Istanbul, Turkey
Trip Start
Jul 12, 2008
1
18
23
Trip End
Jan 2009
Istanbul,
Turkey
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Dinner was absolutely awesome. We had a salad, soup, then a beef and mashed potatoes for the main course. The soup was unreal, spicy, creamy, just perfect! Dessert was good too, I chose not to eat it, and instead, I chose to go for a run after dinner. Even more funny, Peter decided to pull a prank on Chitty and put a bit of hte coconut custard intoa condom and then have Colin put it on his pillow/bed. Thought it was a tad mean, but funny. That night when he saw it, he simply took it off his bed and placed it in Colin's hand while he was asleep. Pretty funny.
My run that evening was pure adventure! I started at our hotel, along the cobble road, got onto the main street where the tram runs, ran up to the obelisk, around the entire park, back on the other side, around the park of the Eye of Sophia, then up the main shopping street. At one point, I stopeed to check out some necklaces & while looking I kept up with a slow jog on the spot (to keep my heart rate up) then out of no where this guy appears besdie me who also has ear phones in and is also jogging on the spot. I didnt think much of it but as soon as I started to leave he followed me to the cross-light. I turned around to try and get away, as did he. I turned around again, actually it was more like stepped to the side, then he did the sme. It really looked like we were dancing ina jogging circle. Finally he turned around & while jogging backwards he waved good-bye to me. SO STRANGE! then, the other thing, all along the street tere are pegs to prevent cars from driving onto the sidewalk & and into the shops, so I decided to use them to my advantage. I was weaving in and out of them, creating an awesome work out for myself. I'm sure I looked like a fool but i didnt care; I had my music and my muscles were in pain and I was loving it! Then on my way back tothe hotel I was runnig down the hill, but didn't recognize the street. i started to panic b/c it was already 9:40pm. While panicing, to add to my already increased HR, a taxi driver decided to wave hello to me & could only do so by driving onto the foot path I was running on. HE DROVE DIRECTLY ONTO ME! It took me a few seconds to realize what was gong on, then I ran out of teh way and gave him a pissed off look. Still felt lost, so I ran all the way back up that street, got to the main one, then crossed to the other side and felt like I knew where I was. I think I even let out a chuckle cuz I felt stupid. I got back to the hotel making it about a 40 minute run, took a shower then joing the rest of the gang on the shisha pillows!
Shisha was so much fun, we started well no, I started to give uta a massage, then Peter, then Snez, then Peter again, then finally Chitty. He loved it so much that hejust collapsed when I was finished. Made me feel good =)
during oen of our sessions, I held the shisha pipe for Peter as he was giving me a massage & he blew out and the smoke just incircled my entire head. we got a photo of it as well. :)
The follow day we were to awake and and have a guided tour of Istanbul. Our guide was super nice and explained everything thoroughly. He took us into the Blue Mosque and even though i normally prefer to wait outside I did go in. I felt quite uncomfortable, and didn't particularly enjoy it. I felt like I was in the wrong place. Throughout that however, I did learn that Turkey is an allie to Israel. Also to bcome a muslim, all a person was to do is to say a particular phrase 3 times, mean it & believe it. Foud that odd and itneresting. Later that day, we wandered some more, went to the palace and the most magical place yet -- The Cistern Basilica. Inside it were large columns, maybe about 20 of them, with water at the base of them that housed somem fish - large and small. Also the Cistern Basilica was the home to Medusa. She was a goddess that was evil and was ordred to ahve her head lie upsdie down in the basilica. (she was also the one with the snake hair) Uta and I decided that if we meet in the next 10 years, we would meet either in there or in Venice.
Later that evening we had our excursional Turkish Dinner and Dance. That was really amazing. First couple of belly dancers were good, but the best on was wearing a red outfit. As she was going into a back bend, some twat came up on the stage and slipped 3 notes into her bra. She stopped mid-way in shock, yet continued dancing after he left the stage. Everyone thought she handled it extremely well. Later that evening we all went out to a club. The night was great fun . By the end of it all, we took our shirts off, Michael was wearing Snez' top, then when they switched back they decided to continue on the bra party in T's room. The night was long but the following day was the best ever.
I decided to buy Mama a dublenka for her birthday and so Julia and I went shopping for a fur coat in the Grand Bazaar. I tried on the coat in my size and felt like a million dollars. Even in my flip-flops and board shorts, looked absolutely stunning. Not only taht i was able to bargain with him and instead of paying 2800 lira I only paid 950lira!!! It was wicked! THEN, later that day we went to a Turkish Bathhouse! I went completely nude to the get the full experience . It was nothing like the Russian one, but quite an experience. There was no hot suana and jumping in ice cold water, but there was scrubbing and bubble bath involved and naked women with big saggy tits.
You first got undressed, walked down to the marble hot room, and as we entered we were told to lie down on the marble and wait until some one comes up to us. As sweat/water pours down your entire body, a lady comes up and says "Lady, Lady, scrub?" you nod, and she tells you to lie down. You close your eyes so that you get a full surprise when she does something and so it begins. She comes up from behind and pours a bucket of cold water all over you. Then she takes the scrub and begins to scrub EVVERYWHERE! (well except the golden area) she sits you up and does your arms, your chest, your stomach. O, I should mention, she doesnt say "turn over" she smacks you on the butt when its time to turn over. weird! THEN, she tells you to lie back down on your stomach, and she pours bubble bath all over you -- from head to toe! She keeps scrubbing you with the bubble bath, after which she rinses you off with another bucket of cool water. She washed your hair with shampoo as well, and followed by that you get your oil massage.
I went for a full body oil massage as well and normally the massage is too weak; so i told my lady to go harder. She went SO HARD that I could'nt move an hour after. We were smoking shisha after which really relaxed us all. Everyone went to bed at about 11:30pm to awake early in the morn to cross the border into Bulgaria!
