The bus trip from Aydin to Istanbul is supposed to take 10 hours. At 3 am I wake up and the bus is parked on the side of the highway. It is snowing. I doze on and off and as the day grows brighter it becomes clear we are not going anywhere. We are stuck in a snow storm.
I sit on the bus, reading my book, listening to podcasts, eating biscuits. By mid day we sill haven't moved anywhere. At some point during the morning I venture out into the (cold and windy and snowing) winter wonderland. I need to pee. Luckily we are parked next to petrol station and I can use the (filthy overflowing) toilet there. It's times like this that a squat toilet makes more sense.
Finally at 1 pm we are on the move. We drive about 20 metres and stop again. Ok. Too good to be true. A mere half an hour later we move again! To do a U-turn. We are going back. Back to where? No idea. No one speaks enough English to tell me what is happening. I try to be zen and go with the flow but I am a little anxious. I do not want to get dropped off in Aydin (I am sure Bec and Sam would let me back into their house but they are in Bodrum again). Or left in this village in the middle of nowhere on New Year's Eve.
We end up at a bus terminal in the tiny village. I try and get the person at the counter to tell me what is happening. She speaks a little English. She is less than helpful. I sit in a chair and begin reading my book. Then a crowd of people from my bus want to know what is happening. In a blink of an eye there is yelling, someone hitting a wall and many angry Turkish people. Someone sensible calls the police. I avoid the crowd and continue trying to read my book.
After a big kerfuffle two police officers arrive and settle the crowd. I still don't really know what the issue is but an hour or two later we pile onto the bus and are told we are still going to Istanbul, just a different way. This turns out to be the loooong way.
At about 8 pm we pile off the bus and get dinner. The first meal for 24 hours. We hop back on the bus. Soon enough I have been on the bus for 24 hours. The fancy busses in Turkey have (very slow) wifi and I manage to keep Enes, my host in Istanbul updated.
As it gets closer to midnight I resign myself to the fact that I will be 'Celebrating' the arrival of the new year on a bus. The clock ticks over with very little fanfare. It turns out that I finished off 2014 sitting on a bus, listening to a podcast and playing solitaire on my phone. Not as exciting as I wanted it to be. Winter travelling joys.
Finally I make it to the Otogar at about 1 am. I hop on a service bus and tell the driver the place that Enes told me to get off. I wander around in the rain, getting directions to the shop where I am meant to meet one of Enes' housemates Mete. Finally I meet him, grateful that I don't have to figure out how to get to the apartment by myself.
About 28 hours after leaving Bec and Sam's house I arrive at Enes' apartment. I missed out on a New Years party but at least I am warm and sort of dry and I have a safe place to sleep. I sit around for little while, drinking wine and getting to know Enes and Mete.
I have a well deserved sleep in and spend the rest of the day being lazy (is this a theme? Winter doesn't seem to bring out the best of me) and making a plan of what I want to see in Istanbul.
I spend the next few days sight seeing. Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque are only a short tram ride away and I spend a couple of days in this historical district. I wander around, trip over and manage to sprain my ankle. It's not too bad but it sure does make going to a squat toilet very painful and awkward.
The Hagia Sophia was built about 1500 years ago and for about 1000 years was the largest enclosed space in the world. There are large mosaics and paintings on the ceiling, chandeliers hang down low and of course there are hundreds of tourists. The marble on some of the steps has been worn down almost as low as the floor - I can't imagine how many millions of people have stepped here in the past. It is a little overwhelming to think about.
My visit to the blue mosque the following morning is also shared with hundreds of tourists. After visiting so many deserted beaches and tourist towns on the coast all these tourists are a little overwhelming. I know I am one of them but it doesn't make it any easier.
The inside of the Blue Mosque is impressive, although I think I have been ruined by the comparatively deserted mosques of Esfahan and Shiraz in Iran.
Next on the list is the Bassilica Cistern. A large underground water storage area built about 1500 years ago. There are many marble pillars and a couple of statues of Medusa that were stolen from somewhere. There are wooden platforms to walk along and large (gold?) fish swim about in the half metre of water underneath my feet. I think it was well worth visiting.
Mete takes me on an afternoon jaunt to the city centre. We cross a bridge that is jam packed with fishermen and famous for balik ekmek (fish sandwich). We wander through the crowds in the shopping district and I spot the largest pile of lamb being cooked for doner that I have ever seen. Quite the highlight!
We end up at Taksim square, famous for being the meeting point when you want to start/ be in a riot in Turkey. All is peaceful when we are there, I can't think of anything to riot about and Mete needs to get home to study for his exams. No riot for us.
I have seen many advertisements for Russel Crowe's new movie, The Water Diviner, and I figure that whilst I am in Turkey I should see it. I head to a 1.30 screening at a cinema near the grand bazaar. Unfortunately that's the dubbed version so I have to wait until the English screening at 4pm.
Although I have been to many bazaars the last few months I figure I may as well go to the grand bazaar, it is world heritage listed and I am right next to it with three hours to kill. The ceiling has arches and is painted and looks pretty nice but the shops are full of the same old tourist stuff that I don't want. Actually that's a lie. I covet many pretty scarfs, beautiful bowls, teapots, tea cups, carpets, lanterns, clothes, bags, shoes etc. It's just that I can't carry it and would prefer to spend my money on other things, like beer.
I try my best to avoid the touts and wander about. I find an exit and make my way to the famous spice bazaar. It is even worse. I quickly exit, head back to the cinema and read my book while I wait for the movie to start.
The movie is ok, there are scenes set in places that I visited only a day or two ago which is pretty cool but I am left feeling a little underwhelmed.
I had hyped Istanbul up in my head and it wasn't quite what I was expecting. Like the movie I saw, I felt a little underwhelmed by Istanbul. Maybe that is my fault though and I didn't make the most of the city. It was cold, grey and windy when I was there and it turns out I am a big wimp when it comes to winter (who knew!). The city is so large that I think you really need some local knowledge to find the good spots. Although the people I was staying with were generous to host me they largely left me to my own devices and I found myself a little lonely and ready to move on from Turkey. I have been in the country for two and a half months!
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