Continent Crossing Cows

Propelling themselves out of their soft hay-laden pens, our two startlingly handsome yaks quickly washed, attempted to fix up a rather poorly Catharine, and lolloped at great speed towards their next hostel in the heart of Istan’s home city. After checking-in, Elliott and James asked the receptionist where Istan could be found, and refused to let the bemusement on his face dampen their spirits before deciding split off in order to find the legendary yak-bro as quickly as possible.

Both horned herbivores decided that such a magnificent creature would likely live in a place of great grandeur, thus Topkai Palace was first on the list. The complex was awesome, leaving the yaks momentarily entranced by the splendour of the colourful halls, which housed an astonishing array of weapons, treasures, and religious artefacts, including the very genuine exact staff that Moses used to part the Red Sea. It was only the expansive court yards and gardens, which were perfect for yak grazing, which reminded the explorers of their true task. With Istan nowhere to be seen, Elliott headed off to the similarly impressive Aya Sofia, while James trotted along to the Blue Palace. Although these buildings were again stupendously spectacular, (the interior of the Aya Sofia especially), the yaks glumly returned to their hostel having failed to find the fabled bull.

The scintilating sights of Istanbul, but where is Istan hiding?? (Clue: Rumour has it he was somewhere in his palace halls)

This disappointment was however short-lived, as our shaggy super-yaks enjoyed several beverages and some traditional Turkish cuisine with some other journeyers, with James proudly declaring the next day he didn’t get back until 3:30am (#HK).

Rather gingerly rolling out of their beds the next morning (with James’ hind legs wobbling ever so slightly), the two mountainous mooers dabbled in a light breakfast and cantered around the city in a last ditch attempt to find Istan. Having heard the legend of the Minotaur, they decided that the underground Cistern, filled with columns in maze-esque fashion, could be a useful final place to locate our enigmatic bull. The underground labyrinth was truly astonishing, with no pictures able to quite do the enormous and refreshingly cool cavern justice. The highlight of the landmark was definitely two great engravings of Medusa on two columns, neither purposefully facing upright. The story of Medusa made the yaks sad, and they hoped that their comparable beauty would never lead them to a similar fate. Although the Cistern offered up many fish, Istan was not to be found - Bullderdash.

Luckily Yaks don't feature in Greek Mythology

Starting to think that the city was not named Istanbul due to the residence of a mighty yak, Elliott and James explored the bustling Grand Bazaar, peered over the Galata Bridge that links Europe to Asia, and enjoyed a scrumptious lunch in a local restaurant.They then retired to the hostel in order to ready themselves for the long drive across Turkey, which began that very evening. With bombing in the south of the country, and FCO warnings of terrorist threats in the very city they were in, galloping was of the essence.

It really is a bizarre place

Leaving the city was painfully slow, with a car big enough to carry two such powerful yaks too large to quickly zip between the evening traffic. After finally leaving the sprawling Eurasian metropolis, the trio drove into the early hours of the morning to a petrol station in order to sneakily set up camp behind some trees, after sampling a final local delicacy - Burger King. Eating beef burgers was a real moral struggle for the two cows, but the taste of those flam-grilled Whoppers helped make the decision that bit easier.

The next day saw the dashing daredevils cover the entire country in a quite astonishing feat of driving stamina. Despite suffering some minor injuries, Catharine (donated by Hilton Group, Bishops Stortford, who offer fantastic services covering coachworks, vehicle leasing, rental, tyres, windscreens, sports cars and classic cars. Did we tell you how good they are?!), powered through with exceptional energy. Turkey was a magnificent land to pass through, offering up some incredible driving and far-reaching views on the windy mountain roads of the heartland, and the buzz of the party towns on the northern Black Sea coast. The yaks were therefore somewhat perplexed how such a beautiful and varied nation could be named after such a lowly bird, while the noble yak lacked any sort of international recognition.

Catharine taking in the Turkish Delight-ful view

The tailed tourists eventually arrived at a rather hectic looking Georgian border at around midnight (1am Georgian time), with the area full of buses and coaches that were packed dangerously to the brim with others seeking passage. Despite the apparent frenzy, the trio were able to pass into the Caucasus within an hour (yaks are very trustworthy creatures so require little inspection), and gently drive on to the coastal town of Batumi, which was apparently incredible. Having arrived at 2am however, there was little hope of the weary wanderers finding accommodation, and so ended up parking along what appeared to be an abandoned road, and facing another gloriously comfortable night sleep in Hotel Catharine, before the long drive to Yerevan in Armenia the next day.