Ankara, Türkiye

The Yotel at IST was surprisingly quiet, given the number of guests that must come and go at all hours.

Breakfast was quite good, with a standard buffet, and eggs to order (I only noticed this sign afterwards).

We were quick packing up cause we hardly unpacked anything. Checkout was also easy - we just dropped the passkeys in a box in the lobby and left! I have to say I am very impressed with Yotel.

We were familiar with the airport layout from our walk yesterday. It was still pretty quiet at 9am, there was no lineup for security. The domestic departures is a nicer place to hang out compared to the international terminal.

We were only allowed one checked bag each, so I had to take our carry on suitcase as, well, carry on, and compete for luggage space in the overhead bins. It wasn’t a full flight so we had no issues.

The flight was only 45 minutes, and then we were in Ankara! Our driver had already WhatsApp’d to give his exact waiting spot. It did remind me of flying from Toronto to Ottawa - YOW is much more peaceful and laid back than YYZ. (I’ve only caught a connecting flight in Ottawa, but you still get the airport experience).

Anyways the drive into Ankara was pretty, through hills and valleys. The trees were just starting to bloom. Ankara is the 2nd largest city in Türkiye, about five million people. The airport has good access to the centre by road, only about 30 minutes.

Our hotel was in a restored caravanserai atop a hill, in the historical part of Ankara. Our room wasn’t ready yet (it was only 1pm) so we left our luggage and went for lunch.

We both got a soup, and then split a salad and manti (sort of like dumplings). It was way too much food - the soup itself (chickpeas, lamb, bulgur and yoghurt) could have been a meal.

Our room was ready by the time we finished eating. The room (as well as the whole hotel) has tons of character.

We were still recovering from our colds (although feeling better today), so just relaxed the rest of the afternoon.

I did make a trip to a laundromat, about a five minute drive. Uber is used more as a way to hail a taxi in Ankara - the only payment option in the app is cash. Anyways it is a convenient way to get a cab.

The laundromat folks were really friendly. In their setup, they do all the operating of the machines; I was there more as a supervisor to approve the temperature selection etc.

I figured I had time to get cash from an ATM and buy some water while the clothes were in the washer. It was cool walking down the street, in a part of town that I wouldn’t otherwise have reason to visit as a tourist. Lots of people just going about their everyday lives.

It was a quick washer, by the time I returned, the clothes were done. The laundromat follks double- and triple-checked with me that I didn’t want the clothes dried, before helping me stuff the clothes into my daypack.

A taxi drove by just as I exited. I used Google Maps to show in Turkish where I was going. Five minutes later I was back at the hotel, all my errands completed.

I was lucky too with the weather. It was sunny the whole time I was out. Dark clouds rolled in shortly after I returned, and it rained quite a bit.

We didn’t fancy heading out in the rain, so just ate at the hotel again for dinner. This wasn’t as special as our lunch, although we did a better job of ordering.

The hotel was hosting a fancy dinner for a table of 20 in the central courtyard of the caravanserai. We quietly walked through to the staircase to the 2nd level where the rooms were located, and called it a night.