Fritz's Mongolian Summer: Istanbul and Nationalism in Turkey

It has been some time since I last posted because Mary met me in Istanbul and I spent my time traveling with her, rather than sitting in cheap hostels writing blog articles.

I am in Turkey with a toothache. As I write this I am in the lobby of the Hotel UZ in beautiful downtown Safranbolu, Turkey. The desk clerk and I just finished a google translate conversation, much of which centered on what an old man like me was doing on a motorcycle to Mongolia. Tomorrow morning I will see his dentist.

Turkey is an amazing place. I liken it to Texas. Lots of industry, and a varied landscape. Today I rode from Istanbul, and the landscape was lush. But during the weekend I visited Cappadocia, and it was basically Wyoming, with a touch of South Dakota.

When I am on the motorbike I compose all these pithy things to put in the blog. Then I go brain dead. There is a lot of anxiety associated with the trip because of language issues (I don’t speak all languages). But when I am riding it all goes away. My best interaction comes when I am totally lost. Today I was looking for a hotel. Four boys about 13 or 14 came over., then a bunch of older men (my age). I asked the boys who had the best English grades. One of them spoke up. They were all really good. Mostly just “go left, then left”. Then the men joined in “go good hotel”. In the end I found this place mostly by accident.

Let me talk about Istanbul for a bit. It costs money to go there, but hostels in the Sultanameht area are plentiful, and relatively inexpensive. I would say you need $40 a day for a hostel. We did not stay in a hostel. Well, I did the first night. We stayed at the SokulluPasa Hotel. It was very nice. Unfortunately, when I put my stuff in storage they did not tag it all. So someone thought my auxiliary fuel tank was OK to use for cleaning the diesel backup generator. Then they tossed it and the dirty oil. The hotel moved mountains to replace it, but the model is no longer made. So they somehow got hold of a 2 gallon Rotopax replacement – in diesel yellow. Stuff happens. I am happy. My bike is now very colorful and trucks can see me a mile away. Actually they do not have “miles” here; more like 1.42 kilometers away. www.sokullupasahotel.com

Mary and I booked our trip through a local agent in Istanbul that I found over the internet. They are called New Deal Travel. www.privateinstanbultours.com we received good value, not glitches, and the hotels and tours were first rate. I did get a bit tired of tour buses. But that is just grumpy old man Fritz.

We visited all of Istanbul, ANZAC beach, Troy, and Cappadocia. I am so glad I opted for air transport to Cappadocia rather than an overnight bus.

If you have ever wanted to go somewhere vibrant, exotic, urbane, visually and aurally breathtaking, then Istanbul is the place. It was way better than anything I ever expected. Your visit will destroy all your notions of what Turkey is, and will become. They wave the flag like the USA. It flies over everything. And I think the Turks can be justifiably proud of their country.

When I am done getting my tooth repaired I will head east and north to Georgia to meet up with my friend Derek Welch in Tbilisi. I received my Turkmenistan visa approval today. So sometime in between May 28 and June 2 I will get a boat from Baku, Azerbaijan to Turkmenbashi. That is really my “holy crap – no going back now” moment. Just the anxiety kicking in again. I am going to get my tooth fixed, hop on the bike, and live in the moment. I am so happy when I am on the bike, and I thank God every day that I am healthy, tough, and resourceful enough to do this.

Now for the pictures, because I know that is what you all really like the most.