My time in turkey was rather rushed as it is a more expensive country than most in SE Asia.
I flew into Antalya to reunite with my bicycle after 6 months, during this time away I have decided to name my bicycle "a girls name", this is because I could not decide on an specific woman's name for it as all day that i am cycling from country to country i am crushing my balls; however Steffi's name did come to mind for one reason or another.
Anyway it was great to see my bike again and once again cruise about the roads taking in the Mediterranean Sea breeze and searing sun, it was a happy moment for me.
I was able to catch up only briefly with the girl who has looked after my bike and some of my belongings or these 6 months, Burcu, still as lovely as ever did not need my many thankyou's for all she had done however I did find her some maple syrup in Berlin that she asked for before I departed.
I spent the weekend in Antalya in the sun at a lovely and cheap place with a swimming pool where i had stayed before and a somewhat fancy restaurant, even though I had spent quite a long time away from Turkey I still was bored of the food, it's greasy and a little repetitive although this has something to do with the budget I am on.
Speaking of which, having recently checked my bank balance I was very shocked with how much of my savings I ate into while in Europe, it was such a waste of... everything being there.
I had less than a week in Turkey to organize my bike and get it and myself up to Istanbul for my flight to Bangkok; I took a 12 hour night bus to get there however when loading my bike onto it people yet again showed me how ridiculous they are with little to no common sense. I presented my bicycle to the one guy who was loading the bus, showing him how awkward in shape and size it was, he kept on telling me "no problem, no problem", I waited along side my bike until it was obvious that my bike wouldn't fit under the bus. He kept on loading suitcases and bags, he turns around to see my bike again with a stunned look on his face, so I say sarcastically "no problem, no problem" as I helped him unload the whole bus to accommodate my bike; a stupid waste of time and effort as I was dripping with sweat when boarding the bus.
Arriving at the main bus station in Istanbul (Otogar) I re-assembled my bike to head into the city. I have frightening memories when cycling in Istanbul especially when on the main roads towards the center so after several attempts of trying to get out of the station to find alternative means to the center (it was very confusing as it was a multistory complex) I finally found a nearby metro where I paid extra for having the bike. This didn't quite get me into the center but close enough that I could avoid the main roads and take the side streets.
With only a few sketchy moments I made it back to a cheap hostel I found on a previous visit to the city. Its a dark and scummy place to stay but actively saving money now is on my agenda, the staff are nice and I was even able to sell my old laptop to one of them making €100. I was going to give it to 'the one I shall not name' but in no way did or does she deserve it.
The two days I spent in Istanbul I did not see any of the touristy sights, however the weather was not conducive for sightseeing but I was busy packing my bike into a box it keep the weight of my bike and luggage (check-in) to 46kg with another 8kg of carry on weight. I was pretty stoked that I managed to get everything perfect (weight and size) within the luggage restrictions.
I didn't really drink much beer whilst in the country not only because its is expensive but also I didn't meet many people keen to have a few laughs, the majority of the people at the hostel I stayed at were long term guests who were tightly knitted. But saying this I befriended a few of them including a Finnish guy (Mikko) who had a mutual friend who I met back 4 years ago when crossing the Baltic Sea from Sweden to Finland. After one conversation with Mikko about how small the world is the following day I ran into a guy from Australia who I first met in Munich 6 weeks ago and again in the same place 4 weeks later; and again here... Mikko was shocked to see this unfold right I front of him.
With everything all packed I got help from this Aussie guy I met in Munich to take my bags whilst I wheeled my bicycle (on a shopping trolley) to the buses that took me to the airport. Thankfully I double checked my airline ticket to see that my flight to Bangkok was departing from another airport, I was so close to going to the wrong one.
It was easy enough to get everything organized and all went smoothly.
All these pictures were taken in Antalya, Turkey.
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