Wednesday in Istanbul 9/7

Istanbul not Constantinople


For the third day in a row we have missed breakfast. It happens when your days are long and full of so much. I was awoken halfway through the night by the call to prayer that reverberates through out the city. I remember waking with a jolt, and not understanding what the sound was. After Alli's groggy assurance I had fallen back to sleep until our now usual 11am.


We promptly dress and went downstairs to the restaurant attached to the hostel. Alli had her grape leaves and coffee and I had myself some fruit. We collected ourselves for the day ahead and decided that the Grand Bizarre would be an excellent idea. But of course we can't just go, we had to make phone calls to credit card/bank companies that have all blocked us since we are in turkey. Then we had to try to find an ATM, a feat that was becoming harder and harder to do each city. Then find the actual bizarre itself.


This took several hours, many questions, frustration, and sweat... But eventually we were on the right track. We stopped for some food, which always seems to lighten the mood.after some coaxing by the seller in the front Alli had rice with some sort of chicken in a bread, where as I seemed to have a very similar meal but instead of the bread I got potatoes. We topped our meal off with a yogurt drink that Alli had been yearning to try. I decided to try it as well, since it was something foreign... It was as thick as you can get while still being runny, taste....bland yogurt... I believe it is best suited for eating spicy things. I'll leave it at that, unless Alli wants to post her feelings on it.


The Grand Bizzare is in it's simplest form... rows and rows of sellers. It's probably one of the worlds oldest versions of the mall. Lesson one, never except the price given. Alli and I were quite impressed with our haggling skills, and secured quite a handful of gifts for friends and family. It's easy to get turned about in a place like this, and when every third corner is selling the same things, it gets overwhelming. After our money bags were considerably lighter, arms laden with bags, and knowledge that we cannot buy EVERYTHING for Amanda...we took an exit. We reasoned that all we had to do was leave the area and then follow the wall to the beginning.


And yes, dear readers, by this point you know how reasoned thought in Kait and Alli world goes. We got pushed down a long road packed with shoppers 13 wide. It was overwhelming. Our brains were already on overload from all the colors and venders, and the hunger began to creep in. This never bodes well for us. But somehow we have become accustomed to this stress. We stopped and asked for directions, and discerned what the answer was. We actually made some great purchases like new power converters, since I happened to leave our power strip and converter in our hostel in Greece, : ( , Alli also purchased some sandals which was a nice change from her falling apart ones she has been waking into the ground. Eventually we found our way back, which felt like forever. We settled down in different areas to read and charge.


Because one of the only working outlets was in the cushioned lounge area near the hookas, I plopped myself down. Soon enough I was talking with the people around me, since the lounge atmosphere is very conducive for such a thing. We met Kendra, who is originally from the states but has been teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) so has been traveling all around the world. Her experiences in Ecuador and Southern Turkey were so interesting, and I wish her well on her way to china! We also were surrounded by Australians. This group of guys were very welcoming, and shared their hooka with us.


My hooka experience was very nice, it was like a peace pipe where everyone is included as part of the family. The smell is not of thick smoke but more of wafting incense. Apple is the preferred flavor of turkey, and we all were given individually wrapped "hollow golf tees", at least that's what it looked like, and used them to share the mouth piece. It's a tasty smoke, and I enjoyed it over hours, Paulluk tended out "fire" turning coals and replacing them when needed. The atmosphere was relaxed, the conversation was friendly, and honestly I was quite content. Alli and I ate at some point, but mostly just enjoyed the company, the commandeered power outlet, and (dare I say it) relaxed.

It was another late late night... But on the whole....we had a successful day.