Waiting 3.5 hours at the Turkish border

During our first motorcycle tour together we were turned back from the Serbian border after missing the (tiny) booth while trying to go past all the trucks. This is also why we decided to play it safe and not skip in front, past the cars. And so we waited, and waited, and then waited some more.

Many hours later we arrived at the 4th checkpoint:
-Where are you from?
-Romania, we answered, not knowing exactly what to expect.
-Aaah, Romania, ce mai faci?
We smiled in relief and carried on.

The Turkish frontier point is something else - a tall elegant bridge on both sides, big building 20m beyond the last border control point and into Turkey, a man was barbecuing beside the long car and truck line. To the right, cows were grazing near the fence. It was a good clue to the contrasts that were to follow.Read more