Difference between revisions of "Turkey"

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For larger distances buses (coaches) are more common. They provide reliable service and are pretty comfortable. Free tea and snacks are generally served along the way, and the buses tend to stop in nice [[rest area]]s. Some drivers who pick you up as a hitchhiker may try to convince you to take a bus. If you do end up on a bus they are relatively cheap although not as cheap as trains which are slower but more adventurous.
 
For larger distances buses (coaches) are more common. They provide reliable service and are pretty comfortable. Free tea and snacks are generally served along the way, and the buses tend to stop in nice [[rest area]]s. Some drivers who pick you up as a hitchhiker may try to convince you to take a bus. If you do end up on a bus they are relatively cheap although not as cheap as trains which are slower but more adventurous.
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Of the transportation options which involve payment, trains are by far the cheapest in the country, especially if you hold a valid student ID (ISIC card is sufficient). However, as the network doesn't reach far and wide, most of what is interesting in Turkey is out of rail coverage, though they are still a good bet if you need a night's sleep during the ride, especially in inland region where rail network is relatively denser.
  
 
== Food ==
 
== Food ==

Revision as of 00:13, 26 May 2010

Flag of Turkey Turkey
Information
Language: Turkish
Capital: Ankara
Population: 71,158,647
Currency: New Turkish Lira (TRY)
Hitchability: Verygood.png (very good)
More info: Hitchbase AVP Free Encyclopedia (Russian)
Meet fellow hitchhikers on Trustroots
<map lat='39.29' lng='35' zoom='5' view='0' width='450' height='250' country='Turkey'/>

Hitchhiking in Turkey is easy. Sometimes it may be customary to contribute a few Lira, but for most hitchhikers this is unheard of. Looking like a Western backpacker will get you a lot of attention when travelling outside the major tourist areas. Often, the first vehicle to pass will stop for you (sometimes even if they are going the opposite direction!) Lifts with big trucks are the most common − partly because personal cars are very often quite full. Turkish truck drivers are generally very friendly and helpful but may not speak a word of English. Knowing some German may help.

Some drivers might ask you for money, and if you are not willing to contribute to the cost of the ride, please learn to say Param yok (I have no money) before getting in the car.

While waiting beside the road, many town-to-town minibus drivers (which can be recognized by banners proclaiming town names all over) and occasionally intercity buses will flash their headlights or honk at you − to ask whether you'd like a ride (for a fee, of course). Shake your head both sides to show you're not interested.


alex: I did not find it difficult to hitchhike in Turkey. Most lifts I had have been with trucks (coming from the East), trucks have also been what I saw the most in the east. I did find it easy to get a long lift across Turkey, even when I found it difficult to get such a lift at the boarder to Iran directly (most trucks went along the coast South at the time I have been there). However, I also found the truck drivers I met quite lonely and searching for (close) contact.


Having a signboard (together with the thumb extended) certainly helps, since most Turkish hitchhikers don't use one and therefore it draws much more attention from drivers un-used to seeing signboards. Writing the name of first town on your route -no matter how small it is- and the name of a farther and bigger city is good.

Also while waiting for a lift, have your backpack on the ground in front of your feet, in a position that is easily visible and recognizable as a backpack by passing by drivers. As many will admit, seeing a large backpack and camping gear such as a mat always makes Turkish drivers more comfortable with the idea of letting a stranger in their car—since it kind of proves that you are travelling on budget, not a serial killer—and thus enabling you te get far quicker lifts.

Getting In

Citizens of most EU and other Western countries can get a 3 months visa for 10 Euro or more. German, Czech and Italian citizens are allowed to enter the country without any visa at all.

Hitchhiker Guaka had a terrible experience at the Kapitan Andreevo-Kapıkule border crossing in October 2008 when he was refused entry by a grumpy border guard who was probably looking for baksheesh. It took a lot of convincing to be allowed back to the truck to get back his (Guaka's) backpack. The next day there was no problem to get in.

Turkish cities with more than 100.000 inhabitants

> 1.000.000: AdanaAnkaraBursaGaziantepIstanbulİzmir

500.000–1.000.000: AntalyaDiyarbakırEskişehirKayseriKonyaMersin

300.000–500.000: AdapazarıBatmanDenizliElazığErzurumGebzeKahramanmaraşMalatyaSamsunŞanlıurfaVan

100.000–300.000: AdıyamanAfyonAğrıAksarayAntakyaAydınBalıkesirBandırmaBeylikdüzüBoluCeyhanÇorluÇorumDarıcaDerinceDüzceEdirneEsenyurtİnegölİskenderunIspartaİzmitKarabükKaramanKayapınarKırıkkaleKırşehirKızıltepe

Safety

Following the recent events in April 2008, this hitchhiking guide to Turkey for girls might be an interesting piece to read for everyone (not only for girls) who's planning to hitchhike in Turkey. Safety is always important while hitchhiking, so check the Safety article before going out to wave your thumb!

Women hitchhiking in Turkey

A personal story:

My friend and I (both female) hitched through Turkey from the Greek border to Kappadokya and it was quite stressful. We never waited long for a ride and most of the people we rode with insisted on buying us chai (just tea) and meals. However, I would say that with about 90 percent of our rides we got our butts, boobs, or crotches grabbed, or at least asked for sex. There is a hand sign in Turkey that means sex, which is quite different from that we have seen in America (much nicer, actually) you just rub your two pointer fingers together back and forth. It took us a while to figure out what that meant! We had to make our driver leave us on the side of the road a lot in the middle of nowhere so that was kinda dangerous. And it took us about 10 hours to make it 25 miles from just before Istanbul to just past the city. People kept trying to take us into the city or someplace we didn't want to go. We were so glad when we finally made it out of Turkey at the Bulgarian border. It was an adventure though and I would recommend traveling through Turkey, just be aware that all of the other women standing on the side of the road are prostitutes. It was all just a giant misunderstanding and a lack of respect, to some extent, on our part, for the local culture. When hitching here maybe you can learn how to say "we are just traveling and we aren't looking for sex may we still have a ride" before getting in a vehicle. For the record, our drivers always let us out when we told them too and nothing dramatic happened beyond the daily grabbings.


Climate

In winter it can be cold.

During the summer temperatures tend to rise above 35 °C, especially in the South, so it is recommended to secure yourself with sufficient supplies of water, and to plan travelling in a way that most of the actual hitchhiking would be earlier in the morning or in very late afternoon, to avoid a burning sun.

In winter, though, it can be quite cold in Turkey.

Transportation

Mikeeg555 hitching in Turkey

When you hitchhike in this country, people might try putting you on a dolmuş (mınıbus) or bringing you to the otogar (bus station). The dolmuş is the most common way of public transport inside and between cities & towns. These small buses that are advised to be used for small distances will stop anywhere on the road even if you don't signal them to stop. Generally, the ride on a dolmuş costs between 1 and 3 Lira.

For larger distances buses (coaches) are more common. They provide reliable service and are pretty comfortable. Free tea and snacks are generally served along the way, and the buses tend to stop in nice rest areas. Some drivers who pick you up as a hitchhiker may try to convince you to take a bus. If you do end up on a bus they are relatively cheap although not as cheap as trains which are slower but more adventurous.

Of the transportation options which involve payment, trains are by far the cheapest in the country, especially if you hold a valid student ID (ISIC card is sufficient). However, as the network doesn't reach far and wide, most of what is interesting in Turkey is out of rail coverage, though they are still a good bet if you need a night's sleep during the ride, especially in inland region where rail network is relatively denser.

Food

You will never have to worry about lack of food in Turkey. Many truck drivers have coffee makers in their truck. Turkish people are very generous, and it is seldom that you get a ride without a driver offering you food. The food in Turkey is relatively cheap, and is very meat-based. There is also a variety of a good local produce of tasty sweets and snacks. The tea (black tea or apple tea in Istanbul) is the national drink, and almost all the people that you meet offer you a tea − this is probably the most common way of showing you their hospitable culture.

A great way to reduce your bottled water costs, especially in the hot southern/Mediterranean coast of Turkey is to use free cold water dispensers, locally called sebil (pronounced say-beel), which can usually be found on the sides of the streets and mosque courtyards in less-touristed towns and neighbourhoods in Mediterranean Turkey. They look like small, white refrigators and usually have two faucets: red one delivers warm (or mildly hot depending on the weather) water, while the blue one offers comfortably cold water. Though the water coming out of the faucets is not from a commercially-bottled jar, and likely from the city water network, it's harmless and causes no stomach upsets. A way to reduce the risk may be allowing yourself a week after arrival in the region to get accustomed to local microflora and -fauna that may be present in the water and then taking full advantage of sebils.

Sleep

Hospitality exchange networks have many friendly members in Turkey, and they can help you with an accommodation.

All towns in Turkey have an OtoGar, a bus terminal. Most of these offer a warm and fairly safe place to spend a night. Nonetheless, be careful and try to place your luggage in such a way so that you are surely to be awaken in case if someone tries to take your things.

Smaller towns outside the main tourist areas have very cheap hotels, starting at 8 Lira.

Many truck drivers will have an extra bunk in their truck cabin, and they are usually happy to offer it to a hitchhiker.

Wild camping is pretty much possible, OK, and legal except in large urban agglomerations. Just be discreet, away from sight of houses and roads. Private property such as farmland and oliveyards are technically off the limits, however if you arrive late, break the camp early, and leave no trace of your stay (including removing any trash and not damaging any crops), it is no problem at all to camp at those places. Beware of fires, though, as most of Turkey lies in Mediterranean climatic zone which is very arid in summer, most of country's terrain is naturally covered with dry grasses in summer months. So while wild camping, try to avoid the temptation to build campfires; even cigarette butts that are not properly distinguished and disposed of can result in damages that you can't even dream of. Another thing to take note of while camping is the scorpions (akrep in Turkish), especially in southern Mediterranean coast and in southeastern part of the country—keep the zip of your tent and backpack always locked, check and shake your shoes before putting them on.

License plates

The first two numbers of the Turkish car plates indicate the city a car is registered in. These are sorted from 1 to 81 alphabetically. This rule is not applicable for villages that recently received the status of cities.

The number is given to a whole province, e.g. Antalya and Alanya are both 07, as they are situated in the same province (Antalya Province).

File:Turkish-truck-and-truck-driver-2008.jpg
A truck, the driver, a boy working at the gas station and guaka, October 2008

Regions

Links


wikipedia:Turkey