Monday 16th November – Gallipoli to Selimpasa

Kane was up early to try his luck at catching us breakfast, but first had to subdue a couple of goat herder dogs with a bit of bread before they would let him pass.  Returning empty handed and minus his hooks and float, he blamed the shallow water for his lack of success.  Back in Australia he normally runs charter fishing trips, so we took him at his word.

After breaking camp we said our goodbyes to Mark, Briar, Kane and Fi, promising to catch up with them in the southern hemisphere.  They were going to catch the car ferry for the short hop across the Dardanelles to Canakalle before heading south to Troy and eventually Ephesus before swinging back north to Istanbul and then returning through Europe to have Christmas in the UK.  We really needed to visit Istanbul before we started our southern journey as our next target is Syria, so it was with regret that we split as spending time with them had been such a great way to ease into a new country, plus they’re excellent company!

A couple of hours driving and it was time to utilise Burger King’s facilities and have a cup of coffee (only our second BK spotted since leaving the UK as McDonalds seems to dominate around Europe).  However, upon discovering that there was free Wi-Fi available we decided to stop for lunch, so two hours later and a couple of burgers we had checked emails, done online banking, looked at some accommodation options for Istanbul and uploaded the photographs.  Unfortunately we were behind on the blog so we couldn’t upload any updates.  Apologies.

Back on the road for a couple more hours and we started looking for the open campsite near Silivri Mark had told us about, Semizkum Camping.  The GPS coordinates had it located about 30km east of Silivri itself, and about 10km to the north.  We picked up some camping signs just outside Silivri, where the coastal dual carriageway meets the motorway into Istanbul.  These took us inland over the motorway and after a number of turns with gradually deteriorating roads we climbed the low hills overlooking the coast and found a compound in the countryside.  We weren’t hopeful as the gates were shut and the place looked deserted, but then the caretaker Ismet appeared with a big smile on his face and after several enthusiastic merhabas (that’s “hello” in Turkish - we try hard with the basics!) the gates were opened and we were lead into a hard standing next to the helipad!

The campsite wasn’t the one for which we were originally heading, but Istanbul Mocamp near Selimpasa.  As the only guests we had the run of the site so setup our table and chairs in the washing up room to combat the cold and had long hot showers to make up for the last couple of days. SPOT