Learn from the adventure through Istanbul & Teleportation via Night train

1. Eceabat to Istanbul
2. Istanbul day 2
3. Istanbul Final day
4. Night train to Sofia
5. Sofia, Bulgaria

Eceabat to Istanbul

Out of bed and down the street to catch the 9am ferry. The only problem? The 9am ferry was running about 10 minutes late. Luckily, this was all part of my master plan (or just a fortunate coincidence), so there was still time to make it to the bus in Çanakkale.

After a very flat ferry crossing—which made for a stunning view back at Eceabat—it was time to find the elusive purple bus that would whisk us away to the bus station just outside of Çanakkale.

Strolling past the Trojan horse, which is rumoured to still hold Trojans inside (they must be really cramped by now), the bus stop the map promised us was finally in sight.

Catching this bus sounds straightforward enough, right? Wrong. Very, very, very wrong.

Minutes ticked by as a couple of buses that were supposed to show up never did. It was beginning to feel like Çanakkale was playing some cruel prank. It was time to start asking the locals, but that didn’t turn up much. They all said the same thing: “Just wait there, it will show up any minute.” Perfect.

Just then, a purple bus pulled up. As I went to climb on, the older lady we had spoken to earlier said, “No, not the right bus,” as she climbed on herself. Was she playing a cheeky prank? I hope so because that would be some good chat for her. But no, like all the Turkish locals we’d met along the way, she was just being helpful.

It was touch-and-go now. The point at which a taxi could be called had passed, and if the bus didn’t show in the next 2 minutes, getting to the bus station would be impossible. Glory be! Patience is a virtue. At the last possible second, the bus showed up. We clambered on, hoping the driver would put his foot down to make it in time.

The bus station approached with about 5 minutes to spare. We checked in and climbed aboard the bus bound for Istanbul. Funnily enough, we weren’t the last ones on, as the bus left a little later than scheduled. With no food for the journey, it was going to be an interesting trip.

As the stations ticked past, a man came on board selling food—like they do in Turkey. Score! A simit was purchased and did the job for the rest of the journey. On this bus ride, there was also a free muffin handed out, along with some soft drinks. Added bonus for the long journey!

Without boring you about the fabric of the seats or the flow rate of the air conditioning, let me tell you a little story instead.

Just as I thought we were home free and Istanbul was in sight, we pulled into a police checkpoint, which seems to be the norm for buses leaving and entering Istanbul. These checkpoints give you the same feeling you get when walking out of a store through the scanners and the alarm goes off. Even though you know you haven’t stolen anything, you still feel nervous, like you’ve done something wrong.

So, handing over your passport to the officers, you kind of hold your breath while they go and check them all. Then he comes back, and your name isn’t called, so you can relax. On this bus ride, one guy got called off the bus for questioning before returning and being told that once in Istanbul, he would have to report to a police station. What for? Well, assumptions could be made, or maybe he’s just a police station enthusiast. Never a dull moment on a bus around Turkey, I tell you.

Now, instead of heading straight to the Wabi Sabi Hostel in Istanbul, we hopped on a train to get the night train tickets for a couple of days’ time from Istanbul to Sofia, Bulgaria. This time, we went right away so we wouldn’t miss out on tickets. After catching a couple of trains, we arrived at the station where you can purchase these tickets (Halkali Station). We booked a two-bed cabin, which ended up being very reasonable. The tickets for this train have to be hard copies only, so once you have them, be a champ and don’t lose them. Have a gander at the schedule below for your own big-brain knowledge (I even have a translated version for you).

Night train tickets purchased, it was now time to jump onto some more trains to get to the Wabi Sabi Hostel. Arriving and checking in faster than I can type out these words, I opened the door to the four-bunk room.

Room secured, it was now dinner time. The chosen spot was a little food place just around the corner from the hostel that we had been to previously. The food once again did not disappoint, hitting the spot perfectly and welcoming me back to Istanbul.

After this, the night was a chill one—just some necessary travel admin that crops up when you’re moving around. Before I knew it, my eyes were closing, and my sleeping brain was engaged, ready for the next day.

Istanbul day 2

After listening to a conversation between a sleeping dude and himself during the night, I arose from my bed to feast upon the free breakfast provided. Stomach now packed with fruit and cereal, the day was beckoning.

First on the agenda today were the famous colourful houses in the Balat neighbourhood. So, hopping aboard the magic school bus, I arrived to see a very colourful neighbourhood. At first, it was subtle—a house missing some plaster, with the exposed bricks underneath painted in an array of different colours, giving off a cool effect. The further into the neighbourhood I traveled, the more colourful the houses became until I reached the main attraction of this place: the famous houses of Balat.

In my honest opinion (which I stick to on this blog), they were not overly special and definitely overhyped. To me, they were just average-looking houses painted in some colours. Which, don’t get me wrong, still looked good, but I think they’re overhyped and not as special as some of the other buildings or areas in Istanbul. I actually found the last two photos of buildings below to be more striking than the famous houses themselves.

As luck would have it, a ferry was leaving not long after my visit to the area, heading toward the Asian side of Istanbul. Naturally, I hopped aboard and headed in that direction. The ferry journey was, believe it or not, one across water! It was a relatively empty ferry, but a smooth ride nonetheless, offering some different perspectives of Istanbul from the water.

Now across, the whole atmosphere of this side of Istanbul was instantly different. This may have also had something to do with Fenerbahçe (Asian side) playing Beşiktaş (European side) in a Turkish football league derby match. Being the tourist I am, my legs dragged me towards Fenerbahçe’s home stadium, where this match would be taking place, just to soak up some more of the atmosphere and immerse myself in the culture.

On the way, a quick lunch break was needed, and then the walking school bus continued on its way. As I got closer to the stadium, the crowd thickened, and the drumming and chanting increased, with the odd coloured smoke bomb filling the air here and there. Not to mention, some of the drummers clued into the fact that I wasn’t from here (shocker) and decided that beating their drum and blocking my path was a good way to then ask for money for this “experience.” My words very easily found their ears after about the fifth time of saying no to each individual person.

Now directly outside the stadium, there were more police than people, I would say. Their black uniforms made them look like worker ants among the crowd. But these worker ants also came with some big guns and armoured vehicles to really put the “no” in “protest” (imagine an ‘n’ there, please). I had heard stories of how aggressive some Turkish fans can become before, during, and after their football team has played. The police presence and vehicles confirmed this was not merely a rumour. So, after spending an appropriate amount of time outside the stadium (1 second), it was time to head back.

Retreating to the bus stop, I hopped on what must’ve been the longest, snakiest, caterpillar-looking bus out there. This bus (beast) had a couple of flexible sections about a meter long to allow it to corner without taking out most of the neighborhood.

This same bus took the big Bosphorus bridge on the route back to the hostel, giving me an opportunity to take in the enormity of the bridge dwarfing the bus. I also noted just how much traffic there is in Istanbul, regardless of which side you are on.

The night concluded with some much-needed relaxation back at the hostel after a hectic day.

Istanbul Final day

I pried my eyes open with both hands to awaken from my slumber on the final day in Istanbul, with a night train to Sofia, Bulgaria awaiting me at the end of it. With some time to kill and not feeling my best due to a bit of a blockage from the past couple of days, I decided to have a chill morning.

This consisted of a yarn with Mum and Dad, having a good old catch-up—it’s always nice to hear about home after being on the other side of the world for some time. This was followed by a quick dine and dash to the chemist for some essentials and writing some more for the blog. After a while, I decided lunch was in order and treated myself to a nice mixed grill and vegetables at a nearby café for some Turkish takeaways.

Upon ordering, I was pleasantly surprised with a complimentary Turkish tea while I waited, which was a massive added bonus. That, coupled with the fact that the food was amazing, led to it being thoroughly devoured the moment I returned to the hostel.

The rest of the afternoon was spent getting snacks and food for the night train, including plenty of water as it’s advised to be self-sufficient. While waiting back at the hostel, it was discovered that a couple of blokes from the hostel were also on the same night train. Even crazier, they happened to be right next door on the train.

Night train to Sofia

After scoffing down a final Turkish meal for dinner, bags were dragged out of the hostel and onto the metro bound for our night train (yes, a train to a train). Successfully arriving at Halkali Station and seeing the train scheduled for Sofia meant everything was going as planned. Seeing the two blokes from the hostel there was another reassuring sight.

After passing through airport-style security, the train came into sight—a beautiful sight indeed. Opening the door to the two-bed cabin revealed a fridge stocked with water, juice, pretzel sticks, and a chocolate bar. For a night train, this is all you can get, so I highly recommend bringing your own snacks and water, as I did. The food in the fridge was just an added bonus.

When you first walk into the cabin, it appears to have just two upright seats. However, upon closer inspection, these fold down and transform into two beds complete with sheets, pillows, and blankets. After experiencing overnight buses to Turkey and struggling to sleep, this setup was a perfect change—affordable travel with the comfort of being able to sleep.

The only hiccup I encountered was when I ripped open the plastic packaging to make my bed, the sheets were still damp from not being dried properly. Not to worry because since I am hot (temperature wise) these sheets seemed to be dry enough after some make shift airing I like to call, getting over it and sleeping on them anyway.

Around 2:30am, the border leaving Turkey appears. This is the one major downfall of the night train—you struggle to get sleep due to being woken up for these early hour border crossings. The wake-up process usually happens with one of the train staff gently kissing your cheek and then yelling, “Wake up!” Dreams are free, right? In reality, it’s a knock on the door and the lights turning on. So, no worries about not waking up. Even though I sleep like a rock, I still woke up.

At the first border (leaving Turkey), you get off the train and walk a short distance to a pit so deep you can barely see the bottom (if you see that, you’ve definitely gone the wrong way). You walk along the length of the train and end up at the border control office. Fortunately, you don’t need to take your bags—just your passport. You look into a camera as they check your passport, and once cleared, you wander back to the train.

This border crossing didn’t take too long, which was good. Like most places, I expected the Bulgarian border crossing to be just a few hundred meters away, so I decided to stay awake. Don’t be like me. It was about an hour and a half before the train rolled into the Bulgarian border. This one was super straightforward: there was no need to leave your cabin as border control boarded the train and took our passports to check. This process took some time, but it was straightforward with no need to move from bed—unless you’re there illegally, in which case, maybe hiding is best.

With passports returned, it was time to lay down, get some shut-eye, and teleport to Sofia, Bulgaria. I can’t recommend this mode of transport for this journey enough.

Sofia, Bulgaria

As Thomas the Tank Engine neared closer to the station, my eyes slowly began to open. The journey took around 15 hours in total, but with the ability to sleep on the train, it felt much shorter. I’d still choose this over the shorter overnight bus journey any day. When my eyes did fully open, they were greeted by a very sunny day, which was ideal given my last visit to Sofia had been quite rainy and not too warm.

Interestingly enough, when exiting the train, the carriages picked up on the Bulgarian side were a stark contrast to the Turkish ones, as the Bulgarian carriages were covered in graffiti.

Now off the train and into the warm sun—it was pushing into the late 20s—it was time to sweat it out on the walk to the hostel. Another thing I forgot to mention earlier: the two blokes from our previous hostel were also staying at the same hostel as us here in Sofia. I say “two blokes” because, in classic fashion, I never asked if it was okay to mention their names in the blog. One was an Aussie train driver and the other an English fella who helps house homeless people. Great couple of blokes.

Arriving at the hostel was interesting. To get the cheapest price, it was an 18-bed mixed dorm for the night. Walking in and seeing the beds all lined up like something out of a war prison didn’t exactly spark excitement within me. Nevertheless, first things first, the stomach issues I had been having needed addressing. So, after talking to my favourite mother, it was back to the pharmacy to explain my predicament with a mix of Google Translate and slow talking. A sight to behold for anyone who walked in and spoke English, I’m sure. With my anti-blockage tablets acquired, it was time to wander the city and get some ingredients for a fiber-filled dinner.

I couldn’t tell you much about the sights I saw on the journey because most of the main ones had been covered on my last trip to Sofia. Still, it was a pleasant walk in the sun, weaving in and out of people. I also took out some cash since the hostel required payment in cash. If you’re curious about what Bulgarian currency looks like, feel free to check it out below.

The meal I cooked was simply delicious and exactly what my body was craving. It consisted of chicken and an array of vegetables, which may not sound exciting at first, but with the wok sauce mixed through, it was perfect.

Now back in the room, I was settling down for the night in my bed. As I glanced to my side—since the beds were about 1 meter apart—I saw the man in the next bed half falling asleep, on his phone, drinking straight whiskey, and mumbling to himself. Not only that, but there was a noticeable smell of alcohol and sweat. Wonderful. I slammed my eyes shut, knowing the early morning bus to North Macedonia wasn’t far away now.

When I awoke this man was gone, so maybe I was hallucinating…