November 16. Still in Istanbul

Today the mechanics wake me up to check the engine – There seems to be still a problem with the spark plugs. I stand around them for some time and after go back in the car to spend time at the internet. Some time after they stop working I take a look outside to check when we will be ready to leave. All the guys are working on a defender from Great Britain. Immediately I make friends with jack, the owner. He is on a trip to Vietnam by car – on his own too. I invite him to have tea as soon as his car is ready and find out that we are waiting for spare parts. Outside its rainy and cold – I hope suryananda will be fixed today.

When I come back I clean a little and find out the carpaper which is proving my ownership is missing. I search suryananda twice but without success. I am already used to problems like this so I start solving it when suddenly the mechanics start working again and jack comes round to have some chai. Suryananda proves to have living room qualities even in the middle of Istanbul! I cook chai and when I grab in the backpockets of my pants for a lighter I find the carpaper!

We enjoy chai and have much more to talk than there is time. Soon jack is off to meet his mother who is visiting him in Istanbul currently. We decide to maybe go to hamam together in the evening but for sure to meet in india.

Suryananda gets a new carboretor….. The guys really know what they are doing. In the morning the engine was running but they were not satisfied – slowly I get the feeling I will not leave Istanbul before suryananda is in perfect shape – I like!
At 5pm Suryananda is ready! The engine sounds nice like never before and we are happy. God bless unprotected Wlan networks.

I decide not to go to Bursa. I haven’t heard anything of Deniz whom I wanted to meet there so what to do… I will go directly direction Ankara and as traffic is hell at daytime on the Bosporus bridges I decide to leave tonight. I have seen the traffic when going to the airport twice and I do not want to do this. Istanbul is really beautiful and people here are amazing. But at the moment I really want to continue my journey. So tonight we will be in asia!

Some hours later I buy some stuff for the way and make all ready for leaving. I want to find out the price for the repair and fix my petrol containers on the back carrier. Then the cute guy from the restaurant next door comes for translating. They put in a new caboretor and all is perfect now. But the carboretor was only for testing. My carboretor (I don’t know if they fix the old one or I get completely new) will be here tomorrow morning. I decide to have dinner at the restaurant of the cute guy, do some internet after and leave Istanbul tomorrow – Inshallah!

Sorry no pictures today