#1 Petrol is astronomically expensive which is strange when you think how close to the Gulf it is. I think it’s the second most expensive petrol in the world after Norway
#2 Which means that, apart from IstanbulĀ and Ankara, the open roads have hardly any traffic on them
#3 No massive amounts of luggage on roof racks unlike all of Central Asia
#4 Big meat eaters
#5 We’ve oddly seen lots of Land Rover pick ups and no big expensive shiny Landcruisers (prevalent in Central Asian cities amongst the wealthy)
#6 The Black Sea coast is really dramatic.
#7 Loads and loads, especially in small rural towns, of big really naff furniture shops
#8 If you think Captain can grow a good beard wait till you see Turkish beards – beautiful specimens
#9 First country we’ve driven through where there are lots of beggars
#10 Lots of smokers
#11 Istanbul has very fashionable young people
#12 Very aggressive unpleasant shop sellers that harass you on the streets of Istanbul (re: Shoe Shine Scam)
#13 More kebab shops then you can shake a stick at
#14 The tourist attraction entry tickets are extremely expensive
#15 Istanbul is a massive sprawling city
#16 Wish it wasn’t winter as we would have spent a lot longer here exploring the beautiful coastlines – travelling from beach to beach. Captain could have topped up his tan too
#17 Like Georgia lots of shops and people selling freshly squeezed pomegranate and/or orange juice – delicious
#18 There must be literally a million hotels in Istanbul
#19 Quite a few moustaches
#20 We will definitely visit again š