Day 62 Leaving Istanbul - Tuesday April 2nd.

Ready to load up outside the hostel

I think I was first up in the hostel. The night duty person was asleep on the sofa. I let myself out of the hostel to start loading the bike which is on the pavement. There is a note attached to it from Max which I really appreciated. I'm sure he won't mind you reading it.

He is a biology student from Austria, on an Easter get away break. He is about a generation and a half younger than me and had done some wild camping in the Austrian forests. I've met and talked to a lot of young people in the hostels and apart from being very friendly they seem genuinely interested in what I am doing.

Changing guard....but I'm not sure what they are guarding

Istanbul is famous for it's tulips - there are tulip festivals everywhere in April

Stopping for a breather on the way out - the scent from this hyacinth bed was gorgeous

Ther's my bridge - I'm in Europe now, that's Asia on the far side........lots of traffic on it!

I get stopped on the bridge by this policeman - he phones for advice.........

I take pictures of the view and make a banana butty while I wait.....and wait.

Bertie and I are unceremoniously chucked on a bus to complete the bridge crossing. 

Bertie gets pressure washed - no charge

It's a nice ride in the afternoon, interesting to see the cargo being loaded - scrap metal out, steel reinforcing rod in......bound for China I think.

Faraz turns up to video me leaving. It's a perfect day and I am soon stripped down to a T-shirt to squeeze my way through the morning rush hour. I make it to the bridge across the Bosphoros which separates Europe and Asia and pedal across the first third on the narrow hard shoulder. At this point a policeman flags me down and indicates that it is a NO BIKES bridge but doesn't give me any clue as to how we are going to resolve this. He makes a phone call but nothing happens. I think he is waiting for a bribe to allow me to proceed. I decide to tough it out and get out my picnic hamper and make myself a banana sandwich. Eventually a very smart policeman on a motorbike arrives (he shouts at me when I try to photograph it). He has the solution. He flags down a bus and orders me and the bike on board. This is achieved relatively easily as it has an entrance in the middle designed for wheel chair access. I get off in Asia and am on my way.

To celebrate being on a different continent I stop in a carwash and ask the guy how much to jet wash the bike. I don't expect to see any more salt being put on the roads now. He does it for free. Cool. (This is a hostel word I've picked up). I pop in a garage loo and change into my shorts for the first time. I need to think about sunburn protection.

I'm back on the D100, a motorway which varies between 2 or 3 lanes with fast moving traffic. I have a tailwind boost and clock 110 km before looking for somewhere to pitch the tent. I'm not optimistic because it's been one long conurbation since leaving Istanbul but it suddenly got better after just after Izmit and I found a good spot near the airport.

Day 58 - 59 Final run to Istanbul

The highs........

My wild camping is becoming less wild and less stealthy as I develop a 6th sense about security.

Early morning cuppa. I'm quite close to the main road here and get lots of toots from motorists and truck drivers. I imagine they are a little bit envious of my freedom.

This guy - what an ambassador for his country! He stopped his bus opposite me and beckoned me over. He asked if I needed food and drink. I really didn't, my panniers were stuffed to the gunwales and I did my best to point this out. Undeterred he went to a locker in the side of his bus and came back with 3 milk bread rolls and 3 boxes of peach nectar. A refusal sometimes offends.............

Waiting for the milk collection

I befriend this mangy dog in the middle of nowhere. It has one blue eye and one brown. I offer it a milk bread roll and we are instant friends. I think he is going to follow me all the way to Istanbul

At the first opportunity I stop and point out how far it actually is......................

100 km!   Sod that......................

There are numerous LARGE dogs at the roadside but I must admit I've not had any real bad ones. Most just look hungry and lonely............a bit like me!

....and the lows

 It's around 5pm and I'm heading into an area that doesn't seem to have a lot of camping potential. They're upgrading a simple road into a virtual motorway........there are intermittent stretches of both. I stop to pick up a 5 litre flagon of water and as I secure it under the bungie cords on the back rack it starts to rain. This gets me down as I hate putting the tent up in the rain as the inner gets soaked. I start looking for a spot in earnest. It's been a fine day and all my wet weather gear is buried at the bottom of my panniers. I hit a pothole going downhill on a stretch of the old road and I see the flagon overtake me, skittering across the tarmac until it hits the central reservation, the top pops off and the water glugs away.

Back on the new stretch of road I pass huge pre-stressed concrete bridge lintels on the hard shoulder and immediately notice that they make an excellent shelter from the northerly crosswind. I could even park my bike in the dry between them. Done.

This is really sharp!

Feeling a bit low

 Unfortunately as I'm getting dinner on the go I stand up and gouge my scalp on the edge of one of the lintels. The blood flows freely and for a while I walk around in circles with my head down, spattering blood like a headless chicken, wondering what to do. I remember I have a pack of napkins in my bar bag and compress the lot on top my head to stop the flow. I pull my buff on top after 20 minutes and vow not to take it off again until I get to Istanbul. The rain by now is running across the tarmac and around the tent........but at least it is dry inside. Tomorrow Istanbul!

A Perfect Day

Saturday March 30th, 2013

The day dawned really foggy but it soon burnt off and turned into the best weather of the trip so far..........I was finally in a T-shirt! I felt elated as I worked hard on the pedals to try and get the 65km to Istanbul over with as soon as possible. I'd peeled the napkins off and washed my face with no further bleeding, although my hair was a bit of a mess.

I pack up under the watchful eye of another BIG dog

leaving my 'campsite'

Feeling a lot better!!

Due to the unfinished stretches in between I have the finished parts of the motorway to myself

The driver is underneath checking something

I have to leave my planned route when I come to a NO BIKES! tunnel and am soon enjoying the rough and tumble of the downtown traffic. Istanbul is really hilly. 

I take a break on the outskirts to dry off the tent before getting to the hostel

Satellite tracker is on to map my progress to the hostel

My first view of the Bosphorus - exciting!

I can't resist stopping for a meal before getting to the hostel

I'm going to post my Istanbul photos once I get to my next stop in Eskeshir, which is about 300km away. As you can see is up on a plateau so I will have a stiff 900m climb on the 3rd day. There's about 1,000 km to go across Turkey to the ferry port at Tasucu. 

The altitude plot to my next hotel stop

I'll just leave this post with a final photo..........

Unwittingly........believe me...........I'm having my cheeks waxed!! ..........and my hair dyed grey : )

Day 53 - 57 Into Turkey (Edirne)

24th March A spot of maintenance

The bike normally runs silently but I've started to hear a rubbing sound when I push hard on the pedals. I check the belt tension for the first time and it feels a bit slack. I work out how to adjust this using the eccentric bottom bracket - easy. There is an iPhone app for doing this believe it or not......you twang the belt like a guitar string and it tells you whether the twang is the right pitch or not. I do it by feel. The noise is still there........it sounds like a brake block rubbing but the wheel rim is still true. In the end it turns out that the rear wheel quick-release is just a bit loose........back to silent running........lovely, just the sound of the skylarks announcing Spring and my lungs pumping oxygen.

Very little wear and no punctures for 5,000km  - I'm impressed!

The eccentrically mounted bottom bracket for tensioning the belt drive

One for the plane spotters - Bulgarian therefore probably Russian?

Horses still used on the land in Bulgaria, here furrowing up the potatoes

Lay-bys full of old carts for sale at bargain prices

March 26th - More rain on the way to Turkey

Packed up and ready to roll from a wet and muddy camp site

Still in Bulgaria but very close to Greece at this point

A bit of sun would be nice

I tried catching up with the horse - and failed

Victor who I met later going the opposite way took a photo of the exact same signpost

There were literally miles and miles of trucks queueing to cross the border into Turkey. The must have had at least a 24 hour wait

..........and the same on the other side. I have the road to myself and weave about a bit to make the most of it. I had to show my passport at 5 different points at the border and pay 15 euros for the visa.........otherwise straightforward.

Another one for the plane spotters

The cemetery fences are plastered with notices of the recently deceased

This is the shared bathroom of the worst hotel I've ever stayed in, it was so bad it was almost funny. I seriously don't think it had been refurbished since the 1920's.

When I arrived in Edirne I was hassled by a few people begging (a totally false first impression of Turkey) and stopped at the first hotel I found as it had wifi and bike storage.

They did have this rather fetching poster on the wall though

Edirne was attractive all though I only saw it at night........... and in the rain.

March 27th

I've been feeling worn out the last few days but getting to Turkey has given me a lift and I have Istanbul in my sights.

My bike attracts attention wherever I go.

I couldn't get out of Edirne without getting trapped in a pastry shop. I ordered sweet and savoury pastries. Those who know me know how I love my 'sticky buns'.  They kindly cut everything into pieces and jumbled them on the plate.

We spot each other in the distance and both veer into the central reservation for a chat, as is the custom. He is Victor from Marseille, heading home after starting his trip in Tasmania. I think he flew from Laos to Kazakhstan. I immediately notice how little gear he is carrying ( oh so beautifully lightweght!)and wonder how he copes without waterproof panniers. (But would I give up my mudguards.......no.) We have the same rear-view mirror and that's about it.  We swap hostel notes, although I openly admit I can't remember where I stayed or when, only that it was good.

And the heavyweight! The difference in layers of clothing might be that he had a tailwind - the bas****d!

March 28th, 2013 Incredible hospitality

Drinking tea in Turkey is the social equivalent of propping up a bar in the UK, although probably healthier and significantly cheaper. I'm doing my usual thing of cutting right through a town centre and I spy a cafe with tasty looking buffet of hot food. I ask for a tea with the meal. The don't serve it on the premises but no problem............a few minutes later a waiter comes in off the street with a cup of tea on a tray. I pay the bill and ask for the toilet, they don't have one on the premises but I'm given a few hand signals and off I go down the street. It seems that the toilet is in a mosque complex. It is.........and I could have washed my feet too but I didn't have a towel.

On my way to the WC

As I pass through small villages old men sat outside beckon me over with that universal 'stirring of a teaspoon' motion. I mostly apologise and tap an imaginary watch on my wrist to signify I'm on a tight schedule....................and for the sake of my bladder. Sometimes I relent and they are very pleasant occasions despite the language barrier.

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Invited to come in and warm myself - most welcome

10km further on I succumb to an invite for tea with the village mafia

Not a great photo but the driver of this truck pulled up right in front of me, got down from the cab and asked me if I needed water, food or anything. I just can't imagine this happening in Europe