Istanbul...The city of 3 million moustaches

So after a few border stops at Bulgaria (shitty small stamps) I had to wait more then 2 hours at the Turkish border and they were checking everybody's bags for alcohol or tabaco. With help of my fellow turkish buspassengers I got send the right way to the hostel I was planning to stay in, Big Apple hostel in Sultanameth.

Istanbul is a real great city, where the west and middle east come together. The city has many mosques and some churches aswell, 5 times a day the muslims pray and the speakers on the mosques are sending the prays all a cross Istanbul, which is not really that bad actually; it doesn't wake me up at 5 in the morning.

Here at the hostel where I have been staying now for 5 days I have met some really nice people from all over the globe. I have been visiting some real nice attractions like Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque with a few backpackers I have been hanging out with. Alex from Wales, Beth and Oli from Canada and Ozzie Dave; really cool guys and at night smoking many waterpipes and drinking turkish beers in the Beanbags (zitzakken) on the roof terrace of our hostel with an amazing view over the river Bosphorus (the river that splits Europe and Asia) and the Blue Mosque in the back. The last few days 2 fellow Dutchies adding to the bunch and my Yoga teacher Gavin from England/South Africa.

Yoga?!?.... Yeah Joost has gone spiritual. I did a small personal course with Gavin of 6 times an hour to learn the basics. I do it mainly because of releasing tension/stress and becoming mentally stronger. Not that I have any stress here but the last years I have created an interest for it and hearing from people that it's really working for them.

I find it really interresting and Gavin is a real good teacher, I plan to practise it further on my own. Saturday bought some nice stuff at the Grand Bazaar like a new cap and shorts and some bananatabaco for the waterpipes and practised my bargain skills at the over 4000 shops.

Eating many kebabs and really experience the Turkish lifestyle here in Istanbul, life is good here and really worth it working so many hours the last 5 months.

Yesterday been walking allot to reach the Dutch consulate to get an recommendation letter which I need to apply for a visa for Syria. Even had a clean shave for it but still had to pay 48 lira (about 24 euro) just to get a letter which says; 'Yeah Joost Copray is a good boy may he enter Syria please'. Bought a busticket to Olympos for tonight (the 31st) to chill out in some treehouses they have there. Got up early today because I had to be at the Syria consulate before 11 oclock to apply for my visa (30 euro), at the moment I'm waiting (and updating this blog) to get my passport back at around 15:00. I really hope I get in because I heard some spectacular stories about Syria. This trip I will skip Lebanon because of the mess the country is in right now, really ashame because Lebanon has some great sights I want to visit. After Syria I will move to Jordan and then to the holy land to visit some friends.

Thanks for the nice reactions on my blog and hope you are all well. The photos are from me standing infront of the Blue Mosque and a photo of some Bananatabaco.

Rushing to the Balkan

Thuesday 24th of July

After watchıng the Ferry depart from the harbour of Barı, I had a good conversatıon with Ina (the Albanian girl I talked to at the busstop) about our studies, life ın Albanıa and travelling. After that night sleeping in a sort of comfort chair I woke up around 8 when the Ferry arrıved in Durres. Walking out I forgot to get my passport back and had to walk all the way back wıth my backpack to the reception through a bıg crowd of people waiting to get out.

Fınally out Ina was waıtıng for me at the entrance to Albania, she lives ın Tirane and hopping with her on the bus and her mother who was waiting for her it took us 30 mınutes to get to the capital. My first ımpressıon about Albania?; Well it's not a rıch country I can say. Allot of houses are being build, and there are quite some people begging for money but life is changing in Albania according to Ina. Ina studies in Rome, she returns back to Tirane a few times a year and everytime she notices new changes in her city.

With approval from her mom I was invited to her home to have a shower,some food and she wanted to show me her city

Tirane is not really a huge city, you can easily walk in a day from one side to the other, but because today is 42! degrees Celsius it's not very pleasant to walk all the time. Ina showed me the National museum and told me some interresting stuff about her country.

Heading back to her house she offered me some real good traditional food (bread;)), fresh milk,fruit and her father offered me some Grapi (strong alcohol) Had some good conversations with her father, sometimes with Ina translating, about the norms and values of Albanians. Ina and her family were so friendly and kind to me they really made my day in Albania unforgetable. Her dad even offered me to stay in their house. Got a real got impression about life here in Albania. Ina helped me to get a busticket to Skopje (capital of Macedonia) and took that bus at 18:00. I want to thank Ina and her family for her hospitality and friendlyness. The busride took about 9 hours and during that ride I had some nice conversations in German with some Turkish guys. Arriving around 3 oclock and buying my ticket to Istanbul for 42 euro departing at 4 oclock, I thought..... Already paid for my ticket and receiving it it said 16:00 oclock!! Had to f%$^ing wait for 13 hours, well hack! Shit Happens.

Slept for 3 hours on a metal bench and then watched for several hours people arriving and departing, writing in my journal and updating my blog in a internet cafe.

Finally 16:00...... Middle east here I come.

Italia Italia, Sunny Italia

On thursday the 19th I left Affoltern close to Zurich. Saying goodbye to Jorine my travel companion for the last 3 days, she will be travelling to Swiss for the summer.

At 8 o'clock I left Mariekes house and quickly I was picked up by a car to being dropped of at the highway 30 minutes later. Twice that morning I was standing at an entry of a highway where cars were driving at speeds of 100 km by me.

But miraculesly I ended up on the good road in the direction of Milano and could hitch at gas stations again. Got a ride from a Italian comediant which I found not that funny and got a ride from a dutch couple who were driving just close by Vada.

Got out, saw the sign for the camping Molino a Fuoco and started walking in 30 degrees celcius because I thought it was close by. After an hour walking Jelke called me and picked me up on the way.

Jelke is a good friend of mine who I travelled with to South America 2 years ago, he is guide at the camping and guides a group of 18 singles of all ages form 27 to 57. He does various excursions with them from mountain biking to city excursions to Pisa or Florence and changes groups per week. He arranged a good tent for me and I met other guides and a group of children entertainers (in dutch; animators) of an agency called Sun & Fun.

The next 4 days were time for relaxation. Swimming in the Mediteranian sea (which I haven't seen in more then 10 years) Playing frisbee and hanging out with the Sun & Funners, helping them with preparing a BBQ and a pastaparty for a group of single parents with children.

On saturday I went with the group to Florence because they had a seat free in the big tour bus. Florence is a nice city, big and full with tourists. Played some frisbee with Jelke in a park, walked around bought an italian flag for my bag and had a 3,5 euro icecream (which is a cheapest one because big ones are over 8 euro!) That night went to a nice club with a big group, the club was at the sea and part of it was outdoor. Allot of young 15 year old italians who hardly reach the 1,70 m but had a nice night.

The last day chilled at the sea playing frisbee, and watched the last night of the single-parent-group-children who performed some funny acts. On the photo added you see the group Sun&Funners singing a song.

Monday the 23th left early in the morning, said goodbye to Jelke and I was dropped of at an entrance to an highway to Grosetto, within no time I past Roma and Napoli sometimes in cars driving 180 km per hour. My last hitch was from an Italian who dropped me of at the good direction to Bari (the harbour with ferries to Albania/Greece/Croatia) even if that wasn't in his way and he bought me some food and drinks. Really kind. And he bought me a busticket from that gasstation to Faggio so I could take a train to Bari because he thought it would be hard to get to Bari in 1 day.

Last year during my eurotrip people said that it would be hard to hitchhike through Italia but I find it really easy actually. Even when the driver doesn't speak english I can still make small conversations with them talking with hands.

Took the bus and then later the train at 19:00 to Bari. Took a bus to the harbour and started to talk to an Albanian girl who wanted to take the ferry to Albania.

First my plan was to try to find a truck and hitchhike to Albania on the ferry by truck. But after travelling a whole day I decided to buy a 70 euro seat for the ferry who left at midnight from Bari, Italia to Durres in Albania.

Had a nice comfy seat to sleep in.

(At the moment I'm in Skopje, Macedonia waiting now for almost 12 hours for my bus to Istanbul when I'm there I will write more about my trip through Ambania)

Journey To The Holy Land

Monday 16th of July;

Jorine already arrived early at 8 in the morning but we left at around 9:30 because I was late with packing

Our first destination first was Munchen, to visit a friend of mine I met in Laos, but at the last moment he wrote me that he had a big test on thuesday so monday would be a bad day to comeby. Friends of Jorine were heading to Brussels to stay with someone they knew so we planned to hitch in the direction of Belgium through Holland; which turned out to be a dumb decision.

After 11 hours of hitchhiking over small distances we stranded at 300 km further from Groningen at a McDonalds near Veldhoven. We should have taken the road through Germany.

Coincidentally we met there 2 French backpackers (Lucas and Susan, thanks guys) just coming back from a festival 'Summer Jam' who had a spare tent with them. We found a nice location near a small forrest and slept there with the 4 of us in the 2 tents. 4 Hitchhiking backpackers with dreadlocks, well ok I don't have dreadlocks but it felt like it because we got a ride in a cabrio that day, but Lucas, Susan and Jorine have.

The next day we were certain to make it to Zurich that day. After being lucky to being picked up be a dutch truck driver at the German border we had less luck because we were in a traffic jam for 5 !! hours getting dropped of close to Frankfurt. From 22:00 to 2:00 we still had 2 rides

getting stranded at a motel sharing it with 2 german hitchhikers (for 40 euro) who were making their way to Vienna, Austria. Bastian and Lisa and almost a drunken truckdriver who wanted to sleep in the same 2 person room, but we kicked him out because he had his own bed in his truck.

Wednesday we planned to leave early but started around 9:30, first person I asked brought us to past the Swiss border near Basel. We had a flat tire on the way but fixed it. He also bought us some food and a coffee which was very nice. After that we were in no time in Zurich centre taking the train to Affoltern a small suburb where Marieke lived.

Marieke is a cousin of Jorine and speaks dutch aswell. Jorine was going to the Gunter festival with her the following days. We could stay there for a night and had a nice pasta meal. Marieke is a nice woman with 2 busy young children, and that day I witnissed how much it takes to raise children.

Tomorrow I will leave early trying to make it to a small place called Vada under Pisa in Italy to visit a good friend of mine; Jelke, who is working there.

Travel Introduction 2007

Aaah finally my blog is working again, had some password problems. I will describe everything per few days)

Finally the date the 16th of July is nearing, the day I'm looking forward to eversince i'm back from my eurotrip.
After 20 weeks of internship at Kameleondorp making days of 11/12 hours a day (incl. travelling to) and sometimes 7 days a week I really needed to get away and this time out of Europe. To the Middel East with my goal making it to Isreal through the Balkan, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.
Why??? ......Why is Joost travelling to this 'dangerous' region of the world, you might ask.
Well.. Exactly; to proof the opposit. Many people only think of the middle east of 'dangerous' muslims, war and bombings.
I heard from various friends that the middel east is amazing and really friendly. Of course you have violent places at the moment in Gaza or in parts of Lebanon and I won't be visiting those places, don't worry.
I will be hitchhiking as far as possible through Europe and continue by train or bus. I'm planning to travel for 6 weeks and hitchhike back but will decide on the end of my trip which route.
For the first 3 days I will be travelling with Jorine a neighbour and recently a good friend of mine. She is going to Switserland to backpack and I didn't find it a problem to make a little detour through Swiss.

Last Friday great party and the weekend busy with arranging/buying things for my trips, sometimes pleasantly being disturbed by my girlfriend (yes finally... I hear everybody say, joost has a girlfriend, for a week now orso)

Tomorrow; Monday the 16th of July I will be travelling again. YEEEEHAAAA!!!