I found the Indian traffic that I was expecting…it required getting out of the cities and off the large divided highways. (No need to read any further, Mom)
In the cities, traffic is crazy and chaotic, but it’s so slow that it isn’t really scary. Minor collisions aren’t uncommon, but the consequences aren’t too serious, as can be seen here…
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I finally got my bike through customs!
After leaving Istanbul two days later than planned (which then required waiting over the weekend while customs was closed), and going through 3 days of dealing with customs, it felt pretty good to go on one of the most exciting rides I’ve ever taken through a city.
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I’m still in Mumbai, waiting on my bike…here are some more pictures of the city…
Dhobi Ghat
A massive open air laundromat.
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In pretty much every way possible, India is a completely different than anywhere I’ve been. I think that’s pretty much what everyone says about this place after they’ve visited, which made me think I’d have some idea of what to expect. Turns out I didn’t.
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I just made it to India, but am waiting on my bike. I’m having some serious motorcycle withdrawals and have almost considered renting one of these…
Other than that, I’m photoless, but here’s the story of how my shipping experience went out of Turkey…
I’m heading to India.
I’m really excited.
I’m going with virtually no plans.
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My friend, Hazal, and I made a trip to Cappadocia. With my bike being stored at the airport in preparation for the flight to India, we took a flight there, and left the bike behind. Cappadocia is a region in central Turkey that is known for it’s incredibly unique landscape.
The first cool thing about Cappadocia is the natural rock formations. On top of that, there are tons of houses and churches (over 1000 in the region) carved into these rock formations. And most importantly this area was the inspiration for the landscape of the planet Tatooine in Star Wars.
The original Galata Tower, built in 528, was used as a lighthouse and as the northern end of the “great chain”, which was stretched across the golden horn to prevent enemy ships from passing. It was destroyed in 1203, during the 4th Crusade. In 1348, the tower was rebuilt at a slightly different site (this is what still stands today) and called the Christea Turris, or Tower of Christ, but today is referred to the Galata Tower.
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Not surprisingly, Istanbul makes me feel further from home than anywhere I’ve been yet…both geographically and culturally.
After five days here, I don’t have much desire to move on. I think this is due to the fact that there’s a seemingly infinite amount of things to see here, and I met a lovely girl that’s showing me around to all the best spots.
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The last few days have been filled with some pleasant surprises. First, I’ll go back to Skopje (and earlier). While I was riding the Adriatic coast in Croatia, I passed two people on a tandem bike with a French flag on the back. A few weeks later, shortly after getting off the Lake Koman ferry in Albania, I passed a tandem bike in the mountains (I felt a little bad as I simply laid on the throttle and cruised up such a steep road, while they were in the middle of what I’m sure felt like an endless climb) with a French Flag…was that the same bike?! When I got into Skopje, there was a French couple at my hostel…turns out they were riding to Istanbul on a tandem…and we discussed our routes…it was definitely them that I’d seen twice before. How crazy?! And speaking of crazy, the two of them got married in September, and their honeymoon is a year long trip on a tandem across Europe, SE Asia, and South America. I guess they’ll at least know by the end of it whether or not marriage was the right decision.
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a pat on a motorcycle 