 |
|
Day 11, Sunday 13 October
Göreme Departure…….. Setting the alarm for 6am proves unnecessary. I’m awake after just another restless night with sinus issues realising, I should’ve gone to the chemist by now. Well it’s too late as we’re packed by 7.15am and make our way to the bus stop. Unsure whether the bus company has a connecting service to Nevşehir bus station, we hop on a public bus which drops off in the town. Services run regularly from here to the bus station. It’s a bit of a struggle on public transport but at least it’s cheap. Arriving at the bus terminal, we have a good 30 minutes to spare. I must add that although things have been frustrating at times, the Turks with more English than I expected, have been generally most helpful.
Return to Istanbul…….. Nevşehir Bus Company has provided a 2+1 bus service i.e. three seats across the aisle instead of the usual four but then there are no toilets. Coffee, tea, soft drinks and cake are regularly handed out. After just one stop we arrive in Ankara at about 1:15 pm.
I now expect to arrive in Istanbul at around 8:30 pm and at sunset we’re around 40 km from the city but as expected, drop-offs occur at two terminals on the Asian side. We are now only 10 km from our final destination as the crow flies. However, an evening sightseeing tour of Istanbul seems to be on offer! Why oh why does the coach not cross one of the bridges over the Bosphorous so near? Instead, as with departure following the opposite route, we take a wide anticlockwise arc around the city using the northern bridge. This detour must be between 50 to 60 km and it’s like using the M25 to get from London Bridge to Hammersmith. While, of course there are other terminals on the European side to call at, after 2 1/2 hours on this bus after arriving in Istanbul we arrive at the Otogari totally exhausted and we’re still nowhere near our accommodation. We now need to take the metro to Yenikapi. Katoon insists we take a taxi from there but drivers are not interested in going into the old city less than a kilometre away. We just have to walk for 15 minutes with our luggage.
Göreme Departure…….. Setting the alarm for 6am proves unnecessary. I’m awake after just another restless night with sinus issues realising, I should’ve gone to the chemist by now. Well it’s too late as we’re packed by 7.15am and make our way to the bus stop. Unsure whether the bus company has a connecting service to Nevşehir bus station, we hop on a public bus which drops off in the town. Services run regularly from here to the bus station. It’s a bit of a struggle on public transport but at least it’s cheap. Arriving at the bus terminal, we have a good 30 minutes to spare. I must add that although things have been frustrating at times, the Turks with more English than I expected, have been generally most helpful.
Return to Istanbul…….. Nevşehir Bus Company has provided a 2+1 bus service i.e. three seats across the aisle instead of the usual four but then there are no toilets. Coffee, tea, soft drinks and cake are regularly handed out. After just one stop we arrive in Ankara at about 1:15 pm.
I now expect to arrive in Istanbul at around 8:30 pm and at sunset we’re around 40 km from the city but as expected, drop-offs occur at two terminals on the Asian side. We are now only 10 km from our final destination as the crow flies. However, an evening sightseeing tour of Istanbul seems to be on offer! Why oh why does the coach not cross one of the bridges over the Bosphorous so near? Instead, as with departure following the opposite route, we take a wide anticlockwise arc around the city using the northern bridge. This detour must be between 50 to 60 km and it’s like using the M25 to get from London Bridge to Hammersmith. While, of course there are other terminals on the European side to call at, after 2 1/2 hours on this bus after arriving in Istanbul we arrive at the Otogari totally exhausted and we’re still nowhere near our accommodation. We now need to take the metro to Yenikapi. Katoon insists we take a taxi from there but drivers are not interested in going into the old city less than a kilometre away. We just have to walk for 15 minutes with our luggage.
Nevşehir Bus Company, Istanbul and La Casa Suite
Further delay……..
Now after a good hour from reaching the bus terminal, we arrive at La Casa Suite deep in the old city. As we arrive, the owner is a little surprised to see us but why? I paid him up front for the last three nights here. He explains that due to our late arrival, the ground floor room we booked is now occupied. The only room available is on the top floor. !#$%*. Sod that but a few well-chosen words without anger fixes the problem but we will have to wait another 30 minutes while they prepare the room. Yes, we could’ve called ahead to report our delay but Katoon with the only service, has run out of battery power. But the point is, the room was already booked and he jumped to conclusions. Thankfully there are no heated exchanges and the 30 minutes is not wasted as we look around for something to eat but now not far off midnight there are a few options. A couple of Pakistani restaurants are open and thankfully Katoon agrees to take a chicken biryani, much to my surprise. A few shops are also open so I can get a beer and water to make coffee. On the plus side, the food is amazing; best curry I’ve had in a long time but with a final thrust of the sword, the sinus issues which have been hanging around for days, blows up completely. Next Page.