Istanbul Marriott Asia Hotel

... as they headed off to Southeast Asia via Qatar the next morning. How cool that we got to spend this time together!

The next day, Nina and I spent much of the time in and around the city's grand bazaar, where we wound our way through a maze of local shops, some very good...many not so good. The highlight might have been a nice lunch at Fes Cafe...which is a modern and delicious spot right outside the market. 

For dinner we headed out for a Turkish ...

... frıend´s name there? When wıll I be returnıng to the States? Where dıd I vısıt ın Israel? (Jaunt ınto the West Bank convenıently left out by me here.) For how many days? Then a fıfteen mınute conference between the agents. My bag went through the scanner twıce before a large woman made a gesture that encompassed half the aırport and mumbled "brıng your bag over there." I ...

... was closed, we headed inside. Cemberlitas was built in 1584 by the famous Ottoman architect Sinan (previously mentioned). Turkish bath's are similar to other types of baths (my only experience with old style baths are the Hungarian bath's in Budapest) in that men and women are separate and you get some sort of soapy rub down by a big scary man or woman. Turkish baths are unique in that instead of having pools of hot and cold water to go in and out of, you lie on a huge ...

... rubbed shampoo in my hair and poured buckets of water on me to rinse me off then I was done and it was Carolyn's turn to get the skin rubbed off her body while I watched and laughed. Just before the woman started Carolyn looked at me and said "Is this going to...aghhhh!" When Carolyn was done the lady led me into the reception area and motioned for me to lie down on the massage table. I laid there shivering for a good 15-20 minutes ...

... it's name. Afterwards, abandoning the shawls that we had used to cover our exposed skin, we headed for the nearby Basilica Cistern. Initially put off by the 10 Lira (roughly $9.50) entrance fee, we bit the bullet and forked over the cash - and we were glad we did. Built by Constantine and enlarged by Justinian, the vast, pillared cistern is 65m wide and 143m long, and once held over 80,000 cubic litres of water for use during ...

... Aya Sofya, but missed Yerebatan Sarayi, which Mr.Takeuchi, a Turkish lerner from Japan, mentioned later. All the museum and mosques were elegant with Islamic taste and I felt nostalgic for old backpacking in Southeast Asia. There were a lot of retired Japanese tourists indicating how popular the city was. After all the visits, I remembered something very famous in Turkey, Capadokia. I didn't know where it was and how I could get there. So I dropped by a TI near Sultan Ahmet ...

... her life and is going on an archeological dig this summer in Jordan...talk about a woman full of interesting stories. Anyway, back to the weekend. When we arrived she had made lamb chops, mashed potatoes, an assortment of mixed vegetables, and a wonderful sour cherry desert (turkey is known for their lamb and sour cherries). I have eaten a lot of wonderful things while here, but ...

It feels like August. I am chronologically displaced. The temperature is averaging 24 degrees with a light breeze. It is a very good temperature for wanding around and shopping in the bazaar. Turkish people are still using their air conditioning during the day but are now closing the windows at night. How will I cope with being thrust straignt into October back in London? The bus was busy this week. At one point I just ...

... I need a job like that). Sat on the grass for quite a while and then he took us to the café at the end of the street for Turkish tea and backgammon. I suck. He insisted he wasn't helping me and was just "showing me the way". Nice way to put that I was no good! We agreed to meet him later (when he promised it was close to here and we could walk) and headed back to the hostel to clean up and pack up a bit for tomorrow. Went for a quick chicken doner ...

... all she wanted to do was get back to h** hotel and so I off**ed to follow h** th**e if she wanted and then the strangest thing happened. As if ev**ything was all bett** she replied in a normal tone "No it's ok I saw some really cute shoes this way (the opposite way of the blue mosque of course) and I want to buy them, it's ok I'll find my own way back". I was really confused but figured she seemed Ok now and left in route for our hostel. Weird all this happened in one ...