Our second major road trip in the year we both turned half a century had arrived, and this one was taking us out of Asia and to the west. We would be spending almost a month exploring Türkiye (formerly Turkey) and Georgia, where we both get a one-year visa on arrival, so leaving the Asian bureaucracy behind as well!
After a long day traveling on two Qatar flights, one empty and one rammed, we landed in a very wet Istanbul late in the evening and jumped on the Havaist Bus into Taksim Square downtown, where our Airbnb on Feridiye Street was. Extensive research with me using AI and Da on social media warned us that Istanbul was scam city so we were on alert from day one. The first little sting was the bus ticket office forcing us to buy the Istanbul travel card rather than just bus tickets.
The walk through the labyrinthine maze of cobbled streets to our accommodation … in the rain … dragging luggage … and shattered after 18 hours travelling was a bit of a challenge, but we made it. The first job was to find a minimart that actually displayed prices and wasn’t there to scam tourists. This was the third challenge, but we found one.
Day 1 Istanbul
Being woken by the Muezzin at 06.30 was not an issue as we were still on Thai time, four hours ahead.
Cash is king in Türkiye, so the first job of the day was to find an ATM that wasn’t ‘fake’ or also trying to scam us … challenge four. Only one bank (Ziraat) worked with my multi-currency card, the rest charged a 10% commission. The next problem was that the machines would only dish out a limit of 5,000 lira (about $120) because the largest bank note was a 200 lira, so we had to keep hunting for the red ones.
Next, it was to the supermarket for supplies before hitting a local café for breakfast. You have to read reviews online and double-check prices in all places in Istanbul. This one was well recommended, but I’m still sure we paid more than the locals.
We took a walk down the main shopping area, Istiklal Street, which has a tram that runs down the middle of it. It was absolutely rammed, mostly with tourists, and lined with expensive brand stores, sweet shops, kebab restaurants, tiny side streets with hookah tables, and the usual tourist fare.
Our target was the Galata Tower, which we’d hoped to climb for the view, however, the epic queue and 70 euro price tag put us off that plan. We continued walking down the steep, cobbled streets to Umbrella Street, a tiny alleyway crammed with touristy restaurants and featuring a multicolored umbrella canopy.
From here it was down to Karakoy Pier and a rest on a bench viewing the countless ferries and tour boats plying the Bosphorus. Then it was time to head to Galata Bridge, which is famous for its expensive seafood restaurants and the throngs of local fishermen all angling for small mackerel.
The uphill return leg of the walk was only made necessary because I’d forgotten to bring the Istanbul travel card that would have enabled us to jump on the tram to Taksim. The weather was turning moody, so we grabbed an overpriced doner kebab at the end of Istiklal and headed back for a rest. We’d covered over 12 kilometers of mostly steep streets on foot.
The rain had returned in the evening, so we stayed local, dined on lamb shish, and returned to the Taksim Mosque, which was still heaving with people to grab a few after-dark shots.
Day 2 Istanbul
‘Allahu Akbar‘ from the Taksim Mosque at 06.30 had us up, and the coffee was on. We were heading over the water to the south side of this sprawling city today. Decided to make use of that travel card we were sold at the airport, only to find out they scammed us also, and there was no credit on it. A quick top-up in a machine (which also took a commission) got us onto the Taksim tram down to Galata, where we walked through the banking district with the most ostentatious buildings in town, and back across Galata Bridge, where the phalanx of fishermen was out in force.
The first stop was the Egyptian Bazaar, which was a labyrinth of tiny cobbled walkways lined with stores selling everything from spices to crystals to Turkish Delight to cheeses, olives, meats, carpets and textiles. Needless to say, we got lost several times trying to find an entrance to the adjacent Grand Bazaar.
After being blocked by two imposing locked doors, we realized something was afoot, so checked Google to find out that the Grand Bazaar was closed today, as October 29 is the country’s national holiday commemorating the official declaration of Türkiye as a republic by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who was elected as the country’s first president in October 1923.
We joined the throngs of flag-waving locals and headed to the Blue Mosque, which was absolutely heaving. Unfortunately, at the time of our visit, it was also closed for prayers, and burly security guys were busy turning away persistent tourists trying to get in. I found a spot outside to take in the call to worship in this mystical place.
We headed north to the equally impressive Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, but that too was rammed, and we couldn’t get in due to it being the busiest day of the year in Türkiye. It was the same story at the Topkapi Palace, so we circumnavigated the high walls and headed for Gülhane Park.
Exiting the park, which was also full, we aimed for Eminonu on the waterfront. Walking back to Galata Bridge was a challenge due to thousands of people getting on and off countless ferries and tour boats. This part of the city is one of the most densely packed places I have been to, rivalling Tokyo and Osaka.
Back over the bridge on “our side,” we needed sustenance, so ducked into one of the pricey tourist restaurants overlooking the Bosphorus for a beer and a feed. Refueled, we made the cobbled climb, fighting the throngs back to the tram station at Beyoglu and onto the tram back to Taksim.
That evening, we ventured out to Taksim Square to see if any festivities were going on. Still, there didn’t appear to be, despite the crowds, so it was time for another kebab before retiring after another long day and double-figure kilometers on foot.
Next: Ankara
