March 2005 Newsletter
Hello, all thanks for praying for us and worrying for us. We can answer that your prayers for our safety were answered, and your worry was not always unfounded but should have been channeled into prayer!
We raced to the Ukrainian-Romanian border easily but there was no bridge! Our map said there was car access through the border but it was wrong! So we tried going through Moldovia, but we needed transit visas which would have meant returning to Kiev, or we could wait till Friday for a ferry. It was Wednesday, so we waited, but till Saturday cause there was a big fog. This fog also meant that it was cold waiting and frustrating. We thought the ferry would take us 50m across the river and we would be back up the road but no! It was a two night trip that bypassed Romania altogether and is used by trucks that don't want to pay the Romanian road tax! We were the first family to use it in 11 years, and were something of a celebrity. It would have been more enjoyable if we knew how much it would cost. We thought we had enough, and we were right, but we hadn't counted on the Bulgarian Port fee, the Quarantine inspection fee, the road tax etc. I gave the lady all the dollars we had for our Turkish visas and all the Euros we had and it still wasn't enough. We had some Grievne but no-one wanted to change it. We were $40 short. Then I found 10 lev that we got from the ferry that equals about $5 and the lady did the sum again and said thank you, you may go! So we praised God and Tam kind of cried a bit and I felt relieved.
So on to Turkey. No more border troubles on the way and things went smoothly till we got back to Romania and they said that we needed a transit visa. I had asked at the Consulate in Ukraine and was told we didn't need one, but someone was wrong. So in 23 hours we drove to Sophia, Bulgaria, and got there half an hour before the embassy opened. Filled out the forms, paid $30US each (a rip-off), and got back to the border. Everyone remembered us so it was straight through. We didn't stop in Romania just straight through to Ukraine no problems, except that it was snowy, and the roads were icy in Ukraine. Other countries put salt on the roads, at least the main ones, but not in Ukraine. It was a slippery slow tired trip but too cold to camp, and too close to home to stop so we ended up driving from Sophia to Home 23 hours with only 5 minute breaks. God was merciful.
Back to Turkey. We loved our time there. It coincided with a large national holiday so visa getting was delayed a bit but we used the time well visiting Troy, old ruins, and Gallipolli, many feelings and memorials, and Istanbul, heaps of busy people. Gallipolli was so like Australia to look at and with the Australian connection it felt like home. We didn't meet any Australian's however. Tam said that she wished that she had known her granddad. She never met him or thought much of him till she was there on the beach knowing he had been there too. I was scanning a large display of names for soldiers who had no known grave when Curwen-Walker stuck out. I think it was H.C. That was my mothers Uncle.
We were able to easily see trenches and there were many cemeteries and memorials, most of them Turkish, or kind of both-way memorials. Not even an Australian flag which I thought was strange.
It was heart tugging to see our children tear through the cemetery straight to the beach and start throwing stones into the water! They were interested in the story of the war, especially the gun placement we climbed to. We camped on the beach just around Hells Spite, 500m from the Gallipoli beach cause there is no camping there it being a cemetery and all.
Istanbul was an exciting place. So busy and thriving. And strange. Selling sheep live in the middle of town, and carrying huge trays of bread on their heads, and such smells, nice and not so nice. Buying things for millions of lira, a million is about AUS$1. We liked it and enjoyed the very different atmosphere to Kiev. Very pleasant and different. Like people were hopeful and busy and expectant of good things not bad. Don't really know how you feel that but that is what we felt.
We bought a rug from the indoor market. So many nice things, such intricate beauty, and lavish patterns, but it did not seem ostentatious. It is the only city on two continents, Asia and Europe. It has also been the capital of three empires. So there are many ruins and old things.
And then we were home. And it looked better than we remembered. And our bed was softer, and the toilet more convenient… The bus bed isn't quite long enough for me to actually lie straight in mmm. Thank'sagain for holding us up before God. We have 1 year multi-entry visas to Ukraine and they were cheaper than we thought just $10 for the children and $210 for Tam and I. And we had safety God was merciful cause we went a long way. And we had fun and feel like it was a ripping family adventure. We love you all and look forward to seeing you some time sooner than later and hugging you all. XXXXXX000000 from us all.