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| The Istanbul Steamer | Looking North along Main St. | Looking South along main St. |
Page Revised: 1-10-97
Ron Eddins' Page Two
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| The Istanbul Steamer | Looking North along Main St. | Looking South along main St. |
WAR STORY - SINOP 1972-73 - Evil Knievel, Turkish Style!
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Sinop, Turkey changed greatly over the years, but one thing never changed---it was always a for real "Hardship" assignment. Take it from one who knows!
On my third assignment to Sinop, I decided that I was going to make that one the best of all. I was married then, with a small child, and decided to bring my family over at my own expense. I made arrangements with Ibrahim, one of the Post Bus drivers who had some apartments downtown, to rent one of his apartments in the famous (or is that "infamous?) 18 Houses area. Our apartment was at the bottom of the hill, right across the road from the beach, with a rooftop patio that gave us a wonderful view of the harbor. We had many a party on that patio.
I had the opportunity to buy a 250cc Bultaco Motorcycle from one of the troops who was leaving Sinop. It was an old bike, but with some work ran great. I decided I would fix it up some, and the enclosed front porch of my apartment seemed like the ideal place to do the work. There was one small problem, though. The access walk to my apartment from the street was a set of steps--- three steps down to a three foot landing, and then a flight of about ten steps up to the front door. This resulted in a difficult approach to getting the bike on the porch. Being a great rider, I decided to build a ramp . I got some 2X6 lumber from on post and built a fifteen foot ramp from the street up to the apartment door. I braced the ramp well, and was careful to measure everything , especially making sure the ramp was in the middle of the doorway. I was sure I had covered everything. So I got on the bike and started her up. All the little Turkish kids who lived in the area were out to watch the "crazy American" kill himself. I went down the road apiece- you have to have a little speed to balance well on a narrow ramp- and started for the ramp. I lined up perfectly, ZIP--hit the middle of the 2X6 ramp, ZAP--right up the middle of the ramp, reached the open doorway, and----THE HANDLEBARS WERE TOO WIDE TO GO THROUGH THE DOOR!!!!!
The house, the steps
and the kids from
Ron's story.
As I am here writing this, it should be obvious that I survived--barely. But that incident may explain why I am always skeptical when someone tells me that they have thought of everything. The Motorcycle did help make the tour better. The Turks never did get used to seeing this crazy American blasting up the side of the hill on his way to Hippodrome--the back way!
I did ride it to Samsun, once. Talk about a long ride! I was beat to death, as anyone who is familiar with Turkish roads will know. When it was time to go back to Sinop, I put it on the back of the Shuttle bus and rode back that way. I wasn't totally crazy.
When it was time to leave, I decided to ship the bike home to the states. Turkish Customs wouldn't allow shipping a POV because I wasn't allowed to HAVE the thing to begin with! But with some bribes in the right places, I managed to disassemble the thing and ship the frame and wheels via hold baggage. And the rest of it? U.S. Mail, of course!
Ron Eddins
Ron1SG@AOL.COM
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