A Tale of a Border Crossing and Visa Run...
The first time I ever had to do a border cross was in December of my first year in Turkey.  Why does one have to cross the border, you may ask.  Simply put - you are likely working illegally.  Your work permits may be underway, but there is no way on this green (ish) earth that you are going to get all required paperwork within three months (i.e. the time it takes for your tourist visa to expire).  Thus, you put on your tourist garb and gear, and head out for Greece.  Or Bulgaria.  Or Cyprus.  Whichever you choose.  The closest from Istanbul is the Greece border run.  Though Bulgaria is not that far either.

Let me take you back to a stormy winter's eve, the day after Christmas.  Four teachers that I worked with all had visas expiring at about the same time, so it made sense for our school to get a van, and ship us off to Greece to basically traipse across the border at 11:00 pm, and then return the next day (i.e. after midnight).

The first problem became apparent to me when I awoke from a van-induced slumber to realize that we were not quite where we should be.  I stared at the Russian alphabet announcing the Bulgarian border.  Oops.  Apparently there was a problem at the Greek border involving the icy road and an upturned lorry.  Hence the alternate route.  However, the Turk driver, for whatever reason, could not enter Bulgaria.  We were then dropped off, and sent on our way, on foot, across the border.

Now a few notes about the Bulgarian border.  We walked waist deep in snow across the border, and arrived at the little outpost.  As I recall, there were a few stores and whatnot there too.  The Americans paid their money for the visa, and were going to be let back into Turkey no problem.  We Canucks, on the other hand, were about to be left behind, because there was some archaic rule that Canucks needed to be there 24 hours before we could return. And it was going to cost us abot $100 more each than the Greece border.

Catharine shook her head in disbelief while the border guards nonchalantly went about their business.  Cedric, an American, asked them to open the store so that he could purchase a bottle of whisky at the duty-free.  They obliged.  Cedric, with a sidelong glance my way, bought the whisky, and then promptly handed it over to the guards.  A present.  Lots of smiles and back smacking went on.  Cedric was a guy who knew what to do.  I was duly impressed.  Our school reimbursed Cedric and Joe, the other American, for the booze and the visa money they shelled out for us (I had clearly not brought enough).

And just like that, the border guards let us on our way.  They also let us know, for next time, that crossing the Bulgaria-Turkey border on foot is illegal.  But for now, no worries!  I had no great desire to ever return.
From a Discussion on Tourist Visas and Border Runs - November 2006
" I have just heard that they changed the laws and that visa runs are no longer possible without returning to your home country.In other words, they won't give you another three months tourist visa unless you fly all the way home. I have a hard time believing this.  Can anyone verify?"

OCTOBER 2006
"English Crime will be in trouble then.  They will have to have their units of production fly cheapo back to the UK every three months."

NOVEMBER 2006		 "A friend in Ayvalik did the border run to Lesvos three weeks ago (November 2006); all was normal, no problems renewing the touris visa."
" You didn't have to leave the country in the first place.   Just go down to the neighbourhood passport polis  and they'll sort out your wee blue book without the hassle of a visa run.  My mate does it every three months...just don't tell them you are working."
NOVEMBER 2006
"I went to Plovdiv during the recent (October) Bayram.  Nobody seemed to be having any problems."
Ah, a happy group of teachers... Joe is the fellow on the left standing up.  Cedric is the guy on the right sticking out his tongue, with his arm around Molly.  Catharine is along the wall to the left, behind Joe.
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