So, I got to Istanbul 2 days early by flying ahead of the rest of the group. I also booked a very nice hotel for a couple of nights, so it’s like a little holiday from the group holiday.
I spent the first day just getting everything cleaned and repaired, so I can go to India fully equipped instead of messing around quite so much. (For example, bought another camera battery as my spare one unfortunately snapped in two after I slept on it.) Also need to get some clothes tailored when I get to India. I’ve lost some weight and seem to have got about 6 inches shorter somehow, so need to get all my trousers taken in and shortened. Very odd.
The next day was the Sugar Festival, a three day celebration marking the end of Ramadan (and celebrating the fact that I can once again get food in the middle of the day now that everyone has stopped fasting), during which all the shops and services are closed whilst everyone eats lots of sugary sweets. As everything was shut I jumped on a boat and took a cruise up the Borphorus and walked back, which was a mistake as it took about 8 hours, but I saw lots of general street life instead of standard tourist sites and got some of my favourite photos yet. I reached the Galata bridge just as the sun was setting and saw what must be one of the best skylines in the world in perfect silhouette.
The following day I watched Turkish TV all morning as was overtired from the previous days efforts and had been woken up by the 5.30am call to prayer. (Note: Getting a room about 50m from the Blue Mosque does provide you with some very cool pictures, but you don’t get any peace except between 2am and 5.30am.)
About midday I moved into the hostel that the rest of the group were staying in, which lasted about 2 hours before I got annoyed with the dodgy looking other guests and the complete lack of security so checked into the hotel over the road for only a few dollars more. This gained me a secure room with a private bathroom. (When the others arrived they had a look and most of them moved over as well).
The next day was properly touristy as we visited the Tokapi Palace and it’s Harems, the Blue Mosque (make sure you go on a sunny day as it’s mostly natural lighting), Hagia Sofia (full of scaffolding on the day we went, but still breathtaking – would happily go back when the scaffolding is down) and the Basilica Cistern (a huge underground water reservoir, full of pillars). We then went and sat on the roof of a nearby building and had a great meal whilst watching the sun set over the various Mosques.
On my final day in Istanbul we said our goodbyes and waved off the truck for the last time, then went to the Grand Bazaar, a maze of shops and cafes, where after three and a half months and 7 countries of hassling by shopkeepers I finally cracked and bought a carpet. There was then a bit of a rush to get it posted home before I left for the airport for my flight to India.
