ISTANBUL JOURNEY

27th August

There’s a day I wont forget in a hurry! I left Varna by coach at 10.30am - the only English speaking person on board. An hour into the trip along a winding country road, at speed, we had a tyre blow out (or ELASTICA BOOM!!.. as the Bulgarians kept telling me). The driver and some passengers helped to change the wheel - and indeed the ELASTICA had a huge 20 inch laceration going across it. There was a big round of applause for everyone, then we went on our merry way, through some very beautiful countryside I must add. Spent an hour at border control, were the cost of a pee suddenly increased tenfold! (For a hole in the ground and your 2 sheets of loo paper - but there is nowhere else to go so you just pay and pee anyway). Then on into Turkey we ventured. And then we had a very near miss at a junction with a Cement lorry. NOW I KNOW WHY I LIKE THE TRAINS!!!
Eventually turned up very late at Istanbuls International Bus Station. THE MOST INANE PLACE ON EARTH!!! It has to be the size of Heathrow. There are thousands of coaches, buses, taxis, traders, celebrations and parties, fireworks, beggars, passengers - people shouting, horns going. Complete chaos. I have never come across anywhere like it in my life. Due to it being very late and the size of the bus station I booked in at an on-site Hotel for the night.
Next morning caught the Metro into the centre of Istanbul to an area I know well called Takisim. Found some accommodation and some sanity!

Sue