Camping under Turkish skies

Those of us who enjoy camping once in awhile know what makes it enjoyable, but also annoying at times. Here in Turkey, camping is a bit different from what we have experienced before in Europe.

4 Differences between Turkish and West-European camping

1. Here’s one big camping space. In West-Europe, you find clean lines separating the one camping space from the other. This neat organization gives peace of mind to the campers, because everybody knows what lines not to cross. (And we look slightly offended when others take more space than they are officially entitled to…). Here people just built their canvas homes as they see fit. Big families close together, cars parked randomly. This means dodging around, trying not to trip on electricity wires.

2. The whole Brady-bunch comes along. The Turks don’t just camp with a typical mom-dad-2 kids setting, but take their whole family including aunts, uncles, grandparents and distant cousins. Groups are parties of at least 10 people. As opposed to the Dutch or Germans, who would rather avoid seeing ‘that side of the family’ more than once a year during Christmas. Or it just doesn’t fit into their VW Passat or mobile home.

3. Smokey Joe’s everywhere. The only thing the Turks use Campinggaz for, is making tea. For lunch, between snacks and dinner, everything is tossed on a BBQ. They just love that smoke & fire, and it seems almost like a genetic thing because all families do it. From about 1 pm, the first smoke comes our way and lasts long after we go to bed. Meanwhile our skin, hair and clothes smell like grilled meat. The sacks of coal don’t just contain coals, but are do-it-yourself packages with some wood and a plastic glove in it. Nice business idea?

4. The Turks are far more hospitable then we are used to. As foreigner, you are invited for breakfast or dinner. People bring each other fruits, bread or tea. Of course we wanted to return the hospitality by presenting a pack of Maoam, and everybody accepted. In Germany, adults would rather say no to these sugar bombs adored by kids. Would they think it impolite to reject? Or is it something the Dutchees would do, thinking ‘as long as it is free, take it’?

The making friends with the neighbours, we must admit, is sometimes a bit annoying. They come over about 6 times a day, regardless of us reading, resting, eating or changing after swimming. It is not a problem per se, but none of them speak one word of English. So they just sit there, ask for more candy, demand me taking pictures of them, talk Turkish with a hopeful look in their eye we’ll understand (or rather one eye, the other is on Connies tables that the kids are asking for again and again).

One of the girls has definitely reached her teenage years and has hormones racing through her body. ‘Cornelius, handsome, model?’ she whispered to me several times when Conny wasn’t looking. She is the only one that remembers his name correctly. I’m thinking of leaving her a pass photo of him 🙂

One of the fathers carries a piece of man-jewellery, a bracelet made from beads. The Greek also carry the things. Proudly he showed us his shiny arm candy. ‘300 Lira (120 EUR)’ he adds. We nod in admiration. He rushes back to his tent, gets money and shows us 300 Lira in cash, just to make sure we really understand the value of his precious.

Okay, when you try to regard the 1 shower and 2 toilets for ca. 40 women as a luxury that there are at least running water facilities, this Turkish camping experience is really enjoyable. The site is  cool and shadowy, Wifi is working and the Black Sea is just around the corner. It is an excellent place to sit & wait, call, email, call again, and waiting some more for the final solution. Waiting for what? We’ll tell in a couple of days once we’ve made a decision.

Cheers!