Istanbul is a magic city where you can spend a lifetime wtihout getting bored. We have now spent almost a week here and have at least had a good bite of the city. Contrasts is the word thats constantly in our minds. Poor and rich, old and new, beautiful and ugly. Amazing mosques, relaxing Hamams (turkish baths) and numerous bazaars that offers all
you can possibly want but mostly leather jackets and carpets. The smells, the sounds and the friendly turks are impressions that has rooted deeply in our minds. Behind every corner, something new awaits that you never thought you would see. Once you’ve got used to the ”enthusiastic” salesmen, it's a great pleasure to wander around in the city. Below are some tasty samples that speaks for themselves.
Courtyard of the Blue Mosque.
The inner domes of the Blue Mosque.
Turkish information society.
Lights for sale in the Grand Bazaar.
Our workshop had no problems living up to its reputation as Turkey’s number one LR mechanics. When we arrived at 9 pm, we were offered breakfast buns and the compulsory Cay (tea). Meanwhile, 5 mechanics started to dismantle Sallys transmission. Thirteen hours later, we now have a fully renovated and adjusted main gearbox and transfer box, new bushings in the rear suspension, a working oil pressure lamp, a tight belt to the power steering, full service with new oils and fluids everywhere and several other minor flaws fixed. We also have a lighter wallet but the knowledge that Sally is now feeling better than ever and that we probably would have payed three times more back in Sweden or Germany still made us feel very much at ease.
Gearbox coming down.
Dismantling a gearbox during tea break is only done by pure professionals...
We spent the whole day in the garage with Nesim and his 4 mechanics and it was a fascinating and a good lesson to see them work. None of them spoke a word of English but we communicated with our hands and feet and had a great time the whole day. The Blue Mosque in all its glory but this was truly our highlight in Istanbul. The pride and joy in their work and the warmth that they generously shared with us will always be one of our strongest memories from Turkey.
Cleaning gearbox housings with petrol is one of Halil's favorite tasks.
©2005 Google
