Turkey has been amazing! Amazing ! Nearly two years and we're leaving.
And she failed her mot (Safety Inspection)
Chris ended up having an emergency procedure!
Oh!
i feel like i'm falling apart a little bit!
We're Marianne and Chris, in 2018 we quit the 9-5 and bought Trudy our camper van.
We are currently on an adventure to drive the circumference of the world.
Today is a sad day and an exciting day,
today we are leaving Turkey after nearly two years!
We spent the night at Ersel's flat here, he's just gone to grab the car, he's going to drop us off at the airport and then we're flying back home to get ready for the next leg of the trip.
We are sad to leave Turkey, we are very sad to leave Turkey - We will be back!
We're off !
We've arrived at the airport,
Turkey is crying, it's a grey sky for us leaving today.
Okay it's time to say goodbye to Ersel!
Thank you for everything thank you - the man, the myth, the legend!
Yes ! the man, the legend - Turkey has been amazing!
Nearly two years and we're leaving,
but we'll be back we'll be back next september! So thank you!
So we've arrived at Istanbul airport,
gone through the check-in and we're very pleasantly surprised to realise that we've been upgraded to business class!
so we're sat in the Turkish airlines lounge!
This is the first time i've ever been upgraded - so we are not sponsored !
We pay for these flights so thank you Fatima for upgrading us!
As we enjoyed this special moment, we reflected on the past two years - and how the pandemic had forced us to change our plans.
What if we'd stuck to the original plan? We wouldn't have met so many amazing people,
who we're proud to call friends.
These friendships will last a lifetime,
and they've changed us forever.
Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen ....
We sat gazing out the window and watched the familiar lands fade ......
We felt sad to be leaving, but yet deep down we were excited knowing that soon we'd be heading to new lands with new adventures.
The sun has got his hat on!! No it hasn't!
We are now back in England,
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We spent the next couple of weeks catching up with family and friends.
Wow - 2 years ! God you look two years older - so do you !
We even got some cool travel tips from Marianne's 90 year old dad!
Today is a special day today is the day that Trudy is back in our possession!
She's arrived at the port here, down near Bristol.
We're just going to go and pick her up,
we borrowed Marianne's dad's car to drive down here this morning - thank you Dad!
Thank you very much, fingers crossed we get her all back without any trouble.
So we will see you at the port!
Okay - we got into the port! All is good, the police let us in!
so now we're going to pick Trudy up! So excited - Thank you to the policeman for subscribing to our youtube channel!
Yeah we got Trudy back and Chris is driving!
We've got a two and a half hour drive,
back home back to Shropshire,
and all is good - I can remember how to drive people!
So after picking Trudy up and being mot'd they found a couple of faults and she failed her mot (safety inspection).
NNnnooooooo. !
But it's all right because the guys at the garage are going to sort her out for us and she's going to have some welding and new exhaust,
we'll show you underneath,
once she's up!
Let us have a look.
Oh yeah!
We've got a little bit of rust under there so that's going to get welded,
the jacking points and that one and that one!
Oh and there's some here as well, yeah.
A little bit there,
the exhaust has got a little bit of a hole in it so we need that
sorting out.
That's what Georgian roads have done to Trudy!
It's all fixable, Trudy will be back on the road!
Tez, what do you reckon, is it doable? No!
Mike, what's your reckon, is it doable? I think he's doable for Tez!
come on lads- We call Tez - Mr Maker!
it's that bit there - come on Mr Maker - Mr Maker !
I think GGS can sort anything out!
We can fix it!
We found a hole!
She has had a hard life !
Yeah thanks very much! Thanks yeah!
oh look there's a big hole in there too!
Where? Where he's put his thumb!
needs a bit of TLC there!
So quick up update, Chris as some of you may have seen online ended up having an emergency procedure,
because he had a strangulated umbilical hernia, and ended up in emergency theatres very late at night.
Wow - it's about half past 8 in the evening,
and i've come back to GGS garage our friends Mike and Tez have been working really really hard on Trudy making sure she's okay.
Chris as you know has had surgery so he's not able to travel right now,
so i've popped down to the garage - there's Trudy on the ramp up there,
we're going to go and have a look and see what they've done.
Well here you go, poor Trudy - okay she obviously didn't look that bad when we handed her over!
But the guys have stripped her back to see what can be saved and what can't,
and as you can see there's a lot a lot of rust in fact all of this we didn't know had filler in it!
there was filler all the way around - so Tez stripped it all back and he's working to save Trudy - Thanks Tez !!
So we're back at the front this is what Tez has been working all weekend so that she's got some secure jacking points.
Look at that! That's a thing of beauty!
And Tez has had to cut away all the way, i'm just putting the torch on it - there all the way up here ....
The whole step had to be taken out and rebuilt,
that was a mammoth job!
So also coming underneath Trudy has a new exhaust part there, look at that how beautiful is that!
oh yeah, look oh ! Yeah if you can put your thumb through it - then it's not that good - is it?
No it's not great!
but she's getting on!
she's getting on - to be honest, she looks how i feel !
I feel like i'm falling apart a little bit!
And the good news is that after resting for a couple of weeks at home,
I am well on the mend, and we'll be ready for the next leg of our adventures soon,
although Marianne may have to carry my backpack for a while!
More on that a little bit later!
Today is a very special day - after 3 weeks trudy is ready for collection today!
The mechanic - Mike has just called us to say that she's passed her MOT which is her safety inspection,
so we're heading to the garage now, and i'm curious to see all the wonderful work that they have done on her.
What is that beeping? I have no idea ? We are borrowing her dad's car and it just beeped !
The moment of truth!
Oh she's on the ramp
Well there's what i call a magic welder - Tez, how's it going?
It's been an easy job - wasn't it Tez? oh it's really easy, easiest job! 10 minute job?
35 hour job !!
Oh my God,
he's actually spent over a week on her!
But can i just say that when we gave Trudy to you, she had a door?!
Yeah where's the door Tez? That was never agreed !
Can i just say that we love you!
At least we get you back on the road !
We're getting back on the road!
i tried to tidy and build it up there - instead of loads of filler there, this bit here.
We figured that there was a bang here, probably by the previous owner, it's still pushed in now under here but that's all right.
It looks beautiful!
So this bit's all new,
yeah yeah no rust look at that!
she's got four new tyres,
and we put the spare one on the back.
And they've also done work in the arches.
Looking good Trudy!
That should keep her going for another couple of years!
We're super grateful and excited - these guys have given us so much of their time!
Thank you!
She's also had a new clutch put in,
and they've done a repair to the gearbox
so it's been a bit of a beast of a service really.
Oh we've got the UK number plates on they're looking good!
Can i just ask, what is that? That's just a thing!
Mike is that a technical term?
What's that? That's just a thing!
That's some thing for an optometrist you're van never had fitted - we have tie that up.
Well it's been an easy job, hasn't it?
I'm standing back when i said that!
This i think is Georgian damage,
i think that's where you ..... I may have .....
there's a bit of evidence that i may have scratched something a little bit!
Do you think you hit this, when you hit that?
Oh definitely she hit that loads of times!
I think we're going to just cut that off that's the easiest thing,
and this one!
Bumpers are overrated!
And to be honest in Georgia most of the vehicles on the mountain roads had no bumpers .... it's true!
Trudy's door!
Well at least we didn't sell it on Ebay!
She needs a bit of a wash ! I thought that was part of the service ?!
I'm being cheeky today, aren't i? You are!
Right all good! We're off Marianne's driving back and i'm driving Trudy.
If you want to see the kind of roads that have caused this damage to our van?
Then you're not going to want to miss this video,
where we drive possibly the scariest road we have ever driven!
But a warning - it is not for the faint-hearted!