Welcome to Turkey

On leaving Greece we filled up with gas before crossing the border. If you thought Greece was expensive at between 1.58E to 1.77E  ($2.20 - 2.46 CAN) then try 4.20TL or ($2.48) here. That is per litre my friends (2011). So don’t complain about $1.20 litre in Canada in future.

Turkish Flag in Eceabat

We had a very easy entry into Turkey. Canadians require a VISA to enter and that can be processed at the border. Ours was done in 30 secs. at a cost of 90E for the 2 of us. The motorcycle required a bit more checking out since ICBC documentation is ridiculous in being clear that the registration and insurance document is actually a title document as well. Everything was done very politely and quickly and we just wore our big smiles and they seemed to like that. By comparison a Japanese tour operator was berating a control point police man at the end and it was not very nice. Needless to say they stayed a lot longer at the border than we did. A law student I had as a ride-a-long once said, the one thing he learned when he was with me and my partner was that the more people complain the more police will write tickets. Welcome to the reality folks!


Our Canadian flags have really been noticed here with many people honking and waving at us as we drive by, smiling, or rolling down their windows at the next stop light and saying welcome. Some Sandra says, point to the bike then rub their thumb and middle finger together indicating the bike cost a lot of money and we must be rich. 

Boat traffic on the Bosphorus

We drove down the peninsula to Eceabat and crossed the Bophorus seaway to Cannakale. Strange names for sure. The Bosphorus separates Europe from Asia and links the Aegean sea with the Black Sea. Since many countries depend on this seaway, like the St. Lawrence, to move goods to the Atlantic and beyond it was a strategic point during WWI and WWII. Up to 500,000 lives were lost here during these wars.


Had my first real scare as we drove into the ferry terminal area at Eceabat. It's been so darn hot that I must have left my jacket open a bit, and its an airflow jacket ( mesh with armor), but I ended up getting a wasp/bee that came inside and down my T shirt. 5 Bites later I jump off the bike and it flies away. I immediately took a Chlorotriplon and everything seemed fine. Then last evening 24 hrs after it happened the bites swelled up. Now I can see 5 sting marks and it is really itchy. Oh well I didn't have to use the Epi-pen.

A waterfront scene near Ackay

The Trojan Horse ( a replica ) near Troy

Our drive so far isn’t any different than expected. The roads here are rough, but lots of road work is being done currently. Turkey has the feel of a country on the move. We are now in Bergama, waiting to tour Pergamman, one of the most dramatic sites in Turkey. Originally settled by the Greeks in the 8th century BC. We have seen more motorcyclist tourists here in 1 day than all the time we were in Greece.