Caroline has kindly offered to take us to Lefkoșa to obtain a visa extension, so arrange to meet at nine o’clock at Credit West Bank as a convenient midway spot. We get the dolmuș early enough to be sure of being on time and, inevitably, arrive early. But not a bad waiting place. It’s calm and quiet and has good seating. Dry too if it should rain.
Not surprisingly a woman on staff comes over after we’ve been sitting for about fifteen minutes to ask if she can help. No, we say, thank you but we’re just meeting someone. Reasonably confident that we’re not about to be told this is not a public waiting room. And indeed not. She asks if she can get us anything - tea or coffee? Astonishingly kind but we decline.
Then, at about three minutes to nine, a different young lady comes over bringing us a tray with two small glasses of Turkish tea - very hot. Naturally, and embarrassingly, two sips in and Caroline drives up, so I go out to the car while J takes the pretty well full cups to a counter.
Visa extension fairly quick. Cafeteria serves an interesting purpose. As well as providing coffee it has a photocopy service and sells the inevitable stamps that serve as minor payments for government paper work. Much smoother because Caroline knows both the procedures and Turkish. Back on home territory by eleven.
And at Credit West we flag a dolmuș. Going to Laptamar? He hesitates and then says yes. Reason for hesitation becomes clear. He has no other passengers and is taking the coastal route but makes a quick detour to drop us at Laptamar. Everybody happy.
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