Well yes, in search of our bivouac on the shore of Lake Iznik, east of Orhangazi, here we are, stuck in the slush, pretty tilted to the left… Well, let’s stay zen. While Loïc puts his mechanic outfit and gloves on, I take the children, who are amused by the situation, in the back of the truck to reassure them and especially to fill their stomachs.

Outside, its shovels, chains and wooden timbers, but it’s going well. Ah, a car: driving is a gentleman (who seems to be the guardian of the site we see at the end of the road) who does not take long to understand our problem. « Polis, polis, no problem », then he leaves us. Do we have to worry…? We will see, in the meantime, we’re ready to try to get out of the hole. It’s shaky, the kids are having fun…and bingo, we’re out! We advance a little to get back on tracks with the idea of staying here tonight and try driving in reverse the next day.

It was without counting on the Turkish phone: the guard returns with a car full of plain-clothes policemen. Not very reassured inside, we can hear a lot of arguing coming from outside. And then the truck restarts, shifts into reverse and back in our previous direction. Momentum, and… BLAM! Back in the hole, tilted to the right this time, and even deeper.

Well, we take it to the next level (this time, we leave the cell): a digger arrives a few minutes later (remember that it’s way past midnight…)! Hop hop, attaching the orange strap purchased on the Bon Coin Dieppe (little nod to Elodie), whirring of the engine and gearbox heating and…2nd extrication out of the mud! Phew! We do not stop until the end of the road, then the police escort us 1 km away, always near the lake, but on a large already prepared front. This is probably where we should have arrived initially…

Souvenir photos with the patrol, we go back inside to get warm, and after all these emotions, bedtime at 02am!