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.
Our cool neighbourhood
After leaving the stuff at Gursel's, decided to go and check Taksim's nightlife a bit. I had been in Istanbul a few years ago and didn't remember it was so crowded and so lively everywhere around Taksim square and Istiklal street (the main street in modern Istanbul). There was party and karaoke everywhere, but havng to wake up early next morning just invited for one beer and back home. And so we did.
Next morning at 8 we were going out from home. Where? To the Tajikistan consulate. We need Tajikistan visa in order to be able to apply for an Uzbek transit visa, which we need in order to apply for a Turkmen visa, as the plan is going from Turkey to Georgia, then Armenia, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and al the stans.
Next morning at 8 we were going out from home. Where? To the Tajikistan consulate. We need Tajikistan visa in order to be able to apply for an Uzbek transit visa, which we need in order to apply for a Turkmen visa, as the plan is going from Turkey to Georgia, then Armenia, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and al the stans.
So happily we went to the address shown in the official Tajikistan consulate website. After one hour by bus we got there to discover that the consulate had moved somewhere else. We decided to go to the old Tajikistan consulate and there a guy gave us some directions to the new one. One hour of bus later we found ourselves looking for the consulate in a complete different area and asking everyone for directions. Turkish people are very nice and they always try to help, but there's a small problem: they are always giving wrong directions. In the end we ended up at the Kazahstan consulate, from there we were sent to another area after another hour in a bus, and in that area after taking some 4 minibuses going we still don't know where and asking for directions several times with no success we decided to give up. It was totally impossible to find the Tajik consulate in Istanbul. So 9 hours later after leaving home, we returned to central Istanbul not very happy about our consulate adventure. If there's anyone with enough guts to find the Tajik consulate in Istanbul, please let me know, that someone deserves a prize.
Praying time at the New Mosque
So to try to make the day a bit better, we decided to finish it in Üsküdar watching the sunset over Istanbul. You get there after 10 or 15 minutes of ferry and you have a very nice view of old Istanbul skyline. After the sunset we returned to Taksim area, went for another beer (this time we found a place with beers at 7TL which is a decent price for beer in Istanbul) and back home to sleep.
Women praying at Eyüp Mosque
Next morning it was devoted to sightsee and explore the city. First we headed to Eyüp, which is a neighbourhood a bit apart from touristry places and which has a really nice mosque. From there you can go up to Pierre Loti café and enjoy awesome views of the Golden Horn. Really reccomendable. Minibus (or Dolmus, as it is called here) and we were in old touristry Istanbul again.
In there, we visited a few mosques, watched some praying times, visited the Spice Bazar, the Grand Bazar... all these typical things everybody visits in Istanbul. Beer, back home and next day it was time for Topkapi Palace. I wasn't able to go there when I first went to Istanbul, so this time I made sure I visit it.
And after Topkapi, we decided to go to Ankara and try to find the Tajikistan embassy there, it couldn't be worse than Istanbul, the bad thing is that Ankara is not supposed to be a really nice and beautiful city to visit. Will see how it is and if we are lucky enough to find the embassy and, most important, to finally get the Tajik visa there.
Make sure to check our pictures from Istanbul as well as our Istanbul guide!
In there, we visited a few mosques, watched some praying times, visited the Spice Bazar, the Grand Bazar... all these typical things everybody visits in Istanbul. Beer, back home and next day it was time for Topkapi Palace. I wasn't able to go there when I first went to Istanbul, so this time I made sure I visit it.
And after Topkapi, we decided to go to Ankara and try to find the Tajikistan embassy there, it couldn't be worse than Istanbul, the bad thing is that Ankara is not supposed to be a really nice and beautiful city to visit. Will see how it is and if we are lucky enough to find the embassy and, most important, to finally get the Tajik visa there.
Make sure to check our pictures from Istanbul as well as our Istanbul guide!
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