GETTING TO GALLIPOLI.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 258, 31 October 1925, Page 16

GETTING TO GALLIPOLI.

! TURKISH VISAS NECESSARY. ! . J THE DIFFICULTIES TO BE MET. I i iFroin Our Owa Correspondent.) , I LONDON , , September 11. • ! There are many who will be sketching out their plans for a European visit in 1926, -who will be glad of information about Gallipoli, and how to see the i cemeteries there. The most comfortable way is to join i one of the Mediterranean cruises,_ of J which, a number are now organised ; during the spring and summer, and are I now, when sufficient demand arises, ■, arranged to include a few hours' etay lat Hellee and Kilia, The means of trana--1 ■ port provided on shore are rough, but ■ effective enough, and comprise two small • cars not In their first youth, belonging • to the Imperial War Graves Commission. •' If more accommodation is required local i j resources in the way of ox-wagons, mule- '! carts, must be resorted to, or one can • 1 ride on the native donkey. -1 This appears not a very luxurious t *■ 1-* +U -%A nn t-Vn» TrtTWT

I means of taking the road up the long j trail over the peninsula from Kilia, but ; those who are able to join one of the summer cruises have the decided advantage that passport difficulties are ! smoothed out. The Turkish Government i provides officials to give the steamer ' practique on arrival, and empowers them jto visa passports of visitors. But when visitors make the journey j intending to use the ordinary means of travel, the passport difficulties are trying even to travellers hardened to modern world conditions, and its stringent passport rules. The trouble is due to the fact that there is no direct access to Kilia. It is necessary to get to Chanak on the Asiatic coast, and there hire a motor boat to take you across the Dardanelles. All this is a complicated business for Chanak, which formerly was a port of call of a number of foreign boats, is now so used only by Turkish boats. It is necessary therefore to take passage at Constantinople on a Turkish boat calling at Chanak. The visaing of passports must be carefully done at Constantinople, and specially endorsed for Ohanak. The hiring of boat there for the pasage to Kilia can only be accomplished after .obtaining police permission, and oh crossing over the passports must be handed into the keeping of the officer in charge, otherwise there may be difficulty in getting away. At the close of his day the traveller has to get back his passport, and obtain another police permit to land at Chanak. Landing there he will have to await the arrival of a Turkish steamer bound for • Constantinople. If none are available or ; expected, and he has money enough, it may be possible to get a passage on board 1 a passing steamer. This, however, is an 1 expensive job, for such a steamer must 1 pay harbour dues, which will.have to be ! paid were it to put in to Chanak. These must, of course, fall to be defrayed by 1 the passenger, and it will be a question '. whether the loss of time and living ; expenses at Chanak are outweighed by : the quicker and dearer transport provided by the passing steamer. ~ One alternative is to take Kilia en route from Smyrna or Salonika, to ~ Constantinople by .Turkish, boat. As, however, one may not wish to. .visit 9 either the Asiatic or the European, port", * it is not helpful to visitors from New . Zealand who have not got unlimited time at their disposal.

Another alternative is to use. thej Turkish steamship line from Constantinople to Kilia, but once there you have to wait for another steamer inward to Constantinople. This will mean remaining on the peninsula for a time, dependent' on the services between Cony stantinople and the other terminal ports.