My latest bicycle touring to Australia update: a few days off from cycling in Istanbul. Bit of a sad day today, as I had to say goodbye to Julie. It’s been nice playing the tourist for the past few days. But that’s not what this trip is about! I need to get back on my bike and get on with the next leg of my journey, next stop, Iran.
After seeing Julie off at the airport, I returned to the hotel to look at the map. It was then that I realised just how much further I had to cycle! And how little I’d already cycled, I’m not even a quarter of the way!
I spent the rest of the day cleaning and servicing the bike. Before retiring to the hotel bar for a few hours! As I was leaving the bar to go out for dinner tonight, I said to Ahmet, the barman, that I would be back later. He said, “fine I’ll see you later. I just need to get another bottle of gin.” he only got a new one last night! I think there’s somebody in this hotel who drinks a lot of gin!!
Dinner was nice. I had a traditional Turkish dish called Testi Kebabi, which contains onion, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic and spices. It is made with either lamb or chicken. I had lamb. The dish gets cooked in a clay pot on an open wood fire. The clay pot is then brought to the table, and with a swift blow from a heavy knife, the pot is cracked open and poured onto a plate. It came with rice and bread.
Tour Information
It’s been years since I took this ride, but the memories (and the data) are all archived:
- Photos: See my photos on Flickr
- The route: View my journey around the world
- Videos: Check out my YouTube videos
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