Never been to Istanbul?
Travel with the loveable Boji across this ancient city which straddles Asia and Europe.
Boji is a delightful Istanbul street dog.
He's shrewd and he's figured out how to use the city's public transport system to soothe his nomadic soul.
He sometimes travels up to 30 km a day, hopping between Istanbul's metro, the Bosphorus ferries, the otogar or domushes (buses) and the shiny trams as he explores Turkey's iconic megacity.
When Boji's movements were first noticed by the Istanbul municipality in autumn, its officials were fascinated. They began to track him via a microchip and a phone app.
Most days he will travel through 29 metro stations at least -- pitter-pattering, no doubt ticketless, under the electronic turnstiles -- and take a minimum of two ferry rides.
*Boji is super-smart -- he knows how and where to get on and off trains and ferries. And trams too.
People began to notice him more and more as a regular on their daily travel routes this year.
The dog was spied as far away from the city centre as Princes's Islands, a picturesque archipelago that once belonged to the Ottoman sultans, located 17 km out in the Sea of Marmara.
Ever since this uncanny canine got his own tracking app, Boji's spirited travels have made him a social media megaceleb.
No one has figured out the reason behind his daily whirlwind journeys. Or where he came from. But they are waiting to watch where he goes next.
Woof to you, Boji!
Please click on the images for a better look at Travels With Boji.
IMAGE: A young boy poses, slightly tentatively, with Boji on the historic Kadikoy tram, a line that dates from 1872, on the Asian side of the city.
All Photographs: Chris McGrath/Getty Images
IMAGE: There's Boji again, on a ferry on the Bosphorus Strait. He's going to Besiktas district.
Istanbul's network of ferries was once the largest municipal ferry system in the world and Monsieur Boji has mastered it, riding the waves effortlessly.
IMAGE: Trainer Ali Yesilirmak gives Boji lessons in social behaviour at the behest of the Istanbul municipality. Which is not to say the handsome dog wasn't a model commuter earlier.
Since he became the toast of the online world, the trainer also checks his mental health.
IMAGE: At 42 kgs, Boji -- which is Turkish for a train compartment -- is a big boy; after all, he is an Anatolian shepherd mix.
IMAGE: Boji, seen here playing during his training course, has his own Twitter account with 89,000 followers. He also has several Instagram accounts (external link), where people post their selfies with him.
IMAGE: Boji is groomed and given medical checks by the staff of the Istanbul Municipality Animal Shelter. He has been vaccinated for rabies, distemper, etc.
IMAGE: Movin' on... Catching the evening metro for Destination Unknown. Where's your mask, Boji?
IMAGE: Another town, another train... Boji waits patiently for commuters to alight before he boards the train.
IMAGE: With his paws neatly crossed, Boji is a dignified, well-mannered commuter. No manspreading for him, thank you very much. And do keep the pats coming!
IMAGE: The cameras are focused on him, but Boji doesn't believe in ODing on the attention. Quite the dude, isn't he?
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
