We arrived in Istanbul this morning. As always, it's great to be back in this wonderful city full of elegant spires, ancient Byzantine ruins as well as the magnificent Bosphorus. It's sunny and the blue skies merely make the waters around the old part of the city even more azure. We,re cooling our heels for a few days until we fly into Dogubayzit to start the climb. Everyone is in good health andd spirits.

We're staying in Sultanahmet, the old part of the city ( which spans both sides of the Bosphorus ) and will be looking at the great historical sights of the Aya Sofya and the Blue mosques as well as the Topkapi Palace. Again, this is old ground but great to bring the team around. Steven hasn't been here since his double London-Singapore overland trips in th early 90s and Yin Choo has never been here. What a thrill.....

Checking out
David