Renaissance Polat Istanbul Hotel

... the greece exıt but not through to turkey because we need to stop ın between borders and get vısas and we cant speak turkısh so now we have to communıcate that we need a rıde to the ın between borders but ıt wasnt so bad as soon as ı stuck out my thumb a semı pulled over on the other sıde of the gate but we got permıssıon to runacross then we drove down th ...

... and questioning him about Islam and stuff, I mean yea," the 16 year old replied.

I can't remember how I ended the conversation, but I was really kind of boiling.

I don't know that much about missionary work, except that I'm generally unopposed because it seems to me that the majority of missionary work seems focused on humanitarian issues, even if there is an undercurrent that hopes to convert those who it helps. Doug, one of our fellow travelers in Nepal, was the son ...

... in crowds this is pretty awkward. I also have to transfer from the tram to the funicular but do arrive at the hostel. The room has a nice high ceiling, wooden floor, and large old funituure. The neighbourhood is mostly bars, cafes, fast food shops and small stores off the main shopping street. Go to cafe next to hostel use their wifi and await Austin, Brian and Chris. Soon get a text message to say they're on the airport bus, then a text to say they're at the rooms. Good ...

... who are just as clueless about what to expect as we are. I think we'll find out tonıght. I don't think I can connect my camera here, so no pictures yet. UPDATE: I heard something about a bomb in Istanbul the night before we left. No worries, the area that was bombed is 45 minutes from the city center by car (which gıves you an idea of how large this city is). We were far from danger and life in the city continued as normal the next day.

... it didn't matter, I just felt like i had to let someone know. I went with one of my roomies, Serin, to the mall. There wasn't anything eyecatching but I did get a shirt that has this little dude dressed in traditional Turkish garb playing soccer. Its for the EURO 2008. My roommate told me what the shirt said but I forget now. I will ask her again to translate for me. That reminds me, I really need to get on my ...

... big. As we went up to our room, we instantly noticed that the elevator probably fit 3 grown adults comfortably, with very little room to turn. In other words, with the bellman, me (with my backpack) and Jill (with her backpack), we likely could have fit a dog and a midget, but that would have been pushing it. To exit the elevator, I turned on the beep beep beep of my reverse gear and had to back up in order to get out. Turning around would have certainly meant certain ...

... stunned into silence. The mosaics covering the walls are ancient and beautiful. We spent nearly 2 hours just walking around looking at the details of the construction and artwork with. So, next we decıde that ıt ıs tıme to do the Bosphorus cruıse. We head down to the rıver and try to fınd the local ferry, whıch our guıdebook has told us wıll cost about $3USD. However, ıt ıs quıte confusıng to fınd ıt amongst the dozens and dozens of boats and the last departure for the ...

... was just as beautiful - they even had a circumcision room! We found that pretty funny, but the room (pavilion) was absolutely gorgeous. They have blue mosaic prints everywhere and gorgeous carpets and wall coverings. This place would be a great place to live(or get cut, depends what you're into)! It's modern enough to be a great place - you think they'll sell it?? Maybe in a few years! Anyways, after a long day of touring, we headed back to the hostel for some rest and Ping ...