Hira was feeling much better with new meds and rest but our time in Istanbul was up and we had to get a move on. Our destination: whatever city we could reach at the end of the day, while heading East!

To be very honest, we didnt really think much of Turkey beyond Istanbul. Not everyone in Istanbul understood English, so we were braced for a slightly tougher time communicating with the locals once we made our way eastwards, to Iran.

Our first test couldn’t possibly have come sooner.

A couple of days previous, I had gotten the brake pads on the car replaced with the help of our exceptionally gracious hosts (see the previous episode) but the car had been standing still in the underground parking garage ever since (only a fool would choose to drive in Istanbul for sightseeing purpose, when the public transport is excellent). Around lunch time, we loaded up our car and left the hotel. Once we had made it out of Istanbul ( all the roads in and around were EXTREMELY busy on Saturday), I noted that the brakes weren’t reacting as quickly as they had done before the pad swap.

This was obviously a disaster.

Was my trust in a random mechanic, not wearing a BMW shirt, going to cost us dear?

My first solution was to stop the car and see if there were any leaks with the brake line or anywhere else. Everything seemed fine as far as I could tell.

(TIP: It is generally a good idea to check all fluid levels before setting off on any long drive. And generally keep a look for any spots / residue on the surface where you had parked the car, once you moved it to check for any drops that may have accumulated overnight)

I tried my luck with google and attempted to get an emergency appointment but to no avail. After moving along at the minimum speed allowed on the motorway (the brakes were still working, but they werent as sharp as before) and I was dreading the big empty space in the interior Turkey, once we passed Ankara. Eventually, we saw a new BMW dealership on the side of the motorway and went straight to it. Unfortunately, it was too new.

They had only recently completed construction and other than a couple of display models and a skeleton sales staff, there was not much there.

And hardly anyone spoke english.

One helpful gentleman, however, wasn’t about to give up. So with the help of google-translate, the symbols in the car service manual and hand gestures, I was able to make him understand what had happened. His first advice, after shaking his head in disbelief at what we planned to do on our trip, was to head back to Istanbul but we quickly established that we wont make it to the dealership there in time due to the massive traffic. He then found a dealership on our way and called them to explain our predicament. The person on the other side was understanding and told us to drive over and promised to look into the matter. Shout out to ‘Borusan Oto Samandıra BMW’ for their help. To my shame, I have lost the note with the gentleman’s name to mention him here.

Massive relief.

We made it to Izmit. Öztorun Oto Samandıra BMW could not possibly have been more accommodating. We were received with tea, as the car was taken to the workshop to see if the brakes were OK.

After roughly an hour later (we had started to get worried) the mechanic came back with the service rep and explained that they had performed a complete check of the car and everything is exactly as it should be. The different behavior of the brakes was only down to the fact that they were brand new and should go away after some more driving ( we should just keep safe distance to the vehicle in front, which goes without saying).

They also gave us a list of all the BMW authorized workshops till the border with Iran and a whattsapp number to contact in case we ran into any car trouble, to talk to someone who could understand english.

And the bill for this exceptional service: 0 Liras.

Turkey and Turks were spoiling us.

Having spent hours on making sure the car was fit for the journey ahead, we had to revise our goal for the day and we decided to go to Ankara. All that sitting around wasnt doing Hira any good and she was feeling the soreness and swelling coming back. The Turkish capital seemed like a much better choice to be in if her condition worsened, as the capital was bound to have plenty of services catering to international public.

The road to Ankara is beautiful. Once again, we regretted not having a dash-cam, but frankly, the priorities had been elsewhere the last couple of days.

We were able to arrive in Ankara just by sundown.

Hotel for the night: The Ankara Hotel (€52 per night, including breakfast). It was undergoing some renovations at the time, which meant rooms were available at a discounted rate (without any noticeable reduction in services to the customers). It is directly at the majestic central train station of Ankara and therefore a perfect choice even if you are not travelling by your own car.

We were able to do some shopping in Ankara. Got a round of laundry done as we only packed roughly a week’s worth of clothes for the way.

Ankara is pretty cool, actually. Imagine Islamabad, but it is fun.

From conversations with the people I learnt that it is quite a happening place with a thriving music and arts scene. I knew the shoddy German generalisations of Anatolians were wrong but now I had the proof.

One thing most casual visitors to Turkey may not notice at first glance: It is clean.

Like, really clean.

Even the public toilets. Even at truck stops and far away petrol stations.

And they have bidets EVERYWHERE.

This is THE way to live your life.

As we travel on, we’ll see that even the smallest towns on the way have all the basic needs for the citizens. Universities, hospitals are usually the first public institutes you notice when you cross a town. You do see the public dressing a bit more conservative than Istanbul but other than that, we felt at ease throughout.

We were feeling very welcome in Turkey. Like our third home away from Germany and Pakistan. So glad we were doing this trip.

(Sorry for too much text and not much pictures, it will be different hereon in.)