A journey of 1080km this time, across Turkey from east to west. Heading to the fairy Istanbul along the black sea coast and the trip is as nice as tiring.

It was one day to Ramadan, I was quite stressed about how to travel and fast, how to manage to have a proper dinner by sunset and specially how to don’t miss the football matches of the world cup! :DD (yeah a man is a man)

So, I was walking trying to find some transports to get me out of the city of Trabzon. It seemed that my huge backpack was very attractive since a guy stopped by his car near me and suggested to help.

Hassan was a hostel manager, he took me to his place, prepared breakfast and then drove me till the exit of the city from where I started hitchhiking.

Around 7am I catched a truck which took me for 60km. As soon as I got out of it, a group of old men curious about this obvious tourist invited me to have tea with them. We couldnt understand each other at all, but enough to notice how friendly are people towards foreigners.

Then, a petrol tanker took me for 80km and put me in the middle of the express way.

And the funny moment of the day, another truck driver stopped for me. I was trying to introduce myself in a mix of English and stupid level of Turkish until I said ‘Tunus’! (Tunisia)

His outburst was a surprise! He could speak Arabic very well. He was from the southern region of Turkey, on the border with Syria. And as he said, all people from there are fluent in Arabic.

The 350km with him were so nice. Sharing stories about his life and my adventure.At 9pm, he dropped me in a service area by the express way.

Due to heavy rain, it was impossible to camp in my tent. So I just laid inside the prayer room (great advantage when hitchhiking a Muslim country), hoping that no one will come in till morning.

I woke up at 10am willing to pursue my way under +37° heat. Waiting in an express way is always a struggle as all cars are riding too fast.In hitchhiking, a driver has only a couple of seconds between noticing you and deciding to break. And if he’s already riding at 100km/h, that makes it totally discouraging for him. If not, be ready to run 50~100m with your backpack to catch him.

So after one hour waiting with no shadow to hide, finally 2 guys stopped for me. They took me for only 20km but at least I was then placed in a better spot to hitchhike.

From there, 45min wait (again under the sun) and a family van stopped. The sliding door opened, I tried to explain my situation for the 4 family members… They were looking at each other speaking Turkish. Then the son said: “Come in please”! He couldn’t really speak English, but those words were JUST enough for me!

So here I am laying in the back on a kind of mattress. That was all what they could offer due to lack of space, but as for me it was a 5 stars ride.A “Google translator” conversation then engaged, I understood that the family was riding across all Turkey for their holidays. They were heading west but not to Istanbul, so that the plan was to put me somewhere 150km away from my destination where our ways will part.

By 2pm, the temperature was so high that fasting headaches started. The long time waiting earlier in the day was having its effect. I was trying to overcome it by listening to music or just sleeping… but I was anxious about how I will have to wait again when they will drop me.

Suddenly the boy jumped to the back! “We change plan! We change plan!” he said. The words didn’t affect me much first as I was dizzy. I was thinking “ok, what can be the worst thing to happen? They leave me here? They will go south?” So many thoughts crossed my mind while he was typing on his phone to translate to me. “whatever they decide, it won’t be worse than what happened in China months ago when a truck driver left me in an expressway at 11pm totally in the dark near by a Sichuan forest”

“We are going to Istanbul!!!” Smiled the boy. “Oh! Great! Thank you!”I was feeling so happy but in the same time very curious about why they changed their destination.

Later, I was told that one of their family members living in Istanbul just died!! They got the news on the way and thus changed plan to get to the funerals!!

Who’s the curse/lucky one? :DD