Wheels. Warm, welcoming smiles. Wonderful places.

For the longest time, I have wanted to follow the sun. You may find this hard to believe unless you live there, but winters in Johannesburg, South Africa can be brutal. Our houses are built for summer and outdoor living, and the fact that bitterly cold winters descend on us for 3 or so months of the year completely eludes those in construction.  In my early twenties, I decided that I would travel to a warmer climate in the winter months. I seldom got this right.

Come 2021, 30 years later (did I just say that!), miraculously, I finally get it right. We set a date to leave South Africa in June and decide we’ll go to whichever warm country will take us. We land up in Turkey  (But more about that later).

In this post, I want to focus on Wheels, Warm, Welcoming smiles, and Wonderful places.

As always, one of the first things we do when arriving anywhere is RENT A SCOOTER. The freedom of having your own wheels while traveling opens up the places you find yourself a hundred-fold. 

You’d think that renting a scooter would be a pretty simple task, but time and again, it proves not to be. We make telephone calls, text, google translate, and negotiate for hours. Those of you that know me, know that I think best when eating and drinking. We find an authentic Turkish restaurant close by. No menu, no prices, just friendly, passionate people serving locals. We’ve learned the word Sadece Sebze (Vegetable only) and we take our chances. From this moment on - our luck changes. We eat the most delicious Turkish food since arriving. The service is fabulous, the place is buzzing. We decide we’re not returning home without a scooter so we can easily find more places like this. We get online and continue our search. 

Click above to check out zerotohundre.motorcycle on Instagram!

We came across @zerotohundred.motorcycle on Instagram and we contact them via WhatsApp. They respond immediately. The continued communication is fast, friendly, and clear.  By the time we arrive at their business, our wonderful Piaggio wheels are waiting. A beautiful little Vespa parked outside with both helmets placed neatly on the seat. All paperwork has already been sent digitally from the Taxi and approved.  

The taxi to their business costs us 50 Lira, so we’re feeling good that we’ve made the right decision renting the scooters. The freedom of a scooter is not only a traveler’s dream to be able to explore without limitations but also a fabulous opportunity to save A LOT of taxi money.

We view the scooter and we’re ready to pay and go. 

This is what I love most about travel and remote working. The contrast. Working in cafe’s and Co-work spaces. Easy going beach days in beautiful places after the bustling city vibe. The freedom of two wheels after flights, busses, and taxis. 

The easy-going, long, lazy, tech-free days after being on the computer for hours the week before. Love life, Love Living and when you need to take a step that you’re not sure of, do yourself a favor and #beunsettled  #embracetheunknown #geraouthafricamoving #zerotohundred #workfromanywhere