Today I plan to catch the ferry from Yalova to Istanbul across the Sea of Marmara. The guys in the shop gave me some directions yesterday and I get lost only once. When I get gas just before the ferry terminal a couple of guys in a car with German plates buy me a soda. They were born and bread in Germany and are here to visit the grandparents.
Checking in for the ferry is easy and I have some time to kill in a little restaurant by the terminal. There are a few other bikes on the ferry as well.
The Sea of Marmara is qualm, which makes for an uneventful crossing. The first view of Istanbul is spectacular.
The bikes are off the ferry first and just one right turn, a few kilometers along the shore and a left turn brings me into Sultanahmet. This part of the city seems fairly compact and I park the bike to walk around and look for a room in one of the many hotels. Just as I unmount a guy walks by and starts talking to me about the bike. He’s a biker and co-owns a couple of hotels nearby. He gives me a good deal I can’t refuse. He also hops on the back of my bike to take me to a Yamaha dealer to check out my throttle sensor. The guy at the shop plays around with it for a while and increases the idle revs. On the way back to the hotel the engine cuts out again when throttling off. This was clearly not the solution.
The hotel is a stone throw from the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia and I just have a stroll before dinner.
