(Daniel) I must say, we have been wasting our time spending ages looking for quiet spots to bush camp.  Camping at the truck stop last night was great, especially with hot water, a toilet and breakfast with coffee only a short walk away from the sleeping bag!  Of course we won't suddenly start spending all our time in these places, but on a long driving session, you can pull up late and sleep soundly without any of the usual worries at all, in the morning you are already on the main road to your next destination.

It was this start, and the wonderful sun that took us from Sofia to the Turkish border in record time this morning.  We stopped at a petrol station just outside the border post to stretch our legs and go to loo.  The garage owner came out to meet us, and asked if we needed fuel, but thinking that Turkey would be cheaper than Bulgaria I declined, and we pushed on to the border crossing with only the larger 85 litre tank full, and 185 litres of empty space in the other fuel tank and empty jerry cans.

The Border crossing was extremely easy, with very friendly smiling guards, and lots of approving looks.  First we purchased visas at the cash desk after leaving Bulgaria, the Norwegian visa fee was 50 dollars, and the English one 20 euros, but my Irish passport only cost 10 euros!  After going through passport control with our visas, we purchased insurance for the Wolf and trailer for 52 dollars, then from there we moved on to the vehicle customs section.  This was not so easy, and the older man on duty was quite put out about having to process us.  After 30 minutes of standing around we were waived on without a search into Turkey.  As we started out on the highway, we drove past a good 3-4kms of freight haulage vehicles queuing for the border, and none of them were moving.  I would say that the vehicles towards the end were in for a 6 day wait at least!  On the road we spotted a petrol station, and imagine my pain as I realised that the fuel in turkey is 80 euro cents more expensive per litre than Bulgaria!

The drive was smooth all the way to Istanbul and went very quickly.  But as we got into the city I soon realised how manic the Turkish driving style was.  People rely completely on others watching what they are doing, and fly full speed along any lane of the motorway, including reversing back down it to get to that turning they just missed!  Off the highway, the drivers beep immediately if they are held up in any way, or just to make others aware that they are about to buzz them at light speed.  I didn't have too much trouble as larger vehicles usually get a bit more respect, and Sultanhamet was very well signposted from the highway.

We arrived in Sultanhamet and found a 24 hour manned car park where we made a deal to store the Wolf and trailer next to the guards office.  The cost was 80 Turkish Lira,  a small price to pay for peace of mind. Of course, Gabby already knew the best place to stay, the Side (Seeda) Hotel just across the road from the Four Seasons.  We did of course have a wander to check out the competition, but returned to The Side and checked in, a Double for Rowan and Gabbs, and a single with shared bathroom for me.  I got the better deal, with the same size room for half the price, and my choice of shared bathrooms, as no one else was staying there!  There is a brilliant roof terrace where breakfast is served and from your table you can see both Ayasofia and The Blue Mosque.  From the upper level of the terrace you can look across the Bospherous to Asia, and along the coast of this huge city.  When I unpacked the laptop I discovered that there was awireless network in range, so I could surf and update the home team on progress.  All this for 16 euros a night!

After unpacking, we all walked down the road to a local restaurant that looked worth a try.  It was our first experience of current food prices and quality, and wasn't bad.  But I know that with Rowan around there will be much better to come.

I was very pleased to get into a nice comfy bed this evening, with heating and double glazing.  The start of a well needed three day rest!

Distance Driven 350miles

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