Wham, bang as we HIT Istanbul

We have managed to rack up our first fender bender of the trip, with Mark and Beth getting side swiped by a Toyota......

Luckily all where OK, Beth and Mark stayed remarkably calm, whilst Pat protested there innocence to the police.

It took hours to sort out, the van is OK, minor door damage, we are sure that between us there will be more to come, lets hope nothing too serious.

Rachael and Tom have been keeping a brave face on the oily lump at the back of the Baja, which is now fixed, I think they where consuming more oil than Petrol at one point.

Both are Great teams holding up well.

We have gathered some last minute spares from a great supplier in Istanbul, I had to change the rear disc pads they where getting a bit tired, I have finally learnt the meaning of the diff lock and high/low ratio gearbox (thanks Mark) tomorrow I will put my new knowledge to the test.

Tiny has been a star so far, he has had to work really hard tugging 4 tonnes up and down the country and coastal roads, the next challenge is really Russia and Kaz, I am sure he will eat up all everything I put on his plate.

So far every encounter we have had has been a good one, the Turkish people are fantastic, they really cannot do enough for you, their driving is off the scale but hey really do make up for it in their welcoming attitude....