In Ankara we stayed again at Mutlu's place. He was quite surprised: "you're like a boomerang, you go and you come back". Yes, exactly like a boomerang thanks to the Tajik embassy. We finally spent 3 nights in Ankara when it was not even in the plan stopping there.
After going back to Ankara and two more visits to the Tajikistan consulate, we finally got the Tajik visa! Then 10 hours of bus to get to Trabzon and apply for the Iranian visa. After the interesting video conference with the students of Centre d'Estudis Prat in Barcelona where they proposed the first challenges to be done, we took a bus back to Ankara, where we arrived after 5 hours. Turkish long distance buses are really cool. They have comfy and wide seats, wifi, a screen on every seat where you can charge your phone, watch TV, play games, etc. and they also have a catering service and you are getting food and drinks every now and then. Exactly the same as Spanish buses :P
In Ankara we stayed again at Mutlu's place. He was quite surprised: "you're like a boomerang, you go and you come back". Yes, exactly like a boomerang thanks to the Tajik embassy. We finally spent 3 nights in Ankara when it was not even in the plan stopping there.
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Three days in Cappadocia trekking and hiking through out of the world landscapes, visiting open air museums, underground cities and enjoying everything there.Having left all the paperwork at the Tajikistan embassy in Ankara, we headed for Göreme, a 2000 inhabitants city in the middle of Turkish Cappadocia. We have to wait till Tuesday to hopefully collect the visa, so instead of staying in Ankara, much better to enjoy Cappadocia.
After 5 hours of bus we got there. First impression of Göreme is that it is a village fully prepared for tourists. Plenty of souvenir shops, bars, restaurants, etc. Anyway, it is set in the middle of Cappadocia surrounded by amazing karstic landscapes and it gives it an air of totally out of the world place. After the failure of getting the Tajik visa in Istanbul, we had to head for the embassy in Ankara hoping that this time we would be luckier.
After 7 hours by bus we arrived at 23:00 local time to the capital. Went to Mutlu's place, a cosy apartment by the main bus station owned by Mutlu, a helicopter mechanic who was really nice. He gave us directions to get to the Tajik embassy and next morning we went there. Unlike in Istanbul, this time the embassy was where it was supposed to be but of course, everything could not be perfect: the consul was on business trip to Istanbul (probably deciding the new 3 days spent in Istanbul with a bit of sightseeing and a much of losing nerves because of Tajikistan consulate. All in all it was quite good, though. I'm so proud to officially write the first post on the road after having spent first 3 days in Istanbul. Landed there from Copenhagen one hour later than expected, took bus to Taksim square and from there we went to Muaf Bar, where Gursel was waiting. He is the guy renting us out a room nearby. Followed him till the apartment to find out it was in a quite dark and scary area but ended up being quite a good option. The apartment was simple and we had a small room to sleep in.
This last week since the website was launched has been quite busy and quite profitable at the same time, since Earthlooping has signed a few collaboration agreements with different companies.So we're already in Copenhagen waiting for tomorrow, which is the big day. Big day because tomorrow the round-the-world trip is finally starting from Istanbul (Turkey). In the meantime, these days have been very profitable. First, I've been able to pack all my stuff with a final weight of 13 kg. A couple of long pants, one shorts, a couple of shoes, 4 or 5 shirts, 2 jackets, some electronic stuff, a tent, sleeping bag, a few socks and underwear and not much more to survive during at least the first months. Secondly, Earthlooping has signed 4 collaboration agreements with different companies: - Area Impuls: They will help me look for sponsors for the trip. - Escola Prat: We're going to have Skype conferences with secondary high education students and they are going to propose challenges to be recorded during the trip. I was also answering questions to students at the school before leaving to Copenhagen. - Bubble Football Barcelona: One of the first Bubble football companies in Spain. I'm taking a banner and a T-shirt and will be posting pictures with them. - Meeting Point Languages: A languages school in Barcelona with which we're also going to have Skype conferences and they are going to follow the trip. I'm really proud of these signings and really looking forward to starting the trip! Stay tuned and see you in Istanbul! After having the idea of a round-the world-trip in mind for quite some years, after having completed a half-round-the-world trip and after quite a lot of different trips, finally the day of announcing the start of a complete round-the-world trip has come! Hi there!
In case there's anyone else reading this besides me, I would like to welcome you to the official launch of the Earthlooping website! Here you'll be able to follow my round-the-world trip, which is due to start next 19th of October. Until that day, feel free to explore the website, to check it and to contact us in case there's something wrong or whatever you may want to tell me. The trip is officially going to start in Istanbul (Turkey), although I'll be flying there from Copenhagen, where I'll spend the last days before setting off. From Istanbul the plan is heading eastwards towards Asia and be on the road for a minimum time of one year. Of course this is only the initial plan, a lot of things can change and maybe I'm back home in a couple of weeks, but I really hope to make it last for as long as possible. To make family and friends (and whoever that might be interested in it) easy to follow the trip, I've decided to create this website. Together with the website, if you have an Android phone, you can download the Earthlooping app, which is a reduced version of the website and an easy way to follow us from your smartphone. In addition, you will also be able to follow the trip from several social networks: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Google+. On the website you'll find different categories. The one you're reading is the main page: the blog. Here you'll be able to follow the trip latest news, as I'll be posting as much as I can depending on the time and the Internet connection available, but the idea is that at least once a week there will be an update about the trip. You can subscribe to the blog and get the latest updates in your mail or subscribe to the monthly newsletter and get news from the trip once a month if you find hearing about it every week is too boring. There's also a pictures and videos gallery where you'll find the best images and videos from the trip sorted by country. You can also find a section called Top10, with a ranking (according to me) of the very best of the trip. In the route map section, you can follow the itinerary and see where I am every day, as well as how much time I have been on the road. The travel guides section is meant to help you in case you are travelling to any of these places. There are a lot of travel guides on the market, but here you'll have up-to-date information about accomodation, transportation, sightseeing, etc. Next, the travel consulting section is also a place for you. There you'll find your personal travel consultancy where you can design your own customized trip and I will help you arrange everything you need for it. The challenges section is supposed to be one of the funniest parts of the trip. Second higher education students will be proposing challenges and the best ones will be done and recorded on video and you'll see them published here. Finally, the about us section is where you'll find a little bit of personal information, a wish list, a suggestions section to help improve the web, and also a section in which you can help the project by sponsoring the trip in the way you like. Ok, I will stop writing and annoying you with text, so instead of reading this first post, go and explore the website a little bit and give some feedback about it. Hope you like it, you enjoy it and you follow earthlooping during these months! See you on the road! |
AuthorBorn in Barcelona and raised in Olot, I've been interested in travelling since I was a child, when every Summer I crossed Spain from coast to coast with my parents. Listening to my siblings' stories about their trips all over the world also helped, as well as watching Around the World with Willy Fog on TV :)
As I grew up, and while I was still studying... read more
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