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10 October, Istanbul
Haci Mimi Apartment 53TL

A singularly unproductive day, but two unexpected pleasures ensured it was not a total waste. We are preparing for the next leg of our sabbatical: a cycle trip through “French Indochina” (Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia) to be followed, assuming we have the funds and energy, by a bus ride through China. We plan to fly from Istanbul to Bangkok, take the overnight train to Nong Khai, and cross into Laos via the Friendship Bridge. As South Africans we do not require visas for Thailand, can obtain visas for both Laos and Cambodia at land border crossings, but must apply for visas for Vietnam and China at their respective embassies or consulates. Having checked the net, we trekked via Metro and taxi to the Vietnam consulate, to find it NOT. We were directed then to the Bangladesh consulate and later a business flying the Chilean flag by well-meaning, but entirely misinformed Turks. In the end a helpful hotel receptionist put us in touch with the Vietnamese Embassy in Ankara and they confirmed that there is no longer a consulate in Istanbul. We now hope to obtain our visas while in Vientiane. On then by Metro and taxi again to the Chinese embassy. We arrived just five minutes after the visa section had closed and could not gain admittance – grrrr. A young Syrian told us he had been waiting outside for over two hours and that everyone he had dealt with had been “very rude”. Entirely by accident we boarded a bus near the embassy that dropped us within walking distance of our apartment. Its route followed the Bosphorus, offering spectacular views of the waterway and boats thereon, of seaside suburbs and old wooden homes, of mosques and elaborate palaces – a real treat. And in the evening we popped into a restaurant just 50m from our apartment to find it makes a pretty good penne bolognaise – another real treat.

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