After an early morning swim in the Sea of Marmaris dealing with the stray dogs which liked Andy’s jeans a little too much we broke camp and loaded up the bikes for the short ride to Istanbul. On one bikers blog it had been writtene “Remember when driving a bike in Istanbul there is only 1 rule; there are no rules in Istanbul” and how right he was. Cars and bikes skipped from lane to lane in traffic as they jostled for position, ignoring any form of driving etiquette. It was as busy as I’ve ever seen anywhere.
It wasn’t easy but we moved along quite quickly until we got about 3 miles away from a city centre hotel we had identified as a possibility due to its price and secure parking. Traffic was now trickling along at walking speed allowing us occasional opportunities to filter down the side. We arrived at the hotel to be met by a biking enthusiast hotel manager. He told us that booking dot com had got it wrong and unfortunately they had no twin rooms only doubles. Of course it’s Turkiye so he offered us a fantastic deal for two singles which after a short period of bartering we agreed a price and keys for money were exchanged. The big plus was it was close to the metro, not far from the centre and had its own car park.
The afternoon and evening were spent sightseeing around Istanbul. An extremely busy city. A boat ride up the Bosphorus: shopping central at the Bazaars; seemingly magnificent mosques on the corner of every street; and a very interesting conversation with Peter, a Russian conscientious objector who has fled Russia to avoid “killing people” were the highlights.
