the road to Istanbul (Turkey part 1)

After an unforgettable few days in Dubrovnik, Croatia, my 'plans' had me trekking to Turkey. One hears Turkey being described as the country "where East meets West", famous for its Turkish delights and baths and, according to Lonely Planet, one that has no lack of mustaches. True for the most part and knowing this I prepared myself for a good dose of culture shock. I wouldn't be doing the sleepless 24 hour, multiple bus ride across 3 countries alone however.


I was lucky enough to meet my new friends Paula and Nicole, two Canadians with the same itinerary as mine, and would set out to reach the gateway to Asia with smiles on our faces the entire journey. Sleeping on overnight buses is an art form that takes a few tries to master. Our bus from Herceg Novi, Montenegro, to Skopje, Macedonia, would challenge even the deepest of sleepers.


12+ hours of climbing and descending the Dinaric Alps at an avg speed of ~30kmph, stopping and turning constantly, made it really tricky to keep your head somewhat still. Well, the road won that game and when we arrived at the bus station at 4am the next morning all we wanted was to shut our eyes until we could book our next bus a few hours later. As much as we tried to close our eyes in a dark corner of that bus station, sleep would just not want to cooperate. There were mysterious bugs, cold floors and non-stop foot traffic. Lack of sleep: 2, red-eyed backpackers: 0!

Eventually the sun came up, we got our bus tickets to Istanbul and were game to start killing about 11 hours in chilly and rainy Macedonia. We found out it wasn't very difficult to pass the time. We ate street food, walked around Skopje for a few hours and found a big outdoor market entertaining us for a good while. Appetites fully open now and with a few more hours to spare we did what any sensible traveler does under such circumstances...we started drinking.


Of all places we sit down at a Mexican restaurant and after Macedonian nachos (with what we think was guacamole), 3 desserts, 9 beers and and a few shots of tequila we finished walking around Skopje with a burst we hadn't had since we left Dubrovnik. Still rolling from our afternoon bender we decided to try our luck at the bus station casino where we were happy to drink for free.


After losing it all on roulette ($4) we bought snacks, water and hopped on the bus to Istanbul. Our luck finally changed on this bus having it pretty much to ourselves allowing us to use entire rows of seats to sleep...well, more like pass out. One dead boar and 6 border crossings later my passport was finally starting to look busy and just like that we were watching the sunrise as we pulled into the bustling Istanbul bus station.


Refreshed after a redeeming bus ride we rewarded ourselves by checking into a nice hotel and immediately began exploring the city. The blue mosque (a structure that is as addictive to look at as baklava is to eat) was just steps


from our hotel and we toured it first followed by the Agiasofia mosque (which is now a museum). I love the respect demonstrated at mosques and the sense of brotherhood it encourages. Mosques are used so much more frequently (5 times a day for mostly synchronized prayer broadcasted via


speakers all over town) than churches and cathedrals and to me it portrays the importance of these structures that dominate the skyline. Later we found a small mosque tucked behind a bazaar, put our shoes in plastic bags and walked in.


Men were literally running into the mosque as to not miss any part of the prayer. We respectfully stood in the back and watched as men and women prayed in different sections. Yet another great memory etched in my head. I have been in many places of worship for various religions and/or faiths and I'm glad I can experience the same sense of calm and peacefulness regardless of the venue.


The next few days were spent getting lost in the streets of Istanbul, hopping in and out of bazaars with Paula, Nicole, and Esin (Elisson's wife's cousin)


eating delicious food at various restaurants and street carts, dancing at one of the best clubs in istanbul,


smoking sheesha (or hookah), getting a hot shave, and exploring my rekindled love for the many different types


of my absolute favorite Turkish delight; baklava. So many variations from pistachio to chocolate with oozing honey being the one constant thing in common. Sorry gelatto, you've been trumped!


We have also loved the people in Turkey. Just as kind as Croatians and with a great sense of humor. We have met and had many laughs with some of the one-liners used to try to reel us in to restaurants and bars.


A recent knee-slapper was: "...don't worry I won't bite, I am a vegetarian" We are now off to Capadoccia to explore fairy chimneys on a hot air balloon and Ephesus


to tour one of the best-kept ancient roman cities. The next few days will be spent braving the elements as weather is starting to change drastically. High in Capadoccia this week is supposed to be around 35F...missing that Cali sun just a tad right now.