Doctor's order: Salamis and Turkey

Sunday we got to experience the Cypriot medical care first hand. Tina still wasn't feeling quite right and though some things were better, we were both getting a little concerned. First, a dolled up high-heeled Yatre (doctorette) gave us a visit. She encouraged us to go to the clinic to get an intravenous drip of pain medication and antibiotics. Not sure about how our medical coverage would reimburse this potentially bankrupting visit, we opted for the pills instead, picked up the script from the Pharmakeio, and headed over the Berlin wall.

Passing across the border into Famagusta is different. To start, you can't cross just anywhere. You have to go miles out of the way to a particular approved checkpoint. As you enter this militarized zone, you first pass a British sovereign territory (as part of some treaty the Brits still own indefinitely small "bases" around the island), all the while surrounded by barracks and barbed wire. Then you have to buy car insurance (not pricey, just a hassle) that is recognized by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Then you fill out a Visa form, get a passport stamp, and a questionaire to return on your way out later. Then another one or two guys stop you to make sure you did all of these things; and then into the Turkish version of Cyprus you go.

We didn't dally much. We headed straight to the ancient city of Salamis. This was a major trade crossroads in the ancient world. We had to wait out some rain; but all in all it was worth it. We remembered a lesson we learned in Pompeii: don't panic when it rains and buy ponchos and umbrellas and try to march through anyway - this time of year in this part of the world rain comes in bouts measured in minutes, not hours or days. You can actually drive around (so you don't have to hoof the massive archaeological site) the ruins, and walk through sections. It wasn't particularly different than many of the ruins we've seen before; but it is the most extensive, probably most important, and well-preserved site on Cyprus. The unique experience for us was that no one was there because of the inclement weather. So all of the typically "off-limits" stuff was open for us.