This country was our gateway to Europe and it provided us a pleasant transition from Asian to European culture. Everything from food, infrastructure and weather improved, giving us an enjoyable time in Turkey. We also tried hitchhiking for the first time and the result was great!

Watch on D.Tube ▶️ - Video is sized for mobile phone

Our journey in 10 paragraphs

  1. The first region we entered in Turkey was a politically sensitive area. To the south was war-torn Syria, to the east was Kurdish freedom fighters who frequently battle against the Turkish government. We were in a hot spot for war!
  2. The southern cities of Turkey are gastronomic capitals. We tried many delicious local dishes from Osmaniye, Gaziantep, Adana and Mersin.
  3. When we arrived in Gaziantep, my bike started making noises that were really concerning. At first it wasn't so bad, but after cycling all day with just 5km to reach our host, we discovered the breaking news.
  4. From Mersin we switched to hitchhiking for 2 weeks. We wanted to attend the Anzac Memorial Service that is special to all Kiwis and Ozzies. (PS: we made it on TV back home!)
  5. After returning back from our mini hitchhiking trip, we headed north to Cappadocia - the land of hot balloons. It was tough cycling inland but well worth the effort.
  6. We stayed in a community bicycle house once and had a great time with the group. They were cylists of all ages, and we cycled together one night to the market to get more people hopping on their bikes. We rang the bells a lot to get people's attention.
  7. Istanbul is a world famous city, and we arrived during their holiday season - Bayram (end of Ramadan). We thought it'll be quiet as people were leaving, but instead all the tourists flocked to the city. It was so packed everywhere we went.
  8. Kahramanmaraş ice cream guys are thr best - getting one is an experience of it's own. They do lots of tricks on you until you give up. The ice cream itself is a must try when in Turkey.
  9. Goodbye Asia. It's amazing to think we cycled all of Asia from the Pacific ocean.
  10. End of the Middle East part of our trip, and the start of Part 4: Europe. First country is Bulgaria.
**Fin - That's all for now folks.**

See more on our D.Tube page

Be a part of our adventure:
WordPress ◈ Instagram ◈ Facebook ◈ Steem