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Turkey – March 2008

Arrived in Ankara (Turkey) at about 7pm local time – it was dark so I have not formed am impression of the place as yet. It took about 40 minutes by taxi to travel from the airport to the hotel and we seemed to bypass a constant string of residential areas. All the accommodation I saw took the form of multi-story blocks – all looking fairly similar.

I provide below a couple of photos of the hotel room where I am staying.

The people seem to be very friendly so far.

On entry to Turkey I needed to purchase a visa for my visit. As it transpired this is a three month multiple entry visa which costs £10 (UK). So I reached into my wallet and took out a ten pound note which I handed the visa clerk! He proceeded to look at it disconcertingly. What could be wrong – it was a crisp Clydesdale bank not which I had obtained straight from the Clydesdale ATM in my home town.

That was it!!!!!

He looked at me and said – ‘this is no good” I thought that he perhaps could not take payment in UK pounds – but no!!! The problem was that he would only accept English notes!!!! I have to confess my natural inclination to complain, stand my ground and insist my Scottish note was “legal currency” and every bit as good as its English counterpart – but I was tired and thought better of that. So I paid in American dollars!!!!