Crossing the border into Bulgaria was completely hassle free due to my Schengen visa. I encountered many cyclists on this route, all heading in the opposite direction. Once again I’ve broken some spokes. But it was worse this time: 3 consecutive spokes. So I decided to stop riding. Fortunately my b&b host drove me (at…

I took the boat trip from Eminonu to Anadolu Kavagi and back. Cheap (only $4) but a bit boring (5 hours).

Istanbul is extremely hilly. Like Hong Kong Island or Chong Ching.

I had to wait a couple of weeks before my Schengen visa became valid. So I booked a ticket to Istanbul instead. Suddenly Turkey restricted e visas for South Africans. Will the airline allow me to board ? Fortunately they reversed their technical glitch a couple of days before my flight. After arriving in Istanbul,…

I applied for a Schengen visa. But it took too long (21 days!!) and I had to cancel my flight. So I took the opportunity to properly prepare my bicycle: Proper racks on the front and back with compatible panniers. 2 home made lightweight dry bags. Bicycle cover. I also got a new cassette. When…

During May, I had to get my dad’s house ready for sale. To comply with common South African business conduct, I had to do a few things:

I spent March and April cleaning up my dad’s house. One of many interesting things I came across was my paternal grandparents’ degrees: My grandmother received a B.Sc. at the age of 18. My grandfather, my father and I all received B.Sc. degrees from the same university.

Last year my dad learned that his cancer returned. My first thoughts were that he’ll get through it. He already conquered so much like heart disease. But we soon learnt that it spread throughout his lungs and for the first time surgery wasn’t an option. Immunotherapy was the only option. It’s still in clinical trials,…