of Xerxes’ New Years parties there 2000 years ago, it must’ve been so much fun. In the evening we had a dinner with some of Jonny’s favourite things: Greek salad, garlic bread, steak, chocolate cake. Our French friends even magically made a beer appear :) Spending your 26th birthday in a strict Islamic (and therefore alcohol free) country could be rough...so thanks Flo, Amandine, and Laurent! On s’est beaucoup amusé.

We said our goodbyes to Flo, Amandine and Laurent after a great time with them. We headed to Isfahan, but they kept going. In Isfahan, we were taken in by a young couple, Millat and Mona. They are our age, and so so so hospitable. They showed us what Iranian hospitality is all about! I was so happy to see that Mona metamorphosed into what I think is a typical 23 year old woman when she was in her home. She changed into jeans and a nice top, took off her veil, styled her hair, laughed, yelled, sang, danced, addressed her in-laws as friends, and spoke to Millat as her equal. It is very sad what people live through in Iran, it’s like a double life! Sure there are a group of strict religious people who agree with what the government imposes, but I think that many aren’t comfortable with what they’re forced to do. Millat told us that you can get arrested for having a glass of water outdoors during Ramadan....

Before we came to Iran, there was a federal election. A large group of people were not happy with the results and protests were held in Tehran. There seems to be a revolution on the horizon...Many people seem to be ready for a change.

The rest of our time in Iran was good. We saw great sights, had good tea, welcomed new friends to practise their English with us. We are astounded by the hospitality in this country. You read about it, but you don’t understand it until you’ve lived it! I will come back to Iran some day. It is a fascinating place, with so many layers to discover!!!

(by the way, I learned to dress like a real hip and liberal young Iranian woman: Pretty tunic or stylish tight trench coat, jeans, styled front of hair, veil pulled back as far as it can go without falling, and tons of makeup...serious amounts of make up!)

Coming into Turkey was a bit of a hassle. Not complicated, there was just a lot of waiting. Now that we’re here, we feel like we’re “home free”. There were some realities we had to face while travelling in Pakistan and some parts of Iran that could made things stressful. Now, we feel like it will be smooth sailing until we get to Luxembourg.

We’ve booked our flights to Montreal. We leave Paris on the 22nd of July. That’s in 12 days... and we’re sitting next to a pool at a campsite with wifi near amazing sedimentary structures...it’s hard to get our ass in gear!!!

I’m really looking forward to seeing everybody back home. We are so happy to have had the chance to do this trip, it’s been an amazing journey, but I can’t wait to hug all my family members and loved ones at once. When I return, I request the world’s largest group hug to occur.

Marie-Claude