Leaving Skopje
There is a gap in the bus schedule from the station to the airport; either around 0700 or around 1100 which doesn’t suit my 1135 departure for Istanbul. So, I took a taxi organised by the hostel. I was told it would be MKD700-900 depending on the taxi company available a the time. So I ended up getting a Mercedes which cost MKD1000 (about NZD26). It would have been cheaper to hail one I’m sure but I’d end up buying more junk food with my leftover currency anyway; as it was I bought a croissant and some chocolates.
I left the hostel at 0900 and arrived two hours before the flight just as check-in opened for my Pegasus Air flight. Everything was quick and easy in this good small-sized airport. I headed up to the lounge (courtesy of my charge card) to find the flight had been delayed by about 30 minutes.
I looked it up on FlightRadar24 and found that it was an Airbus A320 which Pegasus has only just started to operate in addition to their usual Boeing 737-800s. The particular one for the day had been involved in a tailstrike four months ago. Amazing what you find on the internet huh?
Arriving in Istanbul
We left about 35 minutes late due to congestion in Istanbul with the oubound flight; we got into Istanbul equally late at 1430. I only realised reading the paper the next day that there had been issues with heavy rain resulting in huge delays and cancellations at Istanbul’s two airports.
Immigration was swift but we had to wait maybe 30 minutes for our luggage, and I was amongst the first to get it. Then came the wait for the shuttle or rather the other prebooked passengers; it’s just the nature of a shuttle service instead of a private taxi which costs heaps more. The transfer today took about 1h40 mins to get to my hotel in Sultanahmet.
I had booked my room online at a site that was a little cheaper than others, making me feel that it was a mistake. At the Alaaddin Hotel there were no problems checking in, but we’ll see if there’s a bill-shock at the end. Anyway, I was given a room with a faulty AC with the promise that I’ll be moved to another room for the remaining 3 nights. It turned out OK with the faulty AC blowing, the fan going and the window open … it wasn’t that warm anyway.
Istanbul is so easy to love. The buildings, markets, water, food and friendly locals. I was here only a year ago for the third time (after a long gap) and decided that it could be my favourite city. And when the chance came up with cheap flights that connect through here, I grabbed the opportunity. I hope to just chill and do a couple of things that I missed out on last year.