MONGOLRALLY WEEK FOUR:Sitting, waiting, wishing for visas
IT HAS been a week of waiting. Dave Russell was unable to get his Iranian visa before we left so he has been trying to get one issued, and to collect it in Istanbul - if not he will have to return home.
The road trip continued to Bulgaria, which is beautiful, with rolling countryside and a coastline like the Mediterranean and, for the most part, the beaches are relatively unspoilt.
The first night we camped on a beach about an hour south of Varna. It was an ex-communist resort that has been left in ruins, but it was the ideal spot for our first beach camp - and we quickly learned that pitching a tent in sand is not a good idea.
The next day we continued south to Sunny Beach. On our arrival we were struck by the amount of both Irish and British flags flying high and signs for "full Irish breakfasts". It's amazing how similar this place is to the Costa del Sol in Spain.
We stayed for lunch, and got back into Boggy to hear a distinctive rattle from the engine.
We travelled on to a small coastal village called Kiten, which is mainly a Bulgarian-only resort, and it was perfect. We found a campsite behind the dunes which had the most disgusting bathrooms I have ever seen - similar to a cattle shed in both structure and smell. However, we were won over by the cheap bars and restaurants where you could have a three-course dinner and beers for about €7.
Driving in Bulgaria has been "interesting" - we thought we had discovered the worst in Romania, but we found Bulgarians to be in a different class, with overtaking manoeuvres that James Bond stunt drivers would have delighted in.
We crossed the border into Turkey with suprising ease as we let everybody sign the bodywork of the car. This immediately interests people including the border guards who demanded to sign our VW. The drive to Istanbul was fairly uneventful, with few cars on the road: that's hardly surprising when petrol costs twice what it does in Ireland.
Istanbul is incredible. We have been staying in the Mavi Guest house (a cheap hostel) in the old city of Stamboul, next to Istanbul's most famous sights, including the Agia Sophia mosque and the Grand Bazaar. The people of Istanbul could not be friendlier, except those practically rugby tackling you to get you to eat in their restaurants.But here we sit waiting.
Unfortunately we have to reach Turkmenistan's border by August 13th - if the visa doesn't arrive in the next two days, we may have to leave without him. It's a real pity as this is when the real adventure begins.
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