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Beyond Istanbul: Expedition Continues

Every minute was worth it! We climbed to nearly 1800 meters, the temperature dropped from 15⁰ to 6⁰, but once again, what a wonderful array of colors, smells, more colors...

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That’s it… it’s time to move on. I feel like I could spend more time in Istambul but at the same time… well… I want to move on. There is so much unknown ahead, that the lure is simply irresistable. Let’s see if I can translate it for you: I’m moving forward like a child heading to an amusement park, but with the desire to return and dedicate a few more days to this mega city.

Does it sound familiar, or reminiscent of your own motorcycle adventures?

Well, now that I’ve planted a picture in your mind and got you attention… Welcome back 2wheeler ladies and gents! Time for sharing the 8th day of our journey. As you’ve understood by now, it will be a riding day packed with new experiences, but also openly sharing a glimpse of the human side we all have, and most importantly, what we need to cherish to be in balance in our motorcycle travels and our lives.

Farewell Istambul and the Inevitable Expressions

I was fortunate enough to have my wife visit me in Istanbul, allowing us both to explore as much as possible in the shortest amount of time, so I could continue my journey refueled and happy. Thank you, my love, not only for giving me the freedom to pursue my dreams, as we are all free, fortunately, but for giving me so much more.

Inevitably, whenever I plan a trip, before, during, and after, I hear various expressions many times, such as:

  • Does your wife let you go?
  • When you return, she’ll change the locks.
  • If it were me, your bags would be at the door.

Well, my wife doesn’t do any of that. She does, as I said before, much, much more. Above all, my wife respects my dreams, and as if that wasn’t enough, her happiness goes hand in hand with mine.

It’s worth noting that the feeling is entirely mutual, and this is just one episode of our daily life, week by week, month by month, year by year, and already for a decade… Bring on the next.

Into the Wilderness: With Precious Help

Back to the road, the idea was to visit Sapanca Golu on the way out of Izmit and then head to Yedigöller National Park, a place that piqued my curiosity from what I had read during trip preparations. I must confess I got some great tips from an insider, a friend of a friend. Who is she? Derya. The value of Derya’s tips? Unmesurable!

Derya is Turkish, lives in Porto, and I cannot thank her enough for the work she put into summarizing, a “mini-tourist guide” of only 10 pages, where this Natural Park was also included. Once again, thank you, Derya!

The expectation was such that my idea was to literally cross the park and not just visit the tourist spot and return. And so it was, at a slow pace because many of the roads are not paved, or are paved only in some sections. Meanwhile, there was an ongoing a rush to collect, clean, and load wood onto transport tractors.

Every minute was worth it! We climbed to nearly 1800 meters, the temperature dropped from 15⁰ to 6⁰, but once again, what a wonderful array of colors, smells, more colors…

On the Road Again

After leaving the park, the idea was to stay a little closer to tomorrow’s first destination, Amasya. So, I drove a few kilometers. This time the road conditions where good, but still surrounded by a stunning landscape, both in beauty and size (area).

Throughout the afternoon, I searched for possible campsites where I could enjoy my “familiar mobile villa” on wheels but without success. Apparently, at least in this area, I couldn’t find any.

A Night’s Rest

However, I managed to get a room at a “Otel”. And that, my friends, is the only word I know how to write in Turkish. The need to communicate, does wonders for learning new skills. Here, I was able to sleep for the modest amount of €20. Clean and with a bathroom… the only real requirements for a short stopover before tomorrows stage.

Stay tuned, for tomorrow, there will be more adventures, and there is still a lot to cover in Turkye! See you here, or on the road!

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