The Turkey Trot - A Ride Report

  • Thread starter Thread starter Deleted account W
  • Start date Start date
Is there a slightly more flattering picture of me? :rolleyes:

Was I really that stroppy looking? :D :hide
 
Great write up so far..........I've never seen so many photos of Mr Burton without his two fingers showing.
 
Day Six, Monday, Bandirma, Turkey to Istanbul, Turkey. 171 miles.

The view from the hotel room wasn’t one of the best I’d seen but it was comfy enough.


274598514_SDWry-L.jpg


My bike was looking suitably road weathered by now. And Monkey had started on the fags so he’d fit in with the rest of the locals.


274598534_iXEe8-L.jpg



274630942_7NBBY-L.jpg


We headed East to a small town where we could catch yet another small ferry to take us to the South of Istanbul.


274631037_EZifR-L.jpg


The locals on board were all very friendly.


274641010_tRU6u-L.jpg



274631068_fHYMu-L.jpg


We knew Istanbul was big and busy and we wouldn’t stand a chance of all keeping together and finding a hotel so we picked one out of the Lonely Planet guide book and booked ourselves in.

This was perhaps the wisest thing we’d done so far. Istanbul is massive and chaotic. We tried to get our bearings, flagged a moped rider down and asked him to show us to the hotel. His filtering ability far out did ours and most of us had lost him within minutes.

The next idea was to follow a taxi, we found one and gave him the address, he got us to within half a mile of it but then got himself lost. This is him abandoning us in a square.


274631137_aU2ip-L.jpg


At least the square had a decent view.


274631102_BtWYY-L.jpg


It all got very messy then and me and Shapeshifter ended up on our own. We asked a Tourest policeman who was stood next to a big street map where we were, showing him the address of the hotel. He didn’t know. But a passer by did. The hotel was 100 yards away.


274636227_Tz2cQ-L.jpg


The hotel overlooked the Blue Mosque and had a manned car park in front of it, it couldn’t have been better. The guys in the car park were a fun bunch, British and Turkish.


274631173_y3Fa4-L.jpg



274629932_u2WWD-L.jpg


On the roof top bar we shared a splendid view with the seagulls.


274631241_gmSZs-L.jpg



274630883_jKBVt-L.jpg

I got in touch with ExpatinIstanbul, David, who read about our trip on here and had said he’d meet us for a beer when we arrived. We met up and another Brit in Istanbul turned up, Ellis who goes by the name of L on here.

Davids the blurry one.


274630726_NCmop-L.jpg


We ate and did the beer and bar thing to excess.


274630793_y8tKX-L.jpg



274630856_X8Rsc-L.jpg



274630833_ZfEX3-L.jpg





I remember very little after this point, but I believe it wasn’t all in the best possible taste.


274630910_2CELJ-L.jpg



:beer:
 
Great report my arse... In times of old a proper tour write up would have lots more pictures of G&T's:(...


a proper English man has his standards you know:nono:101:nono
 
I remember very little after this point, but I believe it wasn’t all in the best possible taste.

Waldin .. this may jog your memory. :augie

Page_1.jpg


I was too drunk to remember what happened. I merely found the photo in my camera :D
 
Day Seven, Tuesday, Istanbul, Turkey. Zero miles.

The morning in Istanbul jumped on me and battered me about the head, breakfast on the roof terrace was a blur. Then someone mentioned the Haman’s, the Turkish baths. Sounded just the ticket for a worn out body and burned out head. Darkhorse Dave had found one around the corner and me, him, Burton, Blowzorn and Wapping wandered in.

We were given little rooms to get undressed in then shown into the bath area with table cloths wrapped around us. After a suitable time sweating while laid on the hot marble floor we were picked out to be pummelled on the big slab in the middle of the room. Foam, then oil then a head massage. Then back on the floor for another sweat.

I felt better already. We were then wrapped in clean table cloths and sat round a stove and got brought apple tea.

274729874_fAxrD-L.jpg



274729902_zXomK-L.jpg



274729936_fjkjx-L.jpg


Feeling like a new man we went for lunch and then me and Burton did a few bars while the others went to the museums.

It started raining and we bought umbrellas. It was just like being on holiday.


274729965_7HfR5-L.jpg


Back at the hotel we re-grouped in the hotel bar.


274729831_Mz7hW-L.jpg



274729846_7RJ4h-L.jpg

We went out to eat, found the worst restaurant in Istanbul then wandered to our beds or bars depending on how tired we all felt. Tomorrow we would be in Bulgaria.


:bounce1
 
Day Eight, Wednesday, Istanbul, Turkey to Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria, 296 miles.

We escaped Istanbul in an “every man for himself” kind of way. Meeting up outside the city to find out how we all managed it. It seemed Floyd came out worse, a taxi hit him side on, knocked the back of his bike a foot in the air and a foot across the road. He stayed on it though.

Can’t remember much about the Turkish, Bulgarian border but I’m sure we had some more fecking about with V5’s and insurance papers.

The roads were bumpy but good though.


274742250_j5Beq-L.jpg


274742221_euoKp-L.jpg


A mate had told me of a nice town he’d spent a dirty weekend in called Veliko Tarnova, so short of any better ideas we headed there.

As we rode in another bike followed us down the street and pulled up next to us. It was Henry and Kirsten. The chances of meeting someone you know of in the UK in a strange town are long but to bump into someone in Bulgaria must be huge. It also turned out to be Henrys 51st birthday that day as well.


274742315_qQqaT-L.jpg


We found a hotel and parked up.


274742288_Le8oo-L.jpg


It was basic but ridiculously cheap. We headed for a bar with H&K.


274742367_qh9Bx-L.jpg


The bar fittings caught my eye.


274742342_CQ6kS-L.jpg



274742386_dPn4y-L.jpg


After we’d eaten Kirsten left Henry to have a blokes night out for his birthday, we took him to the Spider Club to see a live band. It was two quid each to get in but after telling the bouncer it was Henry’s birthday he let him in for free.


274742179_94TQs-L.jpg


The band seemed to be stuck in an eighties time warp and played Simple Minds style songs all night, we didn’t mind.


274742149_afaXg-L.jpg

The state of the hotel didn't bother me at all by the time I got back to it.


274742192_aBZKk-L.jpg


:clap
 


Back
Top Bottom