Monday 10 November - leaving Kalymnos behind.
On Monday 10 November we leave Kalymnos with a plan to call into Bodrum, Turkey to see the Raymarine Agent to have our malfunctioning radar fixed. We only wish to be in Turkey for a couple of days, but on arrival at around 3.30 pm the Customs and Immigration officials are determined we will pay for a one year Transit Log (which expires the minute we leave Turkey) which we are told to walk to the Marina Office to purchase – a pretty long walk around the whole circuit of the Marina, past Bodrum Castle and the row upon row of gulets, the fish market, cafes loaded with people and the designer shops, a fast walking 25 minutes.
On arrival at the Marina Office we are already wondering if it is going to be worth the expense for just a couple of days, so we are ready with our first question of “just how much is this going to be?’. The fun starts now: We are told – “Euro 45 for the transit log and Euro 100 each for visas, plus some tax but we don’t know how much. You have to go to the Harbour Master to do that.” We have been out of touch for a while and are not sure if the rules have changed, but it is our clear understanding that NZ citizens do not need a visa for Turkey? The staff at the Marina Office are adamant after making phone calls to check – “It is E 100 each for visas.” We say “We will not be staying then thanks.”
Back we go to Customs – another 25 minute power walk. We are getting tired now. Customs say “Sorry, you are already in Turkey so you must pay up and complete your entry formalities”… We say “We do not believe we are in Turkey until we clear through Customs, so we want to leave now please. There is nowhere here for us to stay in the marina and Euro 245 for a 2 day visit is more than we can justify.” Things are at a stalemate and we do not appear to be going anywhere and for sure we are not going to do the walk again. I sit down and start to cry – as you do. Maybe this works, because soon after the Customs officer says something to Richard which sounds like “Go now”. We throw off the lines and head across the water to Kos Island Marina 11 nautical miles away in the fading light.
Against a backdrop of the lights of Cos Castle, with the help of our waypoint, we find the entrance lights to the marina and see the rib boat coming out to meet us. It is a good feeling to tie up, hook up to shore power and have a long hot shower before crashing early to bed.
We are ‘home’.
1 comment:
Buck & Pippy, What a wonderful trip you have had sailing down the Adriatic and Ionian Seas ,through the Corinth Canal and across the Agean. Have followwed each leg with interest. I am fascinated how often you use a different spelling for some placenames compared with what is given in Lonely Planet.My edition is 8 years old. In the section on Kalymnos it tells how the island hit the headlines in 1995 when a local fisherman looked into his net on New Year's Eve and saw a beautiful 2 m high bronze statue of a woman. It is thought to be by a renowned 4th century BC scuptor Praxiteles. A museum was to be built on the island to house it. I wonder whether that has happened!
Congratulations to you both for succeeding in reaching your goal of arriving at Kos before winter sets in. We look forward to hearing what you plan to do during your lay-over period ther.Noel& Kerrin
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