Day 1: Year 2013, the month of May, Friday 10th

AA: 

"To give life to a motorcycle journey which had been in the planning for months, my buddy Kemal Hekimoglu, just barely manages to throw himself out of the office to set out to Istanbul from Ankara. While he has a rough time under the heavy rain all day, I wait anxiously all the while hustling to get my equipment ready. What to put in which bag, will it all fit and who knows what we forgot."


KH:

"After receiving the good news of my grandpa's successful surgery and seeing him in the hospital, I decide to set out on 10th May to Istanbul. It's a very cloudy day but I'm determined to start the trip. I hastily secure my bags on my motorbike and set out in a rush. A voice inside my head keeps telling me that I forgot something crucial. Another voice is telling me I packed too much stuff. The truth of the matter will only be seen in the upcoming days.

A black rain cloud is following me throughout the way. This is the first time I'm riding under such conditions. My one hand is constantly on my visor, wiping the spray from the accompanying traffic. My hands are wet and freezing which forces me to tighten my grip, tiring me out. Which in turn forces me to give more rest stops. During my lunch-stop I meet two friends riding from Switzerland. We complain to each other about how awful a feeling it is to ride under such rain and cold. Pointing to their BMW GS' they joke: "You've got it tough, don't even think about taking this Yamaha to your Africa trip." The rest of the way passes by with the dreams of the -hopefully- dry&hot days to come."

Due to my inexperience as a blogger and the fatigue brought on by the rainy ride, I fail to write down the fellow travelers' names. 

This would be the first GS we encounter along the way.

AA:

"Meanwhile, thanks to his complete technological trick-up, I am able to pin point KH's position on the map. As he crawls closer, hours pass by and finally an hour or so after sun down he arrives to our carpark. After a shower, a quick recap and planning we call it a day and go to bed. It will be an early morning for us. The bikes will need to be checked one last time at Gokhan Yeniceli's service in Kadikoy before the wheels turn."