Cities are always the most difficult on a bike tour - lots of traffic, hard to navigate, nowhere to camp, difficult to walk around with a fully laden bicycle - so we were very relived to hear from Hakan, a cyclist who lives on the west side of Istanbul.
We contacted him through the WarmShowers website and he put us up for a few nights while we awaited the arrival of Laura's parents for a short break in Istanbul.
For a 22-year-old he seemed to be alarmingly well informed about so many different topics - film, photography, literature - and he told us about his experiences at the Taksim Square protests a few months before our visit.
As a cyclist himself (he's currently planning a big trip around the Turkish coast line) he knew exactly how to keep the tired tourists happy: a big greasy meal on arrival, unlimited hot tea, a comfy bed, access to wireless and lots of films.
He is also the founder of the WarmShowers Turkey Facebook page, members of which are currently lobbying to allow bikes on public transport.
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