Come with me. We are about to embark on a trip into a part of the island I have not yet explored. I have a unique opportunity to stay with a family that lives in a remote village across the border. This is the beginning of my interesting adventure to North Cyprus by bus.
Leaving Paphos
The bus I will be taking is a small local one, it connects the little villages so that no matter how remote, people can move around. I hop on board at the new Karavella Bus Station near Old Town. My driver’s name is George and his companion is another driver of this same route, named Elias. George speaks a little English and Elias quite a bit. This is fortuitous as I am shown many things I would otherwise miss along the way.
Our route is Paphos straight up through the island to Polis. The day is raining heavily at departure so photos are few and far between during this stretch. Once in Polis at the big church, we turn right and take the coastal route to Kato Pyrgos.
Mountains
It is this stretch where things begin to get interesting. After leaving Polis and driving along the seashore for a little while, we begin to gain elevation. At this point, I am told by Elias, that if we could drive as the crow flies, we would be in Pyrgos in about 6 minutes. However, since we are now at the border, we cannot cross here and must go up into the mountains and around which takes an additional half an hour.
The rain has cleared up for now so I can take some photos. The mountainous drive is incredibly beautiful, very green. We basically follow the invisible border without crossing it. Elias is pointing out the military bases and camps. Turkish ones, Greek ones and of course the UN. Most are located at the tops of the hills and can be seen in the photos by their antennas. There are camouflage bunkers at regular intervals as well.
Kato Pyrgos
After the drive through the mountains, we arrive at the village of Kato Pyrgos. This is as far as the bus can go. We have yet to cross the actual border. After paying the €1.50 for the two-hour journey, I say my goodbyes to George and Elias in the pouring rain. My host family, the husband and farmer, has come to drive me across the border. We leave Pyrgos and before I know it are at the first checkpoint. There are no photographs allowed during this entire process.
Border Crossing
The farmer leaves the vehicle with the passports and ID and takes them to the kiosk. This station is to leave the EU, Greek Cyprus, as I will refer to it from now on. After he returns, we motor for another 5 minutes or so through No Mans Land which is controlled by the UN. All I see besides vegetation along this stretch is one abandoned building. The next station is a series of white portable cubicles and this is the Turkish Cyprus border control. Again, the driver stops and gets out with the passports.
After he returns, we begin to motor on and have completed the border crossing. Interesting things to note are these. At no time did I as the passenger set eyes on any border official, I did not have to leave the vehicle nor did they leave their cubicles.
My passport was not stamped by the Turkish Cyprus officials, something that was a concern for me. I had read online that this could result in difficulty entering Greece in the future. My physical passport shows no evidence that I was even on this side of Cyprus. I have been granted a 30-day visa and am told that if I wish to stay longer, I can visit a government office to extend another 30 days.
The next surprise for me, we only drive perhaps another 15 minutes and have already arrived at my host’s home! This lovely family, a Turkish Cypriot married to my sister’s best friend and their little children, have invited me to stay with them. I am incredibly grateful for this experience and looking forward to soaking up every moment of this unique adventure.
