Oct. 9, 2014. Bus to Sinop

I walked 250 yards from the Trabzon pensiyon I stayed in the last 4 nights over to the bus station and booked the 9:30 departure bus for Sinop, a 9 hour bus ride.  It was a memorable sightseeing trip along the Turkish Black Sea Coast.  For about 5 hours the bus was within 50 yards of the Black Sea.

Asked for and received a window seat on the north, seaside side of the bus for the 300 mile trip.  The bus was modern - with TV screens in the seatbacks, movies, USB port, headphones and a plugin, A/C, reading light....just like an airplane seat. 

I just sat and listened to music all day on my earbuds.

Upon arrival at the Sinop bus station at 6:45 PM it was dark.  Not the first time I have arrived in an unvisited city, in the dark, with no room reservation.  Probably not the last.

Grabbed my bag and backpack and walked to the reservation window for the bus line I rode in on.  

You must start somewhere, I thought.  

There was a young Turk at the window, Orcun Gebitijrk.

"Speak English?"  

He replied in the affirmative, and the familiar dance steps that I love began. 

He spoke only a little English, but I still complimented him.  He was extremely helpful and at times used a Turkish/English translator app on his phone.  

I said, "I need pensiyon or otel."  I gestured "See water - and held my folded hands to the side of my head."  (Not sure if that sentence deserves quotation marks, but it helps me explain my actions.  Maybe sis Donna can correct my grammar).

To make what could easily be a longer story short, he searched Booking.com on his cell phone, then made a call.  They wanted 250 lira, more than I knew I should pay for what I wanted.  The next place he called was full.  I wrote "75 -125 lira" on a piece of paper.   He then made another phone call.  

""Yes, yes."  I then gave him my On Walkabout card with my name on it.  He spelled my name to the man on the other end of the call, and just like that I was booked.

He gave me his email address.

I next asked quizzically "Taxi?"

He walked me out to the taxi stand, gave the driver the name of the hotel and said to me "20 lira taxi to otel."

30 minutes after getting off the bus, I was safely in my hotel room, at the "Antik Otel" listening to the Black Sea rolling ashore just 75 feet from my bedroom window.

For 90 lira.

Turks are such great hosts.  Helpful.  Friendly.  Accepting.  Gracious.  Allies.  Members of NATO.  

I could easily return.  

This is why I Walkabout.

One of those umbrellas has my name on it tomorrow afternoon.