Note: I've been experimenting with stream of consciousness posting lately. This is that experiment, taking waaaaaay too far. It's a glimpse into my deeply sleep-deprived mind. Eventually, I will retcon this post into a proper summary, rather than leave it as the overwritten monstrosity it is now.
Also Note: Times in this journal are given using Eastern European Summer Time (EEST), which is eight hours ahead of Central Standard Time used in the the American midwest.
Sunday, June 20th,
7:30 PM, Balcony outside Andrea's apartment.
And so ends a great adventure. I'm sitting on Dre and Carl's deck admiring the weather, while I wait for four AM to roll around so I can climb into a cab. There's a pretty big storm brewing, so the temperature's dropping and the wind is getting strong. Now the rain is starting.
The final days of my vacation have passed more or less without incident. I was hoping for a trip to the museum or perhaps the bazaar, but we're all still exhausted and I've spent too much anyway.
It's well and truly storming now, with large bolts of lightning here and there, some of them awfully close. The door only latches from the inside, so I've got a chair propped against it to keep it from banging open and shut.
I wasn't sure what to expect of Turkey when I first came over here, and a lot of it has surprised me. For example, I think somewhere along the line I started equating the concept of an Islamic country with deserts, third world technology, and rampant crime. From what I've seen so far, some things are different, but by no means is Turkey undeveloped. In fact, we could learn a thing or two from the Turks.
For example, they deliver almost anything, including beer and cigarettes. And when a deliveryman comes to your door, he can run the credit card right then and there; you don't have to give them your credit card number until AFTER they show up with the goods. I wish the chinese restaurants back home could do that!
Wow… That storm is really picking up. I'm glad we stayed in tonight!
Anyway, another thing about this country: the produce. I never truly enjoyed a tomato in my life before coming to this country, but the produce here is so fresh it's like another food altogether.
And then, some of the differences are just weird. Earlier today, for example, I had pizza. With corn. They put corn on their pizza here. Actually tastes alright.
They also have a real thing about smoking. In the US, you get little warning labels on the side of a pack of cigarettes. Here, you get warnings in big bold print that cover half the box, and sometimes a photograph of a dead baby. And on television, no channel may show a character smoking. Its kind of weird when you're watching a movie with all manner of sex and violence, but a little cigarette has to be blurred out.
* * * *
Monday, June 21st
12:30 AM, Andrea's living room
It's half past midnight now, and we just finished another Dr Who marathon and started Bored to Death. One of the characters pulled out a join, and it was covered with a rotating flower. A green one.
Ironic. Cover a green plant with a green plant.
* * * *
3:00 AM, Streets of Ankara
A little after one, we went out for a walk, primarily I could get cab fare from the ATM. We kept walking a little ways after that to get some coffee.
I haven't really explained this yet, but the Turkish are very serious about their coffee. For instance, although we found no less than three all-night coffee shops in about as many city blocks, we were under dressed for two of them.
When we did finally stop, I had my last Turkish meal. I had been meaning to order lamb all month, and here I finally had it, cut in a kabob fashion and served on top of a flat pita with tomato, onion, and rice; it was accompanied by a Lentil soup. Altogether, it was a good last meal. After we finished, I ordered some Turkish coffee. Turkish coffee is an interesting beverage. It is served in a cup the size of a shot glass, like espresso, but with a much greater caffeine content. The grounds are left in the drink, giving it an extraordinarily thick texture. As you near the bottom of the cup, that consistency grows until your drinking more grounds than liquid, so you have to get a feel for when to stop drinking or it feels like drinking sand.
Oddly enough, I really liked Turkish coffee.
Well, it's now ten after three in the morning. Despite the generous caffeine boost, I'm feeling sleepy already, and I've still got a good twenty four hours before I can go to sleep.
* * * *
6:30 AM, en route to Munich Airport
Throughout this trip, I have not once boarded a plain that lacked a screaming child. Not one single plane.
* * * *
9:05 AM, runway in Munich
We've landed. Everyone in the plane hurriedly climbs out of their chairs so they can wait in a big thick line to get their bags and depart the plane. I've done this a few times over by now, so I know there's no point in getting in that line. I'm going to sit right here in this chair and play with my laptop until I have a clear route to the exit. The bus to the terminal won't leave until we're all on board anyway, so why rush?
* * * *
9:47 AM, Munich Airport
Score. I found a power outlet in an out-of-the-way sort of spot, and I actually have the necessary converter. My battery was getting low and may take a while to charge, but I've got lots of time to kill, and I've already been thoroughly disappointed by the prices at the Duty Free.
Duty Free isn't really all that cheap, liquor-wise. I did stare longingly at 20 euro liter of Jameson's before I gave in to the fact that I was trying to drink fine whiskey on a tap water budget.
My flight leaves at eleven fifty local time, which is one hour behind, so I've got almost exactly three hours to fritter away. I could poke around online, but that costs eight euro per hour and I'm just not willing to drop ten bucks to check my email.
This flight will be long, but I'm feeling rather amped at the moment. I've got enough lyra on hand to hook myself up with some caffeine, and with a fully charged laptop I can kill at least half the air time storming Kefka's tower. Toss in a couple of watchable movies and I'll be back in my native land before I know it.
It should take a little less than forty minutes to charge my laptop from here, and then perhaps I'll just wander Munich airport for a little while. This place is huge, and there's lots of window shopping to be had. I've no intention of paying airport prices when my bag is already laden with (more reasonably priced) knick knacks picked up over the past month, but with nothing better to do I may as well browse.
* * * *
10:15 AM, Munich Airport
The good news is that I managed to kill fifteen minutes cleaning the dirt out from under my fingernails. The bad news is that while setting my laptop down to do so, I knocked the power cord loose. It'll be another 30 minutes…
* * * *
10:30 AM, Munich Airport
OWWWWW!!! My leg's asleep! Pins and needles! Pins and needles!
* * * *
12:00 PM, Munich Airport, United Airlines terminal, Gate H 43
My plane departs in just under an hour. When I get to Chicago, I will have been awake for more than thirty-two consecutive hours. I will also have approximately two hours to go through customs, get my checked luggage from the O'Hare baggage claim, see it through customs, recheck it, and then get myself out of the international terminal, into the terminal my connecting flight leaves from (this may require a bus ride) and through security one more time before my plane leaves. Oh, and my boarding pass doesn't tell me what terminal or gate I want to be heading for, and none of the United Airlines staff can either, until I get to Chicago.
My last trip through this airport I only had to walk a few feet to get to my gate. They also checked my luggage all the way through to my destination. In retrospect, if I'd had these troubles on my way in, I might have some clue where I was going and who I need to talk to this time around. This ought to be fun…
* * * *
1:15 PM, On the tarmac in Chicago, waiting to take off
Jubilations! My sleep-deprived brain has apparently botched a little math. I have nearly three hours to navigate O'Hare, generously boosting my chances of success! And the good news doesn't stop there, because my seat has been upgraded again! Economy plus seat, with plenty of leg room, and an aisle seat just 19 rows from the plane's forward exit, which will help me to get off the plane and into customs all the quicker. Especially because the 18 rows in front of me are mostly the sparsely-populated First Class seats.
To make things even better, the in-flight movie selection is very promising! See, just the other day, I was commenting to Andrea that I've never seen a Marilyn Monroe movie. Wouldn't you know it, Some Like it Hot is playing on this flight! Other selections range from might-be-decent to great-but-I've-already-seen-it, so if Alice in Wonderland and Edge of Darkness don't entertain me, I can always switch to Wall-E or How to Train your Dragon halfway through.
* * * *
4:37 PM, 36,000 feet above the Atlantic
Six hours until we land Chicago
So during takeoff, it became apparent that the little screen on the chair in front of me is a filthy liar. We won't be landing with three hours to spare, I'll be landing with less than two.
I forgive the dishonest device, however, because of how very much I'm enjoying the in-flight entertainment. If you've never seen Some Like it Hot, I recommend it. I finally get what everybody saw in Marilyn Monroe. And by "everybody," I mean you, Dre.
The good news is that the entire messy procedure of going through customs, getting my checked luggage, putting it back through customs, etc etc is going to be fairly simple. It's all pretty much in one straight line. I was hoping that would be the case, because I still may have to catch a bus from the international terminal, and I don't know how long that will take.
In the meantime, the channel with Edge of Darkness keeps having sound issues and I don't feel like watching Book of Eli (because you already know how it's going to end when God is one of the principal characters) so I guess I'm going to give Alice in Wonderland a chance to impress me. From the trailers, the movie struck me as pretentious self-indulgence on the part of Tim Burton, but if worst comes to worst I can always divert to Wall-E. I like Wall-E.
Unfortunately, the headphones they gave weren't working. I asked for a second pair, but then those snapped off right in the headphone jack. I worked the plug out of the jack, but I'm not about to ask for a third pair, so I guess I'm stuck with my own ear buds. Damn things chafe my ears…
* * * *
5:11 PM, 36,000 feet above the Atlantic
Meh. The effects are nifty and the acting is good enough not to distract, but so far the flick's just been a series of set pieces that pretty much jump up and shout "Hey! Look at us! We're being surreal and obscure! How awesome is that!?"
Also, Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter seems completely indistinguishable from Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow.
* * * *
6:27 PM, 36,000 feet above the southern tip of Greenland.
HA! Thought I was gonna say "above the Atlantic" again, didn't you!? I'll bet it didn't occur to you that the plane would climb latitudinally to shorten the longitudinal distance needed to cross the ocean, did it?
We're at the northernmost apex of our flight, which means we're just barely strafing along the shores of Greenland at its southernmost tip. We'll be back out over the Atlantic in a few more minutes.
Alice actually wasn't all that bad. Hardly great, and it certainly didn't obtain all the fruits it reached for, but it's entertaining enough, if you're literally strapped to a chair and have nothing else to watch.
It'll be a half hour or so before the movies cycle back around again, at which point I may or may not watch Book of Eli. There's just a little more than four hours left in the flight, and so far it really hasn't been so bad. The stewardess was kind enough to give me a free bottle of wine, the first half of the flight passed quickly, there's still three movies on tap here that I haven't seen yet (plus two good ones I've not seen in a bit) and my laptop has plenty of juice left.
Heh. The little tike next to me is utterly fascinated with my SNES emulator.
Whelp, movies are cycling again, guess I'll give book of Eli a chance.
* * * *
7:15 PM, 36,000 feet above the Atlantic (again)
It's basically Fallout the Movie.
* * * *
7:46 PM, 36,000 feet above Northeastern Canada
Remember that bit in Boondock Saints where they kind of made it look like God might be personally keeping the main characters alive? How it was kind of left open whether they were just really really lucky or there was some actual divine intervention going on?
Book of Eli doesn't leave it open like that. Takes a lot of the suspense out of the fight scenes.
Anyway, We're almost back over US soil. At this point, I've got just a little under three hours to go on this flight. I'm still feeling pretty awake, all things considered. Chicago's my last stop before Kansas City, and the connecting flight is only a little longer than an hour. Should be a breeze, as long as I can make it through Chicago International in time to catch the plane.
* * * *
833 PM, way up high over somewhere
BOOOOO!!! It was a King James version the whole time!!!!
* * * *
10:08 PM, skies over Michigan
Did you know that 10L08 is the time of day when the most little bars are lit up on a digital clock?
I've got a less than an hour before we land. The stewardesses just served us a snack of chips and candybars. I wasn't terribly hungry, but seeing as I haven't slept in more than thirty hours and I'm about to run the hundred yard sprint through Chicago International, I figured I could use the sugar rush. I also had like my fifth cup of coffee to go with it.
My flight out of Chicago boards in two and a half hours. If I can make it that far without passing out, I'm home free…
We'll be landing in 20 minutes. Time to turn this computer off and get ready to move. Hopefully, this'll all be a lot easier than I've been making it sound.
* * * *
12:23 AM , O'Hare Airport, Domestic Terminal
Getting through customs was an ordeal. The line alone took at least half an hour. And when I get to the very end, a woman actually cut in front of me. She walked up from outside the line, not-so-surreptitiously looked around, and then just ducked under the rope.
"Did you just duck under that rope?"
"Yes I did." She looks up at me all serious, like she's daring me to say something else. So I do.
"Wiiiiiiiithout waiting in line like the rest of us?" I ask, cocking an eyebrow. At this point, she backed off a little bit. "I-I'm just trying to get back to my party." At this, I give her my biggest, friendliest smile.
"Oh, well don't let me get in your way," I insist, as I shoulder my way past her so she can get behind me and look for her friends
She waited until I was through the queue before she continued to just move with the line. I could have said something else, but hey, she didn't get to cut in front of me, so it's no skin off my back.
A couple of forms and official-sounding questions later, I retrieved my checked luggage, rechecked it (which turned out to only involve tossing it in a pile with everyone else's luggage) and went through the second customs counter and into the airport. I hopped a train to my terminal, and arrived twenty minutes before boarding was scheduled to begin. Piece of cake.
* * * *
1:07 AM, On the tarmac in O'Hare
Ha ha! I got upgraded to Economy Plus again! My last 90 minutes will be spent in style!
I've spent the last half hour proofreading this massive stream of consciousness, but given that it's been nearly forty hours since I've slept, I'm not sure how thorough I'm being.
The overhead bins are absolutely packed and I had to squeeze the bag a bit, I hope none of my shinies get damaged.
* * * *
1:38 AM, En route to Kansas City
One hour, twenty-three minutes before I land back in my old hometown. That's much shorter than the last two plane-rides I took. And yet there's still going to be an inflight movie! That's kinda cool.
This is the part of the trip where I should get all pensive and reflect on my journey thus far, but frankly I'm just too fried to be philosophical.
For all that I'm going to miss Carl, Andrea, their country and their cats, the only thing on my mind right now is climbing into bed and passing out. It's been a very long day.
The "in-flight movie," so far, has been a bunch of advertisements. Also, it appears that one of the radio stations tunes me in to the conversation between the cockpit and the tower. We're heading 250 knots, apparently. Actually, it seems to be the tower in general.
Oh, the video is going to be 30 Rock. I've never actually seen that show.
OK, that show is weird…
And they actually just made a 4th wall-breaking joke about people on an airplane being forced to watch bad CBS sitcoms. That seems pretty obscure.
* * * *
2:10 AM, in the sky
This is one of the strangest airplane rides I've ever been on. First, as the train drove around the runway, water vapor was being vented in from the celing. Then they have in-flight video on a one-hour flight. And now, they've passed around a complimentary tin of Altoids.
A complimentary tin of Altoids with a cellophane wrapping that is extremely thick, and nearly impossible to cut through.
And the mints inside are cube shaped.
And now I'm watching some kind of terribly obscure educational video on how fireworks function.
* * * *
5:06 AM, My home in Kansas City
You know what, it feels good to be home. Familiar house, familiar bed, cats that don't claw the shit out of me…
Even just riding up the drive to my house felt good.
I've showered, I've eaten (I couldn't get mom not to cook for me), and I've checked my messages. I've also pulled out some of the more fragile goodies I brought home to make sure nothing was damaged. Pretty soon, I'm going to pass out and hopefully not wake up for a long, long time.
So yeah, that's it. The End. Finito. Ben's Turkish adventure has come and gone. And what an adventure it was. I ate exotic foods, saw crazy places, did amazing things. And I lost twenty pounds!
This has been a singularly unique adventure, the kind you're lucky to have even just once in a lifetime. But really, it's only encouraged me to work hard, so I can have many more like it in the future.
If there's one note that I'd end this whole thing on, it's this: Just fucking do it. Whatever it is that you've always wanted to do but didn't do, or put off doing, because it just wasn't sensible. Don't wait until the right time. Don't tell yourself you'll do it one of these days. Just go and do it.
Because even if it leaves you penniless and destitute, man, you'll have some great stories.
-BS
Monday, June 21, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Travel Journal, Part X
So as mentioned previously, the sojourn to Cappadocia was cancelled, and in its place is a two month old kitten. By way of apology for canceling my last trip, this kitten has woken me up every morning since her arrival by eating my hair, licking my ears, and generally climbing all over me if I seep too late.
All in all, however, I'm glad about this turn of events for two reasons. Firstly, this kitten is seriously adorable.
Secondly, this past week I've become rather sick, and I now find myself grateful that I won't be riding in a car for three hours to climb into a hot air balloon. I'm not dangerously ill, but just sick enough to not really enjoy such a trip. The good news is that Carl got his hands on some penicillin (over the counter for about $6, natch!) and I've been taking two a day for a while now. I've still got a soar throat and a nasty cough, but if I'm lucky it'll pass before I have to get on an airplane again.
Speaking of which, my trip is almost over, and in 24 hours (it is currently four AM) I'll be climbing into a cab and heading to the airport. My flight out of Ankarah is departing at six AM, which means I need to leave the apartment at four. After that I'll spend four hours in the air, another four hours in the Munich airport, and then about nine flying to Chicago. I'll have another two hours in the Chicago airport, and then I'm on the blessedly short ninety minute flight back to Kansas City. It should be about six PM when I get home. If I don't get any sleep on the international flight, I'll be able to get into my house around eight or nine in the evening, and go right to bed. I'm told that jet lag is far less of an issue when traveling West, so hopefully I'll recover just in time to drive out to St Louis for Kurt and Abby's birthday shindig.
HOWEVER, before all that, I've got one more day in Ankara, and I plan to live it the flip up. We're going to head to the Autoturk museum, and revisit the Bazaar and the Ankara castle. I haven't found myself a really good souvenir yet, and it's the end of the trip so I'm feeling retrospective.
Also, if anyone's keeping track, this is the 99th post of my blog. The 100th episode of "Occasionally Witty" will contain the account of my final day my flight home, and a general retrospective of the trip entire. So stay tuned,
Also, since I'll be in two international airports in the next 48 hours: if anyone has any requests from the Duty Free, now's the time.
All in all, however, I'm glad about this turn of events for two reasons. Firstly, this kitten is seriously adorable.
Secondly, this past week I've become rather sick, and I now find myself grateful that I won't be riding in a car for three hours to climb into a hot air balloon. I'm not dangerously ill, but just sick enough to not really enjoy such a trip. The good news is that Carl got his hands on some penicillin (over the counter for about $6, natch!) and I've been taking two a day for a while now. I've still got a soar throat and a nasty cough, but if I'm lucky it'll pass before I have to get on an airplane again.
Speaking of which, my trip is almost over, and in 24 hours (it is currently four AM) I'll be climbing into a cab and heading to the airport. My flight out of Ankarah is departing at six AM, which means I need to leave the apartment at four. After that I'll spend four hours in the air, another four hours in the Munich airport, and then about nine flying to Chicago. I'll have another two hours in the Chicago airport, and then I'm on the blessedly short ninety minute flight back to Kansas City. It should be about six PM when I get home. If I don't get any sleep on the international flight, I'll be able to get into my house around eight or nine in the evening, and go right to bed. I'm told that jet lag is far less of an issue when traveling West, so hopefully I'll recover just in time to drive out to St Louis for Kurt and Abby's birthday shindig.
HOWEVER, before all that, I've got one more day in Ankara, and I plan to live it the flip up. We're going to head to the Autoturk museum, and revisit the Bazaar and the Ankara castle. I haven't found myself a really good souvenir yet, and it's the end of the trip so I'm feeling retrospective.
Also, if anyone's keeping track, this is the 99th post of my blog. The 100th episode of "Occasionally Witty" will contain the account of my final day my flight home, and a general retrospective of the trip entire. So stay tuned,
Also, since I'll be in two international airports in the next 48 hours: if anyone has any requests from the Duty Free, now's the time.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Travel Journal, Part IX
The three of us woke up sporadically between four and six in the afternoon, and promptly reached the consensus that we were really freaking hungry.
We ordered from a Turkish restaurant that Carl and Dre had been hearing about, called Neli. I ordered Beef Thai Noodles, and then crawled back into bed to await my spicy, beefy goodness.
So I waited. And waited. And then, after about an hour, I got up to see if I'd slept through the delivery. I hadn't, they were apparently just really, really late. About twenty minutes later, the food finally did arrive and we sat down to dine on… well, we're actually still working out what it was we dined on.
My "beef thai noodles" consisted of chicken, a pepper or two, and some noodles that I'm positive were slathered in mayonnaise. Andrea had ordered chicken parmesan,which (while at least containing the meat she ordered) consisted of an very undercooked chicken breast with some parmesan cheese sprinkled on top, and some horribly overcooked rice and vegetables. She also ordered a chocolate brownie for desert, but somehow this restaurant made even chocolate taste bad, and the menu hadn't mentioned that they would stick a few kiwis inside the brownie. Carl's ravioli was at least more or less what ravioli is supposed to be, but the sauce was subpar and his cheesecake suffered from a slight case of nonexistence.
At the insistence of Dre and Carl, I ordered the chicken pudding for my dessert. Eating this was… an experience. It had the texture of paste, but with a slight taste of chicken and a lot of sugar. Andrea's brownie, for some reason, had kiwis hidden inside of it, which completely ruined the already mediocre chocolate flavor. All in all, it was a meal that made me nostalgic for the halcyon days of Robert Childs.
I choked it down anyway, though, because I hadn't eaten for sixteen hours.
The rest of the day was spent on a Dr Who marathon. It was the first season, which I prefer (you never forget your first Doctor) but for some reason the marathon ended after the first episode of the two-part season finale. Dre and I watched The Happy Hooker goes to Washington, and then went to bed.
I had worried that sleeping from nine to four in the afternoon would make it hard to fall asleep, but I dozed straight through until noon, woke up, and went shopping for dinner. While at the mall, we stopped in the pet shop, and found a kitten so cute that Andrea nearly broke down and cried. Unfortunately, we couldn't leave a brand new baby animal home alone all week while we go to Cappadocia.
So the Cappadocia trip was called off on account of kitten. I was looking forward to the cave hotels and a hot air balloon ride, but I have to admit that she is an awfully cute kitten.
There's still another week before my flight home, so I'll definitely squeeze a little more fun out of this trip, but at this point we're winding down. Bodrum wore me out and I have a bit of a head cold besides, so I'm going to spend a day or two resting. I'll probably hit the market one more time, see some museums, and perhaps take another walk out by the castle.
I'm rapidly approaching 100 blog posts, so if I can work this just right, my 100th post will be the conclusion/epilogue to this little sojourn. After I take a little 48 hour nap.
We ordered from a Turkish restaurant that Carl and Dre had been hearing about, called Neli. I ordered Beef Thai Noodles, and then crawled back into bed to await my spicy, beefy goodness.
So I waited. And waited. And then, after about an hour, I got up to see if I'd slept through the delivery. I hadn't, they were apparently just really, really late. About twenty minutes later, the food finally did arrive and we sat down to dine on… well, we're actually still working out what it was we dined on.
My "beef thai noodles" consisted of chicken, a pepper or two, and some noodles that I'm positive were slathered in mayonnaise. Andrea had ordered chicken parmesan,which (while at least containing the meat she ordered) consisted of an very undercooked chicken breast with some parmesan cheese sprinkled on top, and some horribly overcooked rice and vegetables. She also ordered a chocolate brownie for desert, but somehow this restaurant made even chocolate taste bad, and the menu hadn't mentioned that they would stick a few kiwis inside the brownie. Carl's ravioli was at least more or less what ravioli is supposed to be, but the sauce was subpar and his cheesecake suffered from a slight case of nonexistence.
At the insistence of Dre and Carl, I ordered the chicken pudding for my dessert. Eating this was… an experience. It had the texture of paste, but with a slight taste of chicken and a lot of sugar. Andrea's brownie, for some reason, had kiwis hidden inside of it, which completely ruined the already mediocre chocolate flavor. All in all, it was a meal that made me nostalgic for the halcyon days of Robert Childs.
I choked it down anyway, though, because I hadn't eaten for sixteen hours.
The rest of the day was spent on a Dr Who marathon. It was the first season, which I prefer (you never forget your first Doctor) but for some reason the marathon ended after the first episode of the two-part season finale. Dre and I watched The Happy Hooker goes to Washington, and then went to bed.
I had worried that sleeping from nine to four in the afternoon would make it hard to fall asleep, but I dozed straight through until noon, woke up, and went shopping for dinner. While at the mall, we stopped in the pet shop, and found a kitten so cute that Andrea nearly broke down and cried. Unfortunately, we couldn't leave a brand new baby animal home alone all week while we go to Cappadocia.
So the Cappadocia trip was called off on account of kitten. I was looking forward to the cave hotels and a hot air balloon ride, but I have to admit that she is an awfully cute kitten.
There's still another week before my flight home, so I'll definitely squeeze a little more fun out of this trip, but at this point we're winding down. Bodrum wore me out and I have a bit of a head cold besides, so I'm going to spend a day or two resting. I'll probably hit the market one more time, see some museums, and perhaps take another walk out by the castle.
I'm rapidly approaching 100 blog posts, so if I can work this just right, my 100th post will be the conclusion/epilogue to this little sojourn. After I take a little 48 hour nap.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Travel Journal, Part VIII
My last couple of days in Bodrum were mostly more of the same, but fun nonetheless. Dre and I went to the sauna Friday morning, and then went swimming for a little while. That night, we went out to a spanish restaurant in downtown Bodrum. This was one of the greatest meals I've in my life.
The meal began with a complimentary shotglass of sangria, which we sipped casually as we perused the menu. We finally selected steamed mussels in a white wine and tomato sauce. Following that, we had a squid cooked in its own ink, which is easily one of the tastiest foods I've eaten in my life. Around the time we finished the squid, it was starting to rain, so we carried what was left of our meal inside and sipped drinks while we contemplated another order of appetizers. Carl wanted to surprise us by showing up in Bodrum, so it was about that time that he and his friend Monty crashed our little dinner party. We ordered another couple plates of appetizers and a fresh round of drinks, and then hit the bars.
Monty's a bit of a drinker, so by the time we'd finished our drinks, he'd tossed back three martinis and a long island. We figured it was going to be one of those nights, so we caught the bus back to Gumbet to be closer to the resort when we got too tipsy.
Monty had apparently drank a little that morning, and a little more at the airport, and then a little more on the plane, and then a lot at the restaurant, so we ordered a fish bowl in hopes of catching up. We had a little time to sip on it while he went and bought a diamond necklace from an all-night jewelry store. We made a heroic effort, but nothing keeps you sober like somebody twice as drunk, and it wasn't long before we stopped trying. The three of us had only killed about a quarter of the drink by the time Monty came back from the jeweler, five thousand lira poorer and a good bit thirstier. He continued to pack it away while we kept half pace, and the night pretty much ended early with us hauling him back to the hotel.
The next morning, we woke up, tucked into some cheese omelets, and then went back to bed. Andrea and I woke up again a few hours later, and went out for a walk. We had some cappuccino on the terrace by the sea, and then wandered into town. After a while, we had kabobs for lunch, and poked through a couple shops. Carl went out to meet up with us, but unfortunately we had taken the sun screen with him, and he got a little more heat than was healthy during the walk down. I wasn't feeling very well myself, so we went back to the room and cranked the AC for a while.
That night, I went out one last time, but after three straight nights of partying, I was done being crazy. I had one beer, and spent the rest of the time just walking around the city, checking out some of the all-night shops.
I still stayed out and about until well after two in the morning, because I hadn't had a good chance to explore Bodrum proper what with all the happenings and goings on. The stores in this city stay open well after midnight, so got to do a little window shopping (watch my facebook page for a photograph of a very interesting chess set) and sample a little street food.
Our flight was at seven AM, which meant that we had to leave at five. Since we'd woken up well past noon every day all there was no point in trying to fall asleep before the wake up call, so we just stayed awake. Unlike Istanbul and Ankara, the airport in Bodrum was poorly air conditioned and filled with mosquitoes, so it was a very unpleasant wait. As has become our custom, Andrea and I picked a window and aisle seat, in hopes that the middle seat would remain unclaimed and we'd get to spread out. On this occasion, however, a man with particularly unpleasant body odor decided that he wanted to sit in between us instead of in one of the several empty rows of seats. We didn't feel bad about making faces at him as we got out of our seats and relocated to one of the numerous empty rows. I mean, fine, I was up all night and probably a little ripe myself, but I didn't deliberately insert myself between two other people. If you are lonely and want strangers to sit with you, take a shower first. S'all I'm saying.
After an hour or so on the plane, and half that in a cab, we arrived back at the place that has come to feel very much like a second home. I was hungry and needed food, I was smelly and needed a shower, and I was tired and needed to go to bed. Despite my best efforts, the latter ended up being the first priority, and before ten in the morning, I was unconscious.
After four days and nights, I can honestly say that I got all the excitement and entertainment out of Bodrum that I could handle. I certainly wouldn't mind going back some time, but right now I'm honestly looking forward to a couple of days sitting around Andrea's apartment, maybe watching a movie or something.
The meal began with a complimentary shotglass of sangria, which we sipped casually as we perused the menu. We finally selected steamed mussels in a white wine and tomato sauce. Following that, we had a squid cooked in its own ink, which is easily one of the tastiest foods I've eaten in my life. Around the time we finished the squid, it was starting to rain, so we carried what was left of our meal inside and sipped drinks while we contemplated another order of appetizers. Carl wanted to surprise us by showing up in Bodrum, so it was about that time that he and his friend Monty crashed our little dinner party. We ordered another couple plates of appetizers and a fresh round of drinks, and then hit the bars.
Monty's a bit of a drinker, so by the time we'd finished our drinks, he'd tossed back three martinis and a long island. We figured it was going to be one of those nights, so we caught the bus back to Gumbet to be closer to the resort when we got too tipsy.
Monty had apparently drank a little that morning, and a little more at the airport, and then a little more on the plane, and then a lot at the restaurant, so we ordered a fish bowl in hopes of catching up. We had a little time to sip on it while he went and bought a diamond necklace from an all-night jewelry store. We made a heroic effort, but nothing keeps you sober like somebody twice as drunk, and it wasn't long before we stopped trying. The three of us had only killed about a quarter of the drink by the time Monty came back from the jeweler, five thousand lira poorer and a good bit thirstier. He continued to pack it away while we kept half pace, and the night pretty much ended early with us hauling him back to the hotel.
The next morning, we woke up, tucked into some cheese omelets, and then went back to bed. Andrea and I woke up again a few hours later, and went out for a walk. We had some cappuccino on the terrace by the sea, and then wandered into town. After a while, we had kabobs for lunch, and poked through a couple shops. Carl went out to meet up with us, but unfortunately we had taken the sun screen with him, and he got a little more heat than was healthy during the walk down. I wasn't feeling very well myself, so we went back to the room and cranked the AC for a while.
That night, I went out one last time, but after three straight nights of partying, I was done being crazy. I had one beer, and spent the rest of the time just walking around the city, checking out some of the all-night shops.
I still stayed out and about until well after two in the morning, because I hadn't had a good chance to explore Bodrum proper what with all the happenings and goings on. The stores in this city stay open well after midnight, so got to do a little window shopping (watch my facebook page for a photograph of a very interesting chess set) and sample a little street food.
Our flight was at seven AM, which meant that we had to leave at five. Since we'd woken up well past noon every day all there was no point in trying to fall asleep before the wake up call, so we just stayed awake. Unlike Istanbul and Ankara, the airport in Bodrum was poorly air conditioned and filled with mosquitoes, so it was a very unpleasant wait. As has become our custom, Andrea and I picked a window and aisle seat, in hopes that the middle seat would remain unclaimed and we'd get to spread out. On this occasion, however, a man with particularly unpleasant body odor decided that he wanted to sit in between us instead of in one of the several empty rows of seats. We didn't feel bad about making faces at him as we got out of our seats and relocated to one of the numerous empty rows. I mean, fine, I was up all night and probably a little ripe myself, but I didn't deliberately insert myself between two other people. If you are lonely and want strangers to sit with you, take a shower first. S'all I'm saying.
After an hour or so on the plane, and half that in a cab, we arrived back at the place that has come to feel very much like a second home. I was hungry and needed food, I was smelly and needed a shower, and I was tired and needed to go to bed. Despite my best efforts, the latter ended up being the first priority, and before ten in the morning, I was unconscious.
After four days and nights, I can honestly say that I got all the excitement and entertainment out of Bodrum that I could handle. I certainly wouldn't mind going back some time, but right now I'm honestly looking forward to a couple of days sitting around Andrea's apartment, maybe watching a movie or something.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Travel Journal, Part VII
So I'm in Bodrum now. We're staying at a resort that overlooks the Aegean Sea. At this point in my journey, I have run out of synonymous phrases for "it looks really pretty." But seriously, the scenery here is absolutely amazing. Flowers, trees of all kinds, and the sea, flanked by mountains on either side then stretching out as far as the eye can sea between them.
Carl's company owns the resort, so we're staying all week free of charge. We're also the only people staying this week, so we have the resort's private terrace, pool, and beach all to ourselves. A short walk down the beach, however, and we are surrounded by vacationers. This means that we can sit by ourselves at the beach or pool, hang out at a packed bar, or anything in between, according solely to our whim.
Last night, we went out and partied for a bit, had a few drinks, and chatted up some British girls. I'd only slept a few hours the night before, though, so we called it an early night at 1 AM.
Today, we slept till 9, woke up, had breakfast brought up to the room, ate, went back to bed, and woke up again around two in the afternoon. We sauntered casually through our "morning," sipping cappuccinos on the terrace overlooking the beach. We got a couple shots of vodka and baileys to drop in our cappuccinos from the beach bar, I pulled up a reggae station, and we just chilled for a bit. It was hot out, but we had a spot in the shade and there was a nice breeze coming in from the Aegean.
After we'd finished a couple of cappuccinos each, we got into the pool. Since nobody else was there, I was able to get a few laps in, but we mostly just splashed around and played in the water.
Eventually, we felt like wandering so I left my laptop behind the resort's bar and walked down the beach. Just a little ways down is a nice little bar with hammocks and couches. So I claimed a hammock in the shade, ordered something fruity and alcoholic, and lazed the next few hours away.
When it started to get late, we decided to walk a little further down the beach and start looking for dinner. Nothing looked terribly appetizing, though, so we walked back to the resort and had supper there. Chef made us some excellent tomato soup, followed up with a darn good steak. This was all followed up with a chocolate moulox that made my eyes water a little. We thanked them for the meal, and went back to our room for a few hours to relax before heading out for the night.
Now, I won't exactly say that Bodrum never sleeps, but it doesn't go to bed until at least five AM on the weeknights. Rather than go out early and burn out by one AM, We hung out in the room, relaxing and enjoying some AC until a little after midnight, and then went out, just as the party was getting started. We had't made it very fair down the beach before we found ourselves chatting up a couple of British lasses. Apparently, I have a "gorgeous accent."
The ladies accompanied us as we strode down the beach, looking for a proper party. There were a few little parties beachside, but nothing more impressive than a Friday night at the SAE house, so we kept walking until we got to Gombet. We found a bar that was nice and packed, but not so crowded that we couldn't sit. We found ourselves a nice cushy place to sit, and started ordering drinks. I danced (poorly) a little, but mostly sat, drank, and chatted. After a while, the Brits (who had been out for a while already) had to go, but wanted us to meet them at that same bar tomorrow night. We acknowledged, sat for a while longer, and then moved on.
Our next stop was another dance bar, but it wasn't really as nice as the first one. As we left, the doorman begged me to say, and promised to make me any drink in the house for only five lira. This was pretty reasonable, so I meandered back in and received the worst Long Island Iced Tea I've ever had in my life. It was nice and cheap, though, so I took it and nursed it for a half hour or so while Dre danced on the bar.
After that, we took ourselves a little walk to kill some time and work off the liquor. We stopped for water at a bar called No Name, then took a stroll down by the beach. We sat and admired the sea at nighttime for a bit, stopped for a brief chat with some Irish girls, and then headed back up towards the bar, for our evening's finale. At half past three, a bar called Tropicana throws a foam party. This is what we had been waiting for, and it was absolutely worth it.
This wasn't like the foam parties most of us had been to, they did this one up right. The foam machine was a massive device rigged to the ceiling, raining suds all over the dance floor. It piled three feet high at certain points, and they piled more on whenever it got to low. Shirts were removed, bubbles were tossed, and people slipped and slid on the floor. It was a magnificent mess. It got in our eyes pretty badly until I had the bright idea to fetch a few napkins from the bar and stash them on a dry corner of the speakers. After about half an hour, the foam ceased to flow, and we packed up our soggy belongings and, laughing all the way, began staggering down the beach, back to the resort.
Tomorrow night, Carl and Monty (one of Carl's coworkers) are coming out to join us. Before that, we're going to hit the shops and see the castle, and probably have a nice dinner before they arrive, then go out and club hop with them.
Tomorrow being Friday night, it should be the big party. We haven't decided whether we're meeting up with the Brits again, but one way or another we plan to head back into Bodrum proper to really check out the club scene. As I've found myself saying a lot in this journal, it should be fun.
UPDATE: check my Facebook page for fabulous pictures, proving that I'm not making all of this up! Also, watch this space for a video soon!
Carl's company owns the resort, so we're staying all week free of charge. We're also the only people staying this week, so we have the resort's private terrace, pool, and beach all to ourselves. A short walk down the beach, however, and we are surrounded by vacationers. This means that we can sit by ourselves at the beach or pool, hang out at a packed bar, or anything in between, according solely to our whim.
Last night, we went out and partied for a bit, had a few drinks, and chatted up some British girls. I'd only slept a few hours the night before, though, so we called it an early night at 1 AM.
Today, we slept till 9, woke up, had breakfast brought up to the room, ate, went back to bed, and woke up again around two in the afternoon. We sauntered casually through our "morning," sipping cappuccinos on the terrace overlooking the beach. We got a couple shots of vodka and baileys to drop in our cappuccinos from the beach bar, I pulled up a reggae station, and we just chilled for a bit. It was hot out, but we had a spot in the shade and there was a nice breeze coming in from the Aegean.
After we'd finished a couple of cappuccinos each, we got into the pool. Since nobody else was there, I was able to get a few laps in, but we mostly just splashed around and played in the water.
Eventually, we felt like wandering so I left my laptop behind the resort's bar and walked down the beach. Just a little ways down is a nice little bar with hammocks and couches. So I claimed a hammock in the shade, ordered something fruity and alcoholic, and lazed the next few hours away.
When it started to get late, we decided to walk a little further down the beach and start looking for dinner. Nothing looked terribly appetizing, though, so we walked back to the resort and had supper there. Chef made us some excellent tomato soup, followed up with a darn good steak. This was all followed up with a chocolate moulox that made my eyes water a little. We thanked them for the meal, and went back to our room for a few hours to relax before heading out for the night.
Now, I won't exactly say that Bodrum never sleeps, but it doesn't go to bed until at least five AM on the weeknights. Rather than go out early and burn out by one AM, We hung out in the room, relaxing and enjoying some AC until a little after midnight, and then went out, just as the party was getting started. We had't made it very fair down the beach before we found ourselves chatting up a couple of British lasses. Apparently, I have a "gorgeous accent."
The ladies accompanied us as we strode down the beach, looking for a proper party. There were a few little parties beachside, but nothing more impressive than a Friday night at the SAE house, so we kept walking until we got to Gombet. We found a bar that was nice and packed, but not so crowded that we couldn't sit. We found ourselves a nice cushy place to sit, and started ordering drinks. I danced (poorly) a little, but mostly sat, drank, and chatted. After a while, the Brits (who had been out for a while already) had to go, but wanted us to meet them at that same bar tomorrow night. We acknowledged, sat for a while longer, and then moved on.
Our next stop was another dance bar, but it wasn't really as nice as the first one. As we left, the doorman begged me to say, and promised to make me any drink in the house for only five lira. This was pretty reasonable, so I meandered back in and received the worst Long Island Iced Tea I've ever had in my life. It was nice and cheap, though, so I took it and nursed it for a half hour or so while Dre danced on the bar.
After that, we took ourselves a little walk to kill some time and work off the liquor. We stopped for water at a bar called No Name, then took a stroll down by the beach. We sat and admired the sea at nighttime for a bit, stopped for a brief chat with some Irish girls, and then headed back up towards the bar, for our evening's finale. At half past three, a bar called Tropicana throws a foam party. This is what we had been waiting for, and it was absolutely worth it.
This wasn't like the foam parties most of us had been to, they did this one up right. The foam machine was a massive device rigged to the ceiling, raining suds all over the dance floor. It piled three feet high at certain points, and they piled more on whenever it got to low. Shirts were removed, bubbles were tossed, and people slipped and slid on the floor. It was a magnificent mess. It got in our eyes pretty badly until I had the bright idea to fetch a few napkins from the bar and stash them on a dry corner of the speakers. After about half an hour, the foam ceased to flow, and we packed up our soggy belongings and, laughing all the way, began staggering down the beach, back to the resort.
Tomorrow night, Carl and Monty (one of Carl's coworkers) are coming out to join us. Before that, we're going to hit the shops and see the castle, and probably have a nice dinner before they arrive, then go out and club hop with them.
Tomorrow being Friday night, it should be the big party. We haven't decided whether we're meeting up with the Brits again, but one way or another we plan to head back into Bodrum proper to really check out the club scene. As I've found myself saying a lot in this journal, it should be fun.
UPDATE: check my Facebook page for fabulous pictures, proving that I'm not making all of this up! Also, watch this space for a video soon!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Travel Journal VI
Today, we took the train into the Sultanamet section of Istanbul. We had brunch at a café, where I feasted upon calamari stuffed with garlic sauce. The Turkish really like their garlic, and I can’t say I blame them. This was served with rice, sliced tomatoes, salad, and French fries with mayonnaise. As an eater, I am a pretty easy to please, but I will never get used to mayonnaise on my fries. Pass the ketchup, please.
After we finished eating, the midday prayer had passed and we were able to get into the Blue Mosque. The place is a cavernous Muslim church, one of the most important and magnificently built in the world. It’s almost like the equivalent of the Sistine chapel. The artwork and architecture was amazing, and once again I’ll let the pictures (which I really truly swear are coming!) do most of the talking. Before entering, I had to wrap a Suran about my waist, because I had worn shorts. Andrea was required to cover her head with a scarf. Several tourists ignored this request and went in as they pleased, but I really didn’t feel like insulting people on their own holy ground.
After that, we went to the Hagia Sofia. This place was a Christian cathedral before the Ottoman Empire took over, at which point it was converted to a Mosque, and it was this venue that was used to crown the new Ottoman emperors. It was subsequently converted into a museum, and today it stands as an odd mishmash of Arabic and Christian symbols. Paintings of the Virgin Mary and Michael the Archangel are intermixed with Arabic symbols, all amidst. It was an immense building of stone and marble, scaffoldings, workers, and other evidence of the reconstruction. It had a high arched ceiling, like a traditional cathedral, and the workers had restored a winding stone ramp leading to the second floor, which at present is a miniature collection of paintings and pictures of the site.
Our next stop was the Cistern, which was basically a huge, cavernous underground structure used to hold and distribute water throughout the city in the days before modern plumbing. A foot or two of water is still collected below the bridges, and enormous fish swim around it. A series of pillars hold up the massive ceiling, and a collection of red lamps sit at the base of each, lending the room a very creepy atmosphere. At the far end, a statue of Medusa, cut into a cube and placed upside down, supports a pillar.
Our final stop before returning to the flat for some downtime was the Grand Bazaar, which was like a really gigantic, indoor version of the bazaar I described from Ankara. Antique stores, clothing/purse vendors hawking knockoffs of name brand goods, tobacco shops, and merchants of every kind filled the massive plaza, far too many to count. All day long, people had been harassing us, asking if we’d like to come up the street and buy a carpet (apparently we “look like potential carpet buyers”) but here it was far worse. One merchant even swore that he would give his wares away for free. The shopkeeps have a lot of competition, and so the only the most aggressive can stay in business. If you are a person who easily feels pressured by others, you’ll be talked out of your every last dime here in no time. Another interesting thing is that in a Turksih bazaar, there are no price tags. This is because haggling is the standard. You are expected to ask the merchant for a price (or suggest your own if you are feeling adventurous) and then attempt to talk them down. Andrea and I managed to tag team a jewelry merchant (because wait, I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen my mother wear black earrings, maybe I should just put these back) down more than ten percent on a pair of earrings and a necklace. After wandering for a while, Carl suggested that we head back for some rest before going out for the evening. Within thirty seconds of this, like magic, Andrea had led us outside of the bazaar and onto a side street that led to a main road. Even this area was littered with grocers, toy shops, and, oddly enough, a LOT of gun stores. Although police and security forces walk brazenly about with automatic weaponry, I was under the impression that personal fire arms were illegal here, but on this street I saw three gun stores in as many minutes. One of them proudly displayed a massive rifle, complete with scope and tripod. All of them sported an orange sticker that said “fend for yourself.” Even here, none of the goods had a price tag. Lacking the permit that I assume was required, I decided not wasting a heavily armed shopkeep’s time.
We had planned to take the ferry across the Bosphorous to the Asian side of the city, but it started raining after we returned to the hotel, so we just hung out. Carl’s company keeps a very nice flat, with a deck that overlooks a small garden and a pool. We sat on the deck, sipped beer and vodka, and admired the view. When it got late and the rain still hadn’t stopped, we went inside to play Turkish monopoly, at which I have no skill whatsoever.
Afterwards, I relaxed in the Jacuzzi in my bathroom (I said it was a nice flat) for a while, and then went to bed. Tomorrow afternoon, Dre and I bid farewell to Carl and catch a flight back to Ankara. We’ll only be staying for a night this time- just long enough to do laundry and pack for our trip to Bodrum, which will last five days. We may even hop a boat over to Greece for a day.
Best. Vacation. Ever.
After we finished eating, the midday prayer had passed and we were able to get into the Blue Mosque. The place is a cavernous Muslim church, one of the most important and magnificently built in the world. It’s almost like the equivalent of the Sistine chapel. The artwork and architecture was amazing, and once again I’ll let the pictures (which I really truly swear are coming!) do most of the talking. Before entering, I had to wrap a Suran about my waist, because I had worn shorts. Andrea was required to cover her head with a scarf. Several tourists ignored this request and went in as they pleased, but I really didn’t feel like insulting people on their own holy ground.
After that, we went to the Hagia Sofia. This place was a Christian cathedral before the Ottoman Empire took over, at which point it was converted to a Mosque, and it was this venue that was used to crown the new Ottoman emperors. It was subsequently converted into a museum, and today it stands as an odd mishmash of Arabic and Christian symbols. Paintings of the Virgin Mary and Michael the Archangel are intermixed with Arabic symbols, all amidst. It was an immense building of stone and marble, scaffoldings, workers, and other evidence of the reconstruction. It had a high arched ceiling, like a traditional cathedral, and the workers had restored a winding stone ramp leading to the second floor, which at present is a miniature collection of paintings and pictures of the site.
Our next stop was the Cistern, which was basically a huge, cavernous underground structure used to hold and distribute water throughout the city in the days before modern plumbing. A foot or two of water is still collected below the bridges, and enormous fish swim around it. A series of pillars hold up the massive ceiling, and a collection of red lamps sit at the base of each, lending the room a very creepy atmosphere. At the far end, a statue of Medusa, cut into a cube and placed upside down, supports a pillar.
Our final stop before returning to the flat for some downtime was the Grand Bazaar, which was like a really gigantic, indoor version of the bazaar I described from Ankara. Antique stores, clothing/purse vendors hawking knockoffs of name brand goods, tobacco shops, and merchants of every kind filled the massive plaza, far too many to count. All day long, people had been harassing us, asking if we’d like to come up the street and buy a carpet (apparently we “look like potential carpet buyers”) but here it was far worse. One merchant even swore that he would give his wares away for free. The shopkeeps have a lot of competition, and so the only the most aggressive can stay in business. If you are a person who easily feels pressured by others, you’ll be talked out of your every last dime here in no time. Another interesting thing is that in a Turksih bazaar, there are no price tags. This is because haggling is the standard. You are expected to ask the merchant for a price (or suggest your own if you are feeling adventurous) and then attempt to talk them down. Andrea and I managed to tag team a jewelry merchant (because wait, I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen my mother wear black earrings, maybe I should just put these back) down more than ten percent on a pair of earrings and a necklace. After wandering for a while, Carl suggested that we head back for some rest before going out for the evening. Within thirty seconds of this, like magic, Andrea had led us outside of the bazaar and onto a side street that led to a main road. Even this area was littered with grocers, toy shops, and, oddly enough, a LOT of gun stores. Although police and security forces walk brazenly about with automatic weaponry, I was under the impression that personal fire arms were illegal here, but on this street I saw three gun stores in as many minutes. One of them proudly displayed a massive rifle, complete with scope and tripod. All of them sported an orange sticker that said “fend for yourself.” Even here, none of the goods had a price tag. Lacking the permit that I assume was required, I decided not wasting a heavily armed shopkeep’s time.
We had planned to take the ferry across the Bosphorous to the Asian side of the city, but it started raining after we returned to the hotel, so we just hung out. Carl’s company keeps a very nice flat, with a deck that overlooks a small garden and a pool. We sat on the deck, sipped beer and vodka, and admired the view. When it got late and the rain still hadn’t stopped, we went inside to play Turkish monopoly, at which I have no skill whatsoever.
Afterwards, I relaxed in the Jacuzzi in my bathroom (I said it was a nice flat) for a while, and then went to bed. Tomorrow afternoon, Dre and I bid farewell to Carl and catch a flight back to Ankara. We’ll only be staying for a night this time- just long enough to do laundry and pack for our trip to Bodrum, which will last five days. We may even hop a boat over to Greece for a day.
Best. Vacation. Ever.
Travel Journal V
Our planeride to Istanbul was blessedly short, not quite lasting an hour after takeoff. From there, an extraordinarily bumpy bus ride brought us to the terminal. Lacking a window seat on the plane (it was taken by the very smelly Turk in a business suit) this was my first chance to really catch a glimpse of Istanbul.
Not to dog on the place, but for a traveler unfamiliar with large cities, it instantly feels crowded and stuffed. Istanbul has more than 12 million residents, and that number swells during tourist season. The cab ride to Carl’s office took substantially longer than the plane ride, and traffic on the highways is at such a standstill that vendors can walk along the road peddling drinks. This congestion continues through the night and into the wee hours of the morning; Istanbul never sleeps. Also, and this was a problem in Ankara as well, the air quality is oppressively poor. Turkey lacks the emissions regulation common in the US, so the smog can get pretty bad. It’s not so awful as to ruin your day, but at its worst it can irritate your eyes and it smells pretty foul.
Despite, or perhaps because of all these things, however, Istanbul feels like a living, breathing creature for all this activity. The enormous crowds, constant traffic, and ever visible evidence of industry lend the city a vibrant quality. It hustles and bustles with millions of human beings, whose combined activity, more than anything else, make Istanbul what it is.
We took a cab down to Taksim square, and walked through a gigantic version of the alleyway bazaar I described from Ankara. This was an evening in an entertainment district, however, so most of the open shops were restaurants and clubs, or street vendors peddling souvenirs and local cuisine.
The main event of the evening, without a doubt, was dinner. Carl and his coworkers took me to my first real Turkish restaurant. The city compensates for its massive population by building upwards, so actually getting to the restaurant involved climbing several flights of stairs to reach the small landing where we ate. A small Turkish band played us some dinner music, and we tucked into a massive assortment of appetizers. The band would play loudly right in your ear until tipped, but otherwise provided good background music; one player had a specially extended clarinet to reach people at the far end of the table.
The food included a kind of very sour yogurt, melon salsa, bread, a block of hummus (with a texture like tofu), pickled peppers, various cheeses, seaweed salid with garlic, and dulma, which is basically rice and spices wrapped in grape leaves. It was very similar to greek food, but apparently you don't want to say that to a Turk. We also had a rather stiff liquor called Raki, which, when mixed with water, had an appearance and flavor that was indistinguishable from Absinthe. Later that evening, I had some excellent muscles and kokaroch, which is basically intestines and heart and miscellaneous leftover body parts processed into a kind of mush. The latter wasn't exactly delicious, but it was pretty cheap. The muscles were also served fried in a sandwhich in garlic sauce, but I preferred the straight.
As you walk around Taksim, various peddlers will sell little festive objects, like helicopters with LEDs, glowing demon horn hats, and light-up halos. Near the end of our walk, we encountered a man with a small makeshift table,atop which sat a rabbit with two babies. The gentleman informed us that this was a fortune telling rabbit, and for three lira he would read all our fortunes. We gave it a try, and the man held a small board with a series of papers on it, and the rabbit would pick a piece of paper off the board, and drop it down for us to pick up. According to this clairvoyant carrot-muncher, I have been hesitating on moving forward in my life and I need to take the next step. Smart bunny. It also seemed to be telling Carl that, while googletranslate is an impressive bit of technology, it can only be trusted so far.
Shortly after this display, Some police came driving up the road. The man hastily crammed the rabbit back into a shelf under the table, folded it up, and took off down the street at a verifiable sprint. We think that perhaps the rabbit was hot.
We walked around for a bit more, took some pictures, and then caught a cab ride home.
Next time on Ben's Travel log: bazaars, mosques, and Turkish gunshops.
Not to dog on the place, but for a traveler unfamiliar with large cities, it instantly feels crowded and stuffed. Istanbul has more than 12 million residents, and that number swells during tourist season. The cab ride to Carl’s office took substantially longer than the plane ride, and traffic on the highways is at such a standstill that vendors can walk along the road peddling drinks. This congestion continues through the night and into the wee hours of the morning; Istanbul never sleeps. Also, and this was a problem in Ankara as well, the air quality is oppressively poor. Turkey lacks the emissions regulation common in the US, so the smog can get pretty bad. It’s not so awful as to ruin your day, but at its worst it can irritate your eyes and it smells pretty foul.
Despite, or perhaps because of all these things, however, Istanbul feels like a living, breathing creature for all this activity. The enormous crowds, constant traffic, and ever visible evidence of industry lend the city a vibrant quality. It hustles and bustles with millions of human beings, whose combined activity, more than anything else, make Istanbul what it is.
We took a cab down to Taksim square, and walked through a gigantic version of the alleyway bazaar I described from Ankara. This was an evening in an entertainment district, however, so most of the open shops were restaurants and clubs, or street vendors peddling souvenirs and local cuisine.
The main event of the evening, without a doubt, was dinner. Carl and his coworkers took me to my first real Turkish restaurant. The city compensates for its massive population by building upwards, so actually getting to the restaurant involved climbing several flights of stairs to reach the small landing where we ate. A small Turkish band played us some dinner music, and we tucked into a massive assortment of appetizers. The band would play loudly right in your ear until tipped, but otherwise provided good background music; one player had a specially extended clarinet to reach people at the far end of the table.
The food included a kind of very sour yogurt, melon salsa, bread, a block of hummus (with a texture like tofu), pickled peppers, various cheeses, seaweed salid with garlic, and dulma, which is basically rice and spices wrapped in grape leaves. It was very similar to greek food, but apparently you don't want to say that to a Turk. We also had a rather stiff liquor called Raki, which, when mixed with water, had an appearance and flavor that was indistinguishable from Absinthe. Later that evening, I had some excellent muscles and kokaroch, which is basically intestines and heart and miscellaneous leftover body parts processed into a kind of mush. The latter wasn't exactly delicious, but it was pretty cheap. The muscles were also served fried in a sandwhich in garlic sauce, but I preferred the straight.
As you walk around Taksim, various peddlers will sell little festive objects, like helicopters with LEDs, glowing demon horn hats, and light-up halos. Near the end of our walk, we encountered a man with a small makeshift table,atop which sat a rabbit with two babies. The gentleman informed us that this was a fortune telling rabbit, and for three lira he would read all our fortunes. We gave it a try, and the man held a small board with a series of papers on it, and the rabbit would pick a piece of paper off the board, and drop it down for us to pick up. According to this clairvoyant carrot-muncher, I have been hesitating on moving forward in my life and I need to take the next step. Smart bunny. It also seemed to be telling Carl that, while googletranslate is an impressive bit of technology, it can only be trusted so far.
Shortly after this display, Some police came driving up the road. The man hastily crammed the rabbit back into a shelf under the table, folded it up, and took off down the street at a verifiable sprint. We think that perhaps the rabbit was hot.
We walked around for a bit more, took some pictures, and then caught a cab ride home.
Next time on Ben's Travel log: bazaars, mosques, and Turkish gunshops.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Travel Journal, Part IV
Today, I visited a bazaar in Ankarah. Unlike America, where shopping centers are generally arranged in either a straight line or a circular pattern, this was simply a series of almost labyrinthine side streets, with shops and streetside vendors plying all manner of wares.
The streets are oppressively small, and cramped with salesmen and shoppers. Our cab driver heroically ferried us as far into the bazar as this car would fit, and from there we hoofed it through the alleys. I have no idea how he planned to get the vehicle out of there, but I hope the tip we gave him makes up for the time he lost.
Showing uncharacteristic restraint, I refrained from spending a single coin (although I was quite tempted by a decorative three-barrelled flintlock pistol) until we reached our ultimate destination: the remnants of an old Turkish castle. On the stone path up to the ancient structure, a veritable army of elderly turkish women were aggressively selling handmade jewelry. Most of their jewelry was of reasonable quality, and cost less than one American dollar, so I couldn't resist buying a necklace for myself, a Nazar (a sort of good luck charm popular in Turkey and Greece), a painted wood jewelry case, and an necklace of purple stones, which will most likely end up in my mother's possession. All of these combined cost me five lira (1 lira = about 65 cents) so I think I did alright. Andrea bought a purse for 7 lira, and I still may return for that flintlock, but all in all we made it out of there without losing much cash.
Once we'd made it past the shopkeeps, we entered Ankara Castle. Very little was left of it, such that there really was no "inside" to the place. It consisted of a small circular dais with stairs leading to the ramparts, which I immediately decided I would climb with no regard for personal safety. What was left of the tower is the highest point in the city, and nearly the entirety of Ankarah is visible once you have completed your ascent. Rather than attempt to describe this view in words, I will let the pictures (which I swear are coming) tell most of the tale.
After climbing up and down and around the remnants of Ankarah Castle, we descended, walked about the bazaar for a bit longer, and then caught a cab to an Italian restaurant for lunch.
After lunch, we visited a mall. The interesting thing (to me, anyway) about the malls here is that they are arranged in a double ring pattern. The inside ring is almost exactly the same as your typical mall, with storefronts at the edges of the ring and escalators in the middle. The outside ring, obviously, is outside the inner ring. Most stores connected to the inner ring have a back exit leading to the outer ring, where a second series of storefronts is located. Side stairs are also available on this ring, as well as alleys leading back to the inner ring. There were three floors, and above that another three floors' worth of stores could be seen through windows, but were accessible only from the outside. Most of these seemed to be offices and the like, but I saw a tattoo parlor and a few other shops among them.
We took another walk through a shopping street, poking through the occasional side alley for more window shopping, but no other purchases were made.
Tomorrow, we get on a plane to Istanbul. It looks to be a very busy weekend, followed by a very busy week in Bodrum.
The streets are oppressively small, and cramped with salesmen and shoppers. Our cab driver heroically ferried us as far into the bazar as this car would fit, and from there we hoofed it through the alleys. I have no idea how he planned to get the vehicle out of there, but I hope the tip we gave him makes up for the time he lost.
Showing uncharacteristic restraint, I refrained from spending a single coin (although I was quite tempted by a decorative three-barrelled flintlock pistol) until we reached our ultimate destination: the remnants of an old Turkish castle. On the stone path up to the ancient structure, a veritable army of elderly turkish women were aggressively selling handmade jewelry. Most of their jewelry was of reasonable quality, and cost less than one American dollar, so I couldn't resist buying a necklace for myself, a Nazar (a sort of good luck charm popular in Turkey and Greece), a painted wood jewelry case, and an necklace of purple stones, which will most likely end up in my mother's possession. All of these combined cost me five lira (1 lira = about 65 cents) so I think I did alright. Andrea bought a purse for 7 lira, and I still may return for that flintlock, but all in all we made it out of there without losing much cash.
Once we'd made it past the shopkeeps, we entered Ankara Castle. Very little was left of it, such that there really was no "inside" to the place. It consisted of a small circular dais with stairs leading to the ramparts, which I immediately decided I would climb with no regard for personal safety. What was left of the tower is the highest point in the city, and nearly the entirety of Ankarah is visible once you have completed your ascent. Rather than attempt to describe this view in words, I will let the pictures (which I swear are coming) tell most of the tale.
After climbing up and down and around the remnants of Ankarah Castle, we descended, walked about the bazaar for a bit longer, and then caught a cab to an Italian restaurant for lunch.
After lunch, we visited a mall. The interesting thing (to me, anyway) about the malls here is that they are arranged in a double ring pattern. The inside ring is almost exactly the same as your typical mall, with storefronts at the edges of the ring and escalators in the middle. The outside ring, obviously, is outside the inner ring. Most stores connected to the inner ring have a back exit leading to the outer ring, where a second series of storefronts is located. Side stairs are also available on this ring, as well as alleys leading back to the inner ring. There were three floors, and above that another three floors' worth of stores could be seen through windows, but were accessible only from the outside. Most of these seemed to be offices and the like, but I saw a tattoo parlor and a few other shops among them.
We took another walk through a shopping street, poking through the occasional side alley for more window shopping, but no other purchases were made.
Tomorrow, we get on a plane to Istanbul. It looks to be a very busy weekend, followed by a very busy week in Bodrum.
Burn Baby Burn (not really a full journal entry)
Interesting aside about Turkish movie stores. Firstly, it costs less to buy a movie in Turkey than it does to rent one in the US. The tradeoff, however, is that the quality is usually a little on the poor side. In most cases, it's barely noticeable unless you're looking for it, but some movies will have obviously poor audio or the occasional skip. The second major difference is that they don't actually sell the real thing. You go through the offerings, bring them to the storeowner, and he (or she) proceeds to burn you a copy of the movie right there on the spot. It's really no different than finding an illegal copy on the internet, and as far as I know not a dime goes to the actual moviemakers (copyright laws are nonexistent in this country) but it is kind of convenient to be able to buy 7 movies for less than $15. They even sell movies that are still playing in theaters.
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