Day 193 Thurs 26 April 2007 Istanbul, Turkey
Today is the day, we return to the port for our 10 am appointment with the customs agent– we’re getting to be experts in finding our way through suburban Istanbul, and wait for 3 hours standing on the steps for the customs agent to arrive. Finally they turn up, a pair of likely lads who systematically proceed to rush round collecting stamps and signatures from virtually everyone in the customs building and port office, whilst we sit in the canteen drinking tea and being plied with baklava. (funny the port canteen isn’t included in the restaurant section of Lonely Planet).
Eventually, by 4pm we’ve amassed enough signatures to be able to open the container which we find is fastened by an enormous padlock. No one has mentioned a lock to us or the whereabouts of a key. After much consternation we discover its been put on the car key ring sent from Pakistan so without so much as an open sesame the container is open and we extract the car which despite its adventures is still in one piece and starts first time. All our gear (mostly dirty laundry – wonder what the penalty is for importing that) which was last seen spread all over the back seat in Lahore has been magically packed into Pakistani army kitbags. However the fat lady hasn’t sung so its not over yet, we have to take the car for a frighteningly thorough forensic inspection and a thorough going over by the customs golden retriever who gets very excited by the scent of the Pakistani dogs and our Hunza valley apricots and Laotian coffee. It takes till 7pm before we are finally on our way back to Istanbul where we dump the Renault and check in to the Alp Hotel in Sultanahmet.
Eventually, by 4pm we’ve amassed enough signatures to be able to open the container which we find is fastened by an enormous padlock. No one has mentioned a lock to us or the whereabouts of a key. After much consternation we discover its been put on the car key ring sent from Pakistan so without so much as an open sesame the container is open and we extract the car which despite its adventures is still in one piece and starts first time. All our gear (mostly dirty laundry – wonder what the penalty is for importing that) which was last seen spread all over the back seat in Lahore has been magically packed into Pakistani army kitbags. However the fat lady hasn’t sung so its not over yet, we have to take the car for a frighteningly thorough forensic inspection and a thorough going over by the customs golden retriever who gets very excited by the scent of the Pakistani dogs and our Hunza valley apricots and Laotian coffee. It takes till 7pm before we are finally on our way back to Istanbul where we dump the Renault and check in to the Alp Hotel in Sultanahmet.
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