working motor and found one on an old VW van .
Next , they raced off to the mechanics ’ street . On the way the key jumped out of the ignition , while the scooter was still running . It landed on the rung of a storm drain , precariously hanging over the edge . Aidan jumped off to gingerly retrieve it before it was forever lost in the sewers . To his relief he got it .
A kind car mechanic lent the guys his tools and workbench . Aidan cut down the blades of the VW ’ s fan and managed to fit it into the BMW housing . It looked very rudimentary , but it seemed like it might work .
It was late afternoon by the time they returned to the gas station and handed the scooter ( and key ) safely back to its owner . Our helper tried his cable trick on the makeshift fan and it sprang into action . We jubilantly thanked him and he was on his way . We fitted the fan , reassembled the bikes , loaded all our luggage and set off to find a camping spot on the nearby coast . Most of it was either marshland or holiday homes , but a deserted little campsite offered beautiful sunset views over the sea .
Tucked into our tent recording the past few days in my diary by torchlight , I realised that I had lost count of how many people had helped us out on this little venture . They had given their time , food and vehicles and had invited us into their homes and workshops , asking nothing in return . We brought only our stories and adventures , but in many ways all our lives were much richer for the moments shared and memories created . We were richer for being in Turkey … MS
On Monday , February 6 , 2023 a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Turkey , in the south-east of the nation near the Syrian border . The quake struck in the darkness of a winters morning , trapping many people unaware and in their homes .
In the hours that followed hundreds of aftershocks were felt , some as strong as 7.7 magnitude . The devastation was on a scale that was hard to comprehend , thousands of buildings destroyed across both countries .
At the time of writing the human toll stands at over 33,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands injured and needing assistance . The international community has provided aid on the ground and pledged financial support .
Traverse has many friends in
Turkey , both residents and travellers , our thoughts are with them as well as those directly affected by the disaster .
A number of organisations are providing aid with the disaster recovery and relief , and require further help .
• Turkish Red Crescent ( Türk Kizilay )
• International Rescue Committee
• Syrian American Medical Society
• UNICEF
• The White Helmets
• Save The Children
• Global Giving
• Project HOPE
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