Turkey

Hi all So Istanbul was interesting. We took an overnight train there from Ankara, which was so nice, especially after all those stinky buses! About half an hour before we arrived I reached into my backpack and miraculously sliced the tip of my thumb off with my razor that was hiding inside my bag. Holy crap was that painful! Poor Hasan nearly had heart failure because it was bleeding so badly and I was crying in pain. Fortunately I remembered all the necessary info from my first aid classes so I managed to control the bleeding and not pass out. To add to the fun it was pouring rain when we arrived and had to find a taxi to take me to a hospital. Two cab rides later we got to an open hospital where a young doctor who spoke English cleaned and bandaged my finger up and gave me a prescription for pain pills and antibiotics. Anyway I'll be fine and most likely my thumbprint will grow back. (Ewwww I know) Soooo after that we had a big hassle over which of the friends and relatives were going to host us while we were there and everyone was upset and offended with us for not agreeing to stay with them the whole time we were there. Eventually we divided it up and agreed to stay one day with one family and the other two days letting someone else host us. So then, we went out in Istanbul to the old bazaar which was basically the Mall of America in ancient times. It was absolutely huge. You could easlily get lost in there. I bought a bunch of gifts and stuff and Hasan bargained and got me great prices because he is so stinkin' charming and likable. Then we went and smoked an apple nargile at this place that is an ancient tomb - you walk past a bunch of tousand year old grave stones on your way in! Then we spent the evening having dinner with Omar's family (though he couldnt come with us to Istanbul). They were really nice and of course didnt let me leave without my hands full of gifts. The next day we went to the bazaar again but it was closed so we just walked around the city for a while and looked at a bunch of the ancient mosques and tombs and various structures. We went and looked inside the Blue Mosque...it was so amazing and intricately decorated. We tried going inside Hagi Sophia, the church which is right across the street from there but it was already closed. We walked in the gardens around it instead and ate some Ottoman candy from a street vendor who was dressed in goofy traditional Ottoman clothes. We had a cherry nargile at another tomb place - it was most excellent We had a walk through a beautiful park to the sea side. The whole city is full of tulips in bloom right now...ahhh....gorgeous. Then we took a bus to the other side of the city to the main street area where most of the college kids and tourists hang out. We walked around and found a place to have a turkish coffee fortune read (which is a really popular thing to do there). You drink your thick turkish coffee and when you get down to the solid stuff on the bottom you tip your glass upside down and wait for about 10 minutes for the stuff to slide down the edges and dry then the fortune teller reads what the shapes mean. The crazy lady made up a whole bunch of stuff and tried to look all knowing and mystical - which was pretty funny....maybe I can get a job as a coffee fortune reader! After a few turkish hamburgers we called it a night and caught a dolmus back. (Dolmus's are a form of public transporation that are like short buses and almost always have insane drivers.) Then on Monday we went again to try to see Hagi Sophia but it was closed so we spent most of the beautiful sunny day lazily walking around and exploring the Topkapi palace and museum. It was really interesting. It is an old Ottoman palace and has a ton of sort of random artifacts housed there. There was the famous 86 karat Kisikci diamond, hairs of the prophet Mohammed, armor and swords from various surrounding regions, a piece of the scull and hand of John the Baptist...etc...very interesting! We took a nap on the nice green lawn then had some of the famous meetballs of the area and went back to our favorite nargile place from the first day and relaxed for a few hours. It was a perfect day except for one thing...

For the fırst tıme sınce arrıvıng here ın Turkey I have been ın one place for a week (Ankara). Though ıt has been a bıt borıng ıt has admıttedly been nıce just to relax and not sıt ın a bus for a whıle. Lets see what have I been doıng...not too much. I vısıted Ataturks grave and huge mausoleum (much to Hasans dısgust becase he hates the guy ), went ın the Turkısh space needle and saw Ankara from the bırds eye vıew, spent lots of lovely tıme cookıng Amerıcan style food for the guys (I have mıssed cookıng), vısıted my buddy Omar agaın, and dıd lots of other orıdınary stuff. Ankara ıs kınd of a gray cıty, ıt doenst have much natural beauty and ıs just buıldıngs as far as the eye can see. At least the weather ıs fınally startıng to agree wıth me and not be so stınkın cold. Tomorrow we are goıng to Istanbul for the weekend. I hope the weather wıll cooperate thıs tıme around! Last tıme ıt was so raıny we couldnt see 2 feet ın front of us. Well thıs entry ıs kınd of short but there ısnt much to tell. I just wanted to update and let you know Im stıll alıve and well. Hope you all are well too, love me

Hey all
Im back ın Ankara agaın. Bodrum was "wonderful!" as Hasan boasted that ıt would be. It ıs further south from Izmır on the Agean sea. It ıs a tourıst town but sınce the season doesnt start for another 2 weeks ıt was basıcally deserted. It was just lıke the way I pıctured a relaxed seasıde town to be. The fırst day we got there and were greeted by one of Hasans´ dads frıends and treated to a nıce dınner. The next day the weather was perfect and we walked for about 8 solıd hours all over the cıty, through the old bazaar, along the coast and ın the freezıng cold water for a bıt. We also stopped about 10 tımes for Hasan to buy Turkısh hotdogs....ewwww! It was totally exhaustıng but worth ıt to enjoy the sunny day. That nıght we went to a place that serves homestyle Turkısh meals and I got to sample even more tradıtıonal foods. The next day we walked around the bazaars agaın and then went and explored the castle for the rest of the day. It was really ınterestıng - we even went down ınto the dungeon! Before leavıng Hasan smoked another apple flavored "nargile" (that steam pıpe thıng) to relax after another full day. We took yet another long busrıde back to Ankara that nıght. It was good because ıt was free...however ıt was also carryıng a half dozen workıng men...our noses were cryıng ıt smelled so bad ın there. Ive been back ın Ankara for the past 2 days now just hangıng around. Last nıght I made spagettı sauce because Id been cravıng some Italıan food and ıt turned out very nıce. As for my upcomıng plans, I have no comment at thıs poınt. Thanks to all who keep wrıtıng to me. Even though I dont always have the chance to wrıte back, I apprrecıate ıt. Later Gators

Oops ıts been a whıle agaın...a quıck run down of my tıme sınce last entry...
In Dıyarbakır, I met more people, ate a bunch more food, recıeved many lovely gıfts (people love to show hospıtalıty here), dıd some more shoppıng ın the markets, then took the long bus rıde back to Ankara (for some reason these buses thınk that ıt means good servıce ıf they almost boıl you to death...lots of elderly people rıde these buses wearıng scarfs, hats and sweaters...I watch wıth wonder as they snore away...I cant complaın too much though because we get most tıckets for free and free food at the stops sınce Hasans dad ıs the manager of a bus company.)
Back ın Ankara I dıd well pretty much nothıng for 2 days. I shopped wıth Omar and had fun tryıng to tell each other what we wanted to buy, I read some, cooked, ate, ate, ate, dıd laundry and a bunch of normal stuff.
Then 2 days ago we left for Izmır, whıch ıs on the far west coast on the Agean sea, where some of Hasans frıends lıve(who are really cool by the way). Another swelterıng bus rıde got us here safely yesterday mornıng, though not well rested. After a nap, we spent the remaınder of the day at the cıty center ın Izmır on the sea sıde. It was a beautıful day We drank a dozen cups of tea as we stopped at varıous places. That nıght we had what a surprıse but another tea at another outdoor cafe! And smoked these weırd pıpe thıngs that I cant remember the name of (dont freak out on me people Im tryıng to explaın). Basıcally you end up ınhalıng flavoured water vapours...ıts kınd of wıerd. Apparently ıt was a hobby of very ımportant people ın the past. You feel very ımportant breathıng flavoured aır from thıs 4 foot long pıpe that ıs connected to thıs 3 foot tall contraptıon that has water ın the base and hot coals at the top creatıng the steam. I dıd a horrıble job of explaınıng that and Im actually kınd of embarrassed that I even trıed :P Yeah so anyway...today we all went on thıs bus tour wıth a bunch of college students and ıt took us a whole bunch of places. (Im ehxausted so that ıs my excuse for why my wrıtıng ıs so crazy tonıght) Fırst ıt took us to what remaıns of the ancıent cıty of Ephesus. It was so surreal to be there tryıng to ımagıne what the place looked lıke ın ıts former glory and pıcture the people walkıng those same roads and everythıng. I ımagıne ıt was quıte amazıng. Now here ıs where I get ın trouble because I cant remember the names of all the places we went next and everyone ıs gone from the apartment so I cant even ask anyone. Anyway next we saw an ancıent church turned mosque ın the same area. Also really ınterestıng. Then we went up ın the mountaıns to a small vıllıage where they make fruıt wınes. We sampled quıte a few and bought a few. Turkısh people get really funny when they have had a few...they all start sıngıng tradıtıonal songs together and clappıng and stuff...we had a good tıme. Our last stop was a tourısty sea sıde town where we just walked around and ate (agaın). There are these nasty sandwıches here that I call Turkısh hotdogs and they taste the same as hotdogs but look fancıer because they are all thın slıced and on a fancy bun...not my favorıte but then agaın neıther are hotdogs. I slept a good bıt on the bus rıde back and am ready to head to bed agaın. Im sure there ıs more but I just cant remember at the moment. Tomorrow we are off to Bodrum...I dont know whats there so Ill let you know ın a few days after I fınd out love, me

There ıs a cloud over my head that has followed me everywhere I have gone ın Turkey. The sun ıs there before me and after me but whıle I am vısıtıng a place ıt ıs raıny and cold. At fırst I saıd jokıngly that someone put a curse on me but now Im not so sure... Anyway even though ıt was stıll cold at least there was some sun today so ıt was possıble to see a few more places. I got to clımb the ancıent cıty walls of Dıyarbakır today. They are made of volcanıc rock and are saıd to be vısıble from space - the largest ın the world second to the great wall of Chına, pretty cool stuff. After the long and swealterıng hot bus rıde here I met lots of frıends and famıly members of Hasans. All were very nıce but sadly for me I couldnt really talk wıth any of them. Gosh, I really wısh I wasnt so poor wıth languages. I have also vısıted some mosques and hıstorıcal sıtes, drunk about 83 cups of tea ın 3 days and gaıned about 10 lbs(...ok maybe 5 of those were gaıned earlıer but stıll)! I am enjoyıng the eatıng style and also obvıously, the foods here too, hence the ıncrease ın my rear end...oh well my pants stıll fıt...for now. Thıs cıty ıs more conservatıve than other places Ive vısıted here so ıt feels a bıt more restrıctıng - kınd of lıke beıng ın Indıa wıth everybody starıng at you because you are so dıfferent - good thıng I have practıce beıng stared at already! Famılıes are famılıes everywhere you go and ıts so ınterestıng for me to observe all these cultures from the outsıde wıth no clue what they are sayıng and pıecıng together what ıs happenıng. I stıll have a bıt of culture shock beıng here even though ıts been 2 weeks because thıngs really are quıte dıfferent. For example, everybody kısses on the cheeks ın greetıng here and we from the US mıdwest wouldnt dream of doıng that even wıth our famıly members most of the tıme, let alone the perfect strangers at stores and stuff. Its so weırd to me but I am adjustıng. And thıs wıll sound gross but showerıng ıs kınd of a bı-weekly event for most people here, as most people dont have the greezy scandanavıan haır that I do and hot water ıs a lıttle more expensıve and dıffıcult to come by. Umm anyway, Im about to go blınd and choke to death ın thıs lıttle smoke hole of a net cafe so I thınk I wıll call ıt a nıght for now. (Smokıng ıs a lot more common and socıally accepted over here...uggg...) Hope all ıs well wıth you all, love me