29-30 September. Istanbul

Journey from Sozopol took me little more than 7hrs. Didn’t seem far, but still… Roads from Sozopol to Turkish border were dreadful as under construction. Hole on the hole. On the border-first contact with bureaucracy. One widow to get visa, the other to get stamp next to visa. Third to insure motorbike for a month.. Later again to the same one for more stamps. I don’t know how long it takes if its crowded. It took me about 40 min. I was almost leaving when 2 officers stopped me. One spoke English the other one didn’t talk. I was asked to the booth by the “mute” one. He looked at my papers and said 10 Euro! “I am not going to pay” I replied and that I already paid for everything. I went out to ask the other one for what I suppose to pay? “Everything OK. now” I heard behind. Interesting isn’t it? Now its only 250 km to Istanbul. It took me some time. In the first town – I don’t remember the name- I stopped to withdraw some Turkish cash, I looked at the post with the clock and thermometer.......

Now motorway and Istanbul. First 80 km were OK., empty, almost to traffic. But later it started to get dense. Traffic changed into soup of cars, only three lanes but 5 cars. Incoming cars just joined without stopping, even looking. Short beep on the horn and I should know. Complete chaos but it seemed to work. Overtaking on the right left, and middle. Cement-mixers in the middle driving 100 kmh, big trucks half a meter from you!!! Dreadful . I paid the toll – 4.5 lir and so I was in Istanbul.

The vastness of the city hit me when I stopped on some bridge to have a look and ask a policeman where to go. Michal gave mi

address to a hotel which I obsessively tried to find. I knew it would take time to locate it. Heat was killing me. Water was running out. Motorbike oil started to boil, I was stuck in the traffic every 200 meters. Everybody honked , exhaust fumes from old buses stunk. I sweat like hell. I strayed for2.5 hrs before I found the hotel, and it was an ordeal. They didn’t have any more beds on the roof and only one available room. It was a little expensive, but what the hell… I’ve spent one day and two nights in Istanbul. First night I went out to see what’s illuminated, and there was a lot! I got to the big square just next to Sultanahmet. Thousands of people, thousands! Eating, chatting, buying enjoying themselves. Carousels, electric cars big festival. I sat a while on the bench, grabbed a doner to eat, wandered around and went to sleep. Tomorrow F1 GP on Fuji. The city is massive, unofficially lives here more than 20 millions people plus tourists. Lots of Poles Russians and Chinese. I even found Russian quarter, I’ll write about the city some other time.