Bumps in the night.

For most of the trip we’ve tried to park in ‘free parking’ spots. However, at Geyekbayiri we opted to stay in a campsite to use warm showers and do laundry. On leaving the campsite we found a spot in a lay-by near the road. At around midnight we were awoken by the sound of a vehicle pulling up and the sound of a scrape/bang on the van, shortly followed by a further scrape/bang. We were of course quite concerned, especially after warnings at the border that it was dangerous to sleep in the van. We stayed still, not quite sure what to do, and soon after the vehicle pulled away.

We tried to relax and get back to sleep, but were awoken again by what sounded like the same vehicle. This time I was determined to discover who was outside. I threw some clothes on and pulled the side door open… The two men were wearing dark green uniforms and introduced themselves as the ‘Gendarme’. They wanted to see our passports and warned us that is was dangerous to sleep in the van. They said it was fine to stay in the van, but we’d be safer under a street light.

We’ve since discovered that it is a very safe area, and the police were probably just trying to scare into staying at an official campsite. We’ve seen them again since and they were very friendly. We’ve now found a great spot outside the ‘Climbers garden’ campsite where we can use the facilities for a small fee.

Incidentally, the noise was the police investigating a bag a chilled food on the van roof!