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Interesting times in Turkey
By Vickie Summers | October 10, 2008
Our drive to from Istanbul to Gallipoli was approx 6 hours - so it was going to be a very early drive for the group on Sunday morning. As this was still Day 1 of the tour - everyone was still pretty subdued and still in that “getting to know you” frame of mind. This was a good thing - as we still had a long day ahead of us yet to go.
I was fully aware that I had booked myself on an overland camping tour - but was still somewhat dubious as to how this tour was going to unfold and how I was going to travel with a backpack, tent & no toilet facilities (for some parts of the trip - anyway). It was too late for any changes now - I was on that truck and was ready to face it all.
Our first rest break was going to be my first introduction to overlanding. We parked the truck on the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere, with little or no cover and started to prepare lunch. Earlier - on the truck, we divided everyone into ‘work groups’. Each group had to rotate the various chores of washing, cooking & cleaning during the 35 days.
Lunch consisted of ham, cheese & salad sandwiches with water, sitting on fold out chairs whilst watching the cars go by - staring at the group of tourists eating by the side of the road with mild interest.
I earlier mentioned the “no toilet” facilities part of the tour - well this was going to be a first, so shovel in hand & a toilet paper - 10 girls went in search of a secluded spot to do their business by the side of the road whilst hoping not to get dirty or get too much undue attention from passing truck drivers. OMG!! What did I get myself in for?….I made the decision then and there to reduce my liquid intake almost immediately - for the duration of this holiday, at least.
My second introduction to overlanding came later that evening at our first pit stop in Gallipoli - ‘The Boomerang Bar’. I had been prepared to camp and pitch a tent - I even paid for the privilege - but this was truly a first. Our camping area consisted of a cleared out area next to the bar and by the side of the road. Dinner was cooked up by the cooking group - it was chicken sate (but tasted more like green chicken curry) and we all sat around the truck watching the night sky and got down to the business of finding out who everyone else was.
After dinner - I pitched my tent and got myself settled in for the evening with the rest of the group at the bar. Overall not too horrifying an experience - The true question is whether I can last the duration?? - But of course I can……
Gallipoli
We arrived at Gallipoli late in the afternoon. We were going to spend our first night at The Boomerang Bar on the outskirts of Gallipoli and very near the ferry terminal that we would use to get us across to the Asian side of Turkey to continue our journey along the coast.
I had no pre-conceived images of the Battlefields and was uncertain as to how we were going to view all of the sights. Our guide was very impassioned about the history of the area, the impact of this particular site to the rest of the war & the role it plays today for the people who continue to visit it today. We sat as a group and looked over ANZAC cove listening to our tour guide tell us the history of Gallipoli and also heard the stories of the gruesomeness of war and the camaraderie that occurred as a result of it.
Looking over ANZAC cove - it is hard to understand the decisions made at the time to attempt such a landing on such a harsh and extremely difficult terrain. In saying this - as we visited more of the sights that were significant to the war, it became more and more evident how disastrous this particular location & battle was for all soldiers who fought it. The most sobering statistic from the day was the fact that over 2000 soldiers from each side (and from many nationalities) died each day for over 253 days of battle.
We visited the Lone Pine Cemetery. The site where over 6000 soldiers died fighting in an area no greater than 80 meters. Turkish soldiers cut down all of the Pine Trees except one to make a clearing to prevent any ANZAC soldiers from using it as cover to ambush them. The grave of one of the youngest soldiers to fight in the war - Private O’Donnell, a 16 year old boy is a sad reminder of the men who died there.
It was such a sobering experience for all of us as we walked around visiting the monuments to both sides, looking at the graves & commemorations for all who fought there. We spent most of the day there soaking up the atmosphere and sadness that forms part of this historical place.
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