On my way to the hotel to check ın for my Turkey Explored tour, I was full of regret and very tempted to just baıl and travel the same route on my own. After spendıng the previous two days ın Istanbul I had fallen ın love wıth the place. Istanbul had formed very high standards for the rest of Turkey as one the frıendlıest, beautıful, safe and welcomıng places I have ever visited.
I entered the lobby of the hotel, which was to be our meeting point later in the evening, and I couldn’t help but feel out of place. It seems not only tours were a foreign concept to my understanding of travel but I realised I rarely ever stay in hotels. Checking in, I was quickly whisked away and delivered to a tiny little basement room to meet my roommate for the coming weeks. Lucky for me, I was blessed by the roommate gods and was paired with someone I instantly felt I had known for years. (How Topdeck determines roommates is still a mystery.) However we did learn after a few days that we share the same birthday.
We prepared for the welcome dinner – a chance to get to know each other. The two familiar faces of the Topdeck app users I had previously met immediately adopted my roommate into the crew and soon the back seat bandits of solo travellers was established. An awkward twenty minutes of predominately silence of thirty individuals waiting in the very disjointed lobby area finally passed and our guide began the tour by leading us to dinner. Sadly, this meal was probably the worst Turkish food I experienced in all of Turkey. A very bland meal was had by all during introduction banter. Following this, the group headed to a local Shisha bar where the back seat bandits out lasted all, heading home hours after the rest of the group. This solidified the group and we were all instant best friends.
After receiving little sleep in the most horrific accommodations I have ever experienced (I will post in full detail at the conclusion of the Tour series) we rose early just to escape the room and be ready for a three hour walking tour of Istanbul. Soon the group was on its way and our guide turned out to know EVERYTHING! We visited the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofia and all in between and I was in some serious history overflow mode and decided to skip the Topkaki Palace tour which our tour guide advised. Today we learnt that our all-inclusive tour price paid upfront, does not cover entry into many of the sites we were visiting. So a tip to all those planning to participate in this tour: ensure these costs are covered in your budget.
We had a few hours spare time before bus departed at 3pm, so we enjoyed a casual Turkish lunch at a restaurant chosen at random. Then the seven-hour bus drive to Ankara commenced. The president of Turkey was visiting the city of Istanbul that same afternoon, so traffic was horrendous. With an election coming up we were informed we may receive further inconveniences on the trip. This we laughed at then speculated about possible protests and our guides experiences during the last protests in Taksim that we had all followed on the news. With these entertaining stories and a passion for talking, time passed faster than expected. Shortly we all had to do the awkward stand at the front of the bus and introduce yourself to the group. I felt as if I had taken a step back in time to my first day of 7th grade, enhancing the school camp vibes I was already receiving from the tour.
We arrived late in the Turkey’s capital city and went straight to bed drained. Again, first to breakfast the back street bandits had time to explore the adjoining markets to the hostel. The people there were very different to any markets experienced in Istanbul with no one pressuring you for a sale, just letting passersby go as they please.
For the journey to Cappadocia and the wonders that lie there stay tuned from Day 3 – 5 segment!