Once in Asia !

After my arrival in Vize, i spent next day with Ufuk and his family around the 'sacrifice day'.

İt started early in the morning when we woke up and got ready for the mosque.

At 7:30 we were in the car, catching a friend of Ufuk to join us for the vilage around, 5km from Vize.

Once there we had Tea, then i decided to join and copy people for the ceremony; İ could also have staid outside the mosque but...

The ceremony started with some speack from the main mosque of Vize, then the imam of the local mosque made a speach too and started the prayers. Around half an hour of prayers.

Then we had a traditional shaking hand ceremony, where everyone stands in the queue and shakes hands one after the other. The idea is to forget any conflict and start again from good basis.

After this we went to the cemitary and back home, to Ukuk's parents this time, for breakfast.

Next step of the day was the sacrifice of the cheep.

We went to an animal farm in the city where 2 cheep had been baught and fed during 1 week by the family, and attended to the sacrifice and preparation of the meet. An unpleasant time for lots of us, including the children of the family who had joined.

Back home the women started to separate the meet in 3 parts, 2 of which would be given away to some poof families, and 1 of then would remain in the family and be cooked.

So we then spent part of the afternoon waiting for the meal to be ready and ate with pleasure the fresh organic meat.

İn the evening we went for a walk, then a tea, a bit of footbal match, and then Ufuk's brother and some friends improvised a music jam session around traditional Turkish songs. Great time!

Next day, saterday, i started my way to İstanbul...

Nice hills in the forest, then started some more densly populated areas with the bed of a river and the remains of the flood 2 month ago.

İ started to ask for people to put my tent in a garden or sleep in some empty houses, but had 2 negative replies and one who wanted me to pay 15 TL... so i ended up in the night nearly, in a place where new buildings were being built, but where the constructions seemed to have been stopped.

Sunday morning started with rain, and heavy rain... so i started my day with my anti rain clothes. The way was not really beautiful, i entered İstanbul on some road that seemed to be motorways but were not... then finally found a road along the coast with less trafic and could enjoy the coat, the ruins and finally the city center!

İ met Talia around 5pm and got rid of my luggage and bike, then we could go out in Taksim and meet people living the, go to a reaggae pub then a live rock concert... City life!

On monday i went walking a bit then took a ferry to go to Asia and meet Ozzy. Now i am writing from Pendik, the nearly out of İstanbul part...

'İ made it to Asia!'

Pictures of Bulgaria here!

Of Turkey there!