So this is for sure the furthest I've gotten behind on my blog, and during a time that sooooo much has happend..
So I'm pretty sure I left of at getting to thessoloniki in Greece! Thessoloniki was supposed to be a three hour stop bu turned into about two days because the trains went on stike..
This was not exactly the best place to get stuck.. The "cheap" hotel I was looking for in the lonley planet book had been shu down for three years ha ha so I just walked into a place called atlas hotel and bargained for 25€ a night for my own room with two beds and a bathroom and shower down the hall.. It wasn't anything great, but the cleaning lady was such a sweet heart! She was the only person at this hotel place I met, well besides a 70 year man that had more interest in my itouch than anyone I've met ha ha! We exchaned information right before I left and he really want to by it! Lol that's a whole nother story in it's self!
Any ways the first day in thessoloniki was pretty much trying to get a bus or train ticket. Both failed. The second day I failed agian because it was a holiday for the Greeks! But day went by a little bit faster and I stayed out later that night! I got to talking to two of the black men that sold fake purses and watches, that was interesting but they were cool!
When I was sitting there a little kid was just starring at my Luna sticks so I started spinning the and he went crazy ha ha so I handed them to him and he started running lol!
I took a pic! It was so cute ha ha! the parents were like great now were gonna have to give these back.. It was a challenge I hadrosaur act like I was leaving but the boy was still not happy ha ha!
I played with the sticks for half the day! There wasn't much else to do in thessoloniki.. I tried a frappé witch is very very good coffe with a thick foam that you can scoop out with the chocalate filled cookies they serve you! Mmmmmmm
Any ways I spent most the day on the ocean side just relaxing waiting for the day to go by, and people watching.
The next day was my last day hopefully cause the strike was said to end! I got a ticket to istanbul for 7:30 that night and just wasted another day untill my train!
It felt good to get on the train! The guy I roomed with spoke no English but we made it work! I showed him pics of my trip and my beautiful family! He was impressed! And gave me a beer!
After about an hour they moved me to my own room which was super cumfy!
I just layed in bed and starred out the window!
at about 3:30 a.m I get woken up by two big cops and the train conductor yelling pass port.... Visa..... Passport...... Visa
They opened my door and told me I needed a visa...
I'm thinkin what.. Ha ha where exactly do I do this at, I thought when we got to Istanbul I would get one at some type of customs office?
No! It's at 3:30 in the middle of now where in a small office lol and it was freezing!
This couple from austraila didn't have the money and they were blaming it on eachother so I loned them 20€ which was all they needed and they were soooo happy ha ha!
I wasn't gonna say well shit.... Good luck and get on the train ha ha..
The visa cost 15€ and wasn't to bad to get we were kinda walked/ forced thru it!
So they kept are visa but I could sleep better this time cause I've been on a train were they kept it! And like the last train they came around and woke people up with about twentie minutes untill the istanbul train station around 9 in the morning!
When I got off the train I found the austrailian couple and I they went to an ATM and game me 50 Turkish lira which is a little more than 20€ so it worked out!
Then I was in the giant city of Istanbul thinking oh were oh were could my hostel be?
I hopped in a cab after a big debate of me not paying 15 lira, I showed him seven and said yes or no, he said... Come!
Ha ha sweet!
he found my hostel and turned out to be a cool guy! Matter a fact I saw him two days later and he started honking I was yelling what's up to him!!! The asian girls I was with were like uhh how do you know him ha ha. He was my taxi driver to the hostel!
They laughed!
but the first day in Istanbul was cool I checked in with out paying cause I didn't have enough for three nights in lira..
The people in turkey are soooo friendly, some are trying to sell you something like a carpet or a jacket or invite you into there resraunt! If you go along with them you gaurenteed to be treated like gold but hassled a bit and always with a free cup of turkish tea!
But my first experience is one I will never ever forget! I was genually scared no joke....
I was at the blue mosque and this guy started talking to me and I asked home to take my picture, he was super friendly and offered to show me thru the blue mosque! I walked with him but was trying to get a feel for him, mind you I've been in Istanbul for like an hour and every body is just soooo friendly!
So I take my shoes off and he explains to me the mosque and when we get out he said would you like to see the aya Sophia, I said yes I'm going to head over there for sure! He said well all show you the aya Sophia as well, but first I would like to show you my family buisness! I sell carpets and there so beutifle and after we go to aya Sophia!
Even tho I really didn't want to I said ok but Lets be quick cause I'm meeting someone later.
He said yes yes we go now and take five min!
So I'm fallowing this guy back towards my hostel and he takes me to a carpet store right up the street from my hostel, there's a bunch of carpets on the first floor and there apparently a basement were he right off the bat wanted to take me... He said come down here I show you more carpets, I was like no it's ok walking slowely..
He could tell I was being very hesitant and he said man don't worry your my friend!
I said ok i know were freinds bt were are we going?
Come see my friend is ok..
So I went down the and he sat down on som chairs and said sit down my friend, I said this is nice and my heart started pumping...
Then it was like some movie or something four guys walk in shut the door and turn on bright lights!
How are you my friend?
..... I was thinking ok well what do they want can I pay them or will I just never walk out of this basement...
I said I'm ok how are you? These are nice carpets you have!
I looked at the guy who brought me down and he almost had a smirk on his face.. Like a "got one" type look"...
I talked to one guy about the type of threads for about one min and was like breathing hard Ha ha...
So I just suddenly said you know what I have to meet somebody but thank you.. I paced towards the door and walked quickly up the stairs and pretty much ran to my hostel lol
I ask the receptionist, hey man do you know those guys that sell carpets up there?
Hes like uhh yea why? I told him what happened and he calmey said, yea I think they were trying to sell you a carpet.
Ok...... I was confused really...
five salesman and me in a basment with Bright lights and door shut wouldn't be my method of choice!
I was scarred!
Any ways it turned out to be funny cause durning my whole stay I'd pass the carpet store with people I met and told the story to and the man would be like "how are you my brother?still confused!"
And I was like yea man still confused I'm not gonna lie that was the first time on my trip I was genually scared!
But on the last day in Istanbul I exchanched info with him cause he's comeing to America like he does every year and maybe I will see him agian on the west coast!
Hes really a funny guy!
Every day ha ha "how are you my brother"
Lol. I won't forget that as long as I live!
Any ways when I was at the hostel I met some asian girls! Judith and .... I'm drawing a blank on the other ones name..
But they talked me into going out, which wasn't hard! They were giggaly and just asian ha ha!
We went to look into the Turkish baths and they were way to expensive, 50€!
You can find them for cheaper but I didn't need to do them any way...
So we got in a taksi (taxi) and went to meet one of there Turkish friends they met in there progam from bursa!
The taksi driver was cool ha ha but the girls hated him, they thought he drove in circles but really the were one ways.
Any ways we got to taksim which is an area full of bars and shops and people!
We met timoche there friend and he brought us to a table were two other girls were sitting! They were both so sweet! One was from Istanbul and one was from Italy!
The one from Istanbul tought me how to play baggoman! My first game I one ha ha begginers luck and she showed me a better option to every move I did, but i learned ha ha!
Theres quite a bit of stradegy to the game and the Turks are just impressive to watch! There fast!!!!
After drinking some beers, and watching the Asians smoke nargely (hookah) for there first time we headed out for a bite to eat!
We got some traditional Turkish food that was good!
they let us sample everything before we ordered and I wanted it all!
Then it was time to call it a night! Timoche drove us back to the hostel and we walked by the blue mosque and the aya sopfia at night it was soooooo amazing! We hung out there for a while and tooke some cool pics!
Then after about another hour it was realy time to call it a night!
We went back to the hostel and when we came in the room there was another girl in there that wasn't there before!
This girl turned out to be one of the most intersesting girl I've ever met!
We'll get to that!
The next morning we woke up and I went up for some breakfast! The breakfast is good! It's like the Greek breakfast but called a Turkish breakfast, it's bread rolls, tomato, cucumber, hard boiled egg, butter, jam and coffee or tea!
Its so good if you make it a sandwhich!
that morning I just barely met the girl that came in the night before while we were out. Her name was mitra and she's Iranian!
She seemed very sweet and doest speak great English, but you can tell she's very smart!
Any ways I ended up going out with the Asians to walk around agian! And we went to a place called the bascilica cistern, this place was very interesting! It was an underground palace where the stored water! And in the back were three big blocks of madusa's head and one one side ways and one was upside down! There are different myths on why they were like that but no one really knows?
my camera died in there and the girls wanted to go to the grand bizarre.. The grand bizarre is a place where there are 4,500 shops crammed into a pretty small area and it's just nuts!
So I didn't join them because I wanted to have my camera.
So I went back to the hostel and put my battery on the charge and got to talking to mitra and another Asian kid that had showed up!
So we planned to go walk around and check out the grand bazzar and what ever else we may find! So when my battery was charged we headed off to the grand bazzare!
Wow it was crazy and mentally draining really I got pulled down a street, litterally pull down a small street beacause I said jeans lol!
My freind I have good jeans for you, take a look for me!
ha ha I couldn't stop laughing and I went with it!
Metra and the korian kid fallowed and laughed as well!
It just never ends! Ha ha really!
after a while it becomes a little more annoying than fun so we made our way out and looked for a bite to eat!
We ended up eating at a nice place near the college which was nice! We got tire ld of looking at menus and saying thank you but we'll be back ha ha!
We ate and headed back to the hostel, because Kiam the Asian kid was tired and had a bus to catch later..
Metra and I went up the the top floor and had some tea together and got to know each other a little bit, and it was nice!
Then when I was telling a story about my sixth grade band experiences a girl sitting behind metra and I started laughing! Ha ha so I asked her were she was from, and she was from canada!
We talked and bull shitted but I felt bad for mitra because I know she wasn't understanding our fast paced English...
So I tried to keep her involved, but the the girl invited her self out with us which would normally not be a problem, but I enjoyed hanging out with mitra and I didn't want this canadian girl taking all the attention because she speaks English and leave mitra feeling left out.. So i kinda just said yea we'll figure it out later, but first I'm gonna go finish some things.. And went Down to the room and mitra followed.
later that night we ended up meeting a crazy guy from scottland and he offered to go up for a beer, so we did!
mitra had a beer which is completly new for her being 31 years old, and less the Scottish guy just kept them coming for him and I! Mitra and I had planned to go dancing earlier that day so I didn't want to get to shitty, then he Scottish guy decides to come with.
That would of been ok to if we didn't just have the most off the wall, I mean off the wall conversation with was all about mitra and her life in Iran. And less just doesn't know where to stop.. I won't get in to the conversation we had but it was a conversation I will never ever forget.. Wow!
So after less stopped ordering cause I told him to we decided to grab a cab and go out!
When we got to where we were going he decided that he was gonna let me and mitra go alone, because he thought he was invading on a date or something.. Ha ha this is so hard to explain but I will! Just not in this blog.
So less left and whent who knows where, and mitra and I continued on!
I wanted to go to a place called babylon, which is supposed to be good for dancing and lonley planet reccomends it! So I asked around and we found it, but when we got there it was a local band from michigan. Ha ha they were you and it would be like a show you would see at a local bar down town. Which is ok but we wanted to dance!!
We didn't stay long and when we left we asked around for a good place to go and the locals said chuba! So we found this place and the name was Cuba! Ha ha
Twe had fun here, the Mexican band had us dancing to the salsa very fast and upbeat but what ever we went for it!
It was fun! Mitra can dance, in her own Iranian way! I loved it!
After we bargained for a taksi back to the hostel and called it a night!
The next morning i went up for breakfast to have my Turkish breakfast and coffee on the terrace, and met a guy named Martin from Argentina! Martin was cool! He has high energy after you got to know him and we ended havin some good times together!
But he was solo and joined mentor breakfast then mitra came up and joined in!
After breakfast we made a plan to go out and check out the city more! Martin had just go there so we did things that we havnt done yet!
We ended up taking a fairy over to the Asian side of Istanbul and walking all through out the area! It was an expjerence that I won't forget! The area was very run down and very poor and the locals were sooo friendly and almost confused on why we were in there part of Istanbul, but not in a bad way they were happy to see us!
We were offered tea, and food and all sorts of people were interested in us! We stuck out I guess with what we were wearing, it was like they looked up to us.. Idk how to explain it.
But then we walked past a bunch of kids playing in a trash pit and loving it! Playing in the streets while mom was hanging laundry it was so cool to see!
I couldn't help my self but to make friends with the kids! I tagged one and started running, and at that point I had five kids chasing me! Ha ha it was sooo cool! I took pictures with them and the mom just smiled at me!
It was like the kids had never seen a camera before, you would show them the picture and they loved it!!
I got some cool pics and a short film of tag but it made my day!
After that we had a bite to eat which was very cheap, compared to the other side of istanbul, and the food was good!
After that we decided to catch a farry back to our part of town, ha ha I almost wanted to stay where we were! No husseling, just happy welcoming poor people!
But anyways we went back and didn't really no what to so so we went to the hostel for a little bit and then I decided that we should go grab a beer and sit by the ocean side and just chill!
Ha ha that one chill beer turned into all night partying at a once a year celebration for spring in Istanbul! Lol
We were like why are all these people down here? I thought it was because of the soccer game, but that just seemed crazy!
We fallowed hundreds of people and wanted to check it out and yea like I said we ended up at this festivle untill like one in the morning, there were sooooo many people and we met tons of locals and it was just fun!!!
I took a picture with cops, that were happy and talkin to me and I was feelin good with a beer in my hand ha ha I love that picture cause back home I'd be going to jail! Turkeys great!
We tried to go to the bathroom but all the porta potties had lines that were just rediculous! So Martin and I went on at a time and joined the fifty people on the hill just on the other side of the road just lettin flow! Ha ha all guys of course!
But Martin and I were both done before mitra went ha ha, and she was never left alone! :)
Abiut 1:30 we decided it was time to head back, so we did!
The next morning wasn't to bad actually, I was up around 8:30 and so was mitra! But mitra drank a beer and a half which had her feelin good and is complety new for her like I said. I told her if she doesn't drink she shodnt feel obligated to. They don't drink in Iran, and she's not allowed to drink and bever has drank.
Any ways, i went uo for breakfast and net a guy nammitra started washed up before coming up to breakfast and later met a guy named steve from austraila and started talking with him! He was straveing solo as well, and was in our room!
Then Martin came up to breakfast and reminiced on the night, laughing!
"let's just grab a beer and sit by the sea and chill" ha ha
mitra then joined in and we just kept chatting away!
Steve went to go do some things and we planned to meet him back at the hostel around three!
We didn't do much untill then, Martin and I walked around while mitra got more ready, but it was pretty mellow! Then we met a guy named ugiene who was an interesting cool guy from alaska! Ha ha and it ended up that the five of us all went out around three!
We took a farry ride to the south more touristic part of Asia and just mosied around ate and that was about it, the cought another farry up north to a port and an area I hadn't been to yet so that was cool! From there we walked all the way to taksim passing a nice palace and a couple mosque's and then saw a huge march! I mean hundreds of people protesting something! And folloing them was basically a Turkish swat team ha ha it was interesting!
We walked a lot that day so we came to the conclusion that we'd find a place to have a beer!
And we did in taksim! One beer led to six more and the night got interesting!
Interesting in a wierd way, mitra drank two pints pretty quickly and then went to sit by her self inside... I went to go talk with her and she was pretty much drunk, and emotional..
Lets just say I never ever in my life thought I would be rubbing a thirty one year olds back and wiping her tears.. Really.. But I can understand her emotions and I would never call her out on it..
She was saying that she like me and every one and like beer and kept wanting to drink which I wouldn't let her..
But I comforted her and tried my best, but it was something I've never expierenced!
She must have been sad know she's going home back to her parents, where she's home at ten, and required to were a scarf around her head. She doesn't go out and dance with boys and kiss even on the cheek. I could have been the first boy she kissed on the cheek.. Facebook is forbidden, along with alcohol! And she must have just been trippen...
Any ways we let her sobor up a bit and come together, and I ended up out side arguing with an 11 year old boy about taking two lira from me and not guessing my wieght!
Lol cause I pushed my stomach out and he freaked out and started hitting it and everyone at the bar it watching and laughing ha ha! So the bar tender came over to straiten out the problem, and we did we became friends ha ha and he punched me in the stomach to more times with it puffed out, which I let him do because it called for soon good pics ha ha!
For that story your gonna have to see pictures! It was fun!!
Then mitra starting feeling better so we walked a little bit and got a cab, I didn't like the cab that they chose there were people all around it acting wierd and I was trying to get them to come down the street a little, this guy was offering a ten lira cab ride and seem ligit!
But I was out numbered so I ran up to the cab and right when I tried to fit in the guy acted lime he was shutting the door for me and ripped my camera out of my pocket by the string! I just remember feeling it and then hearing it slide across the side walk.. I was out of that taxi so fast It was crazy, the kids ran and luckily I was able to bmgrab my camera out of the gutter and I held on tight! Believe me! I've never been happier in my life!
I have some cool pics that I'm willing to do anything not to loose!
So every one got out of the can and I'm yelling f you and flipping the cab driver off and then every one joined in!
The cab driver acted confused... Yea what ever!
So the guy I wanted to go with back up and said come!
so we got in and he asked if we were ok but didn't speak much English...
We were talking about it that whole way back ha ha!
Im sooo lucky he dropped it and I moved quick!
Steve, Martin, and ugeine were like dude I didn't know whatbthe he'll you were doing, ha ha I didn't either it all just happend so fast!
So that was interesting and I have my camera! So it's all good! When we got back to the hostel Martin said he was going to get food, and we said ok we'll join and eat Nd maybe have another beer in celabration to a good ending of a night!
Less was in bed but hopped up to come have a beer with us ha ha! The Scottish drink at all hours!
He was an ok dude but didn't know his limits... The staff didn't like him..
But any ways he's was ok that night we ate and shared a table with two guys from London and it was good!
Martin had to be up early so he headed out early and I joins him!
We walked back and I said I'd be up at breakfast to say hasta la vista!
It wasn't long after I got into bed when everyone came back! Martin was the only one in a different room!
The next day, every one left except for ugiene.
Mitra was sad and wanted everyones info and what not, she had soo much fun and probably has never been as loose as she was in Istanbul!
So mitra and I had breakfasta and just had a mellow mellow day! We went the grand bizzare had some lunch, layed in the park and talked about life and it was interesting!
she sometimes has a hard time telling me things cause of her English but we made it work, I talk slow and help her by asking questions or implanting words!
I don't understand why she would go back to Iran and marry to be treated as some one less...
But any ways I won't go into that, later that night we had dinner up on the sky terrace and it was nice!
I learned alot about Iran and it really made me think..
i don't know how to explain what it was like to hang out with mitra, she's 31 but I feel like inwas flirting and hanging with 17 or 18 year old.. Which isn't bad but it's different.
but she has a batchelors and I know when she's in Iran speaking Persian she is a very very sharp girl!
Shes just so sheltered and innocent.. Idk
That was the last night in Istanbul and in the morning I booked my ticket to cappadocia and had to leave the hostel around six thirty. I was gonna miss mitra but then agian I was ready for new scenery!
The last day was another mellow day just doin a lite bit of this and that!
The goodbye bye wierd especially for her.. But she left and about tem minutes Later I caught the shuttle to the bus that would drive about 13 hours to goreme a cave city in cappadocia! I met some cool people on the bus and we got to chatting! To lady from Seattle who were very sweet and I've even run in to them a couple times in goreme! There was a kid from Canada that was cool but just liked to here him self talk.... I mean he said stuff that was like.. Omg man your a super hero arnt you.. I'm not on for non stop boasting..
Any ways I took two tylonal sleep aid and put mu head phones in but it was not easy to find a comfortable position on the bus... So I slept in the aisle ha ha! It worked ok, better than the seat!
The bus guy didn't even care ha ha he actually said good idea!
We stopped at placed to get food and go to the bathroom, once and 1 am and another at 4:30 am
then you have to pay to use the restroom.... I'm like what?
No wonder they would give you coffee tea water and as much as you wanted ha ha!
But finally we get to nevesir which is a transfer point not to far from goreme and everyone else got on another bus except or Ruth and Stephanie the ladies from seattle! So I'm waiting with them while this guy is hounding us about Gus a ballon ride or day tour or what ever... I told him I've been thru this and I decided to just buy a ticket and do it on my own! He says that's no smart. I said well I'm gonna take my chance at being an idiot!
So we cram on this small shuttle van and made are way thro the middle of no where to goreme!
We got off At the bus station in the middle of cave city!!
This place Is off the hook!
Google! Gerome in turkey! Or cappadocia!
I typing this blog in a cave room at my cave type pension!
The first day I just walked around with my stuff looking for a hostel! and got hassled by a guy at the first and didn't like it so I left!
Then then the next to were full and the fourth one is cool!!
Theres a guy name hallon that checked me in! He's super cool! I was still so tired and out of if from the bus ride so he probably was thinking is this Kid ok, and my allergies got very bad! Sinus, itchy eyes, no energy, and just not comfortable..
I went to the town and walked around and got some dinner, pretty much just checking things out!
when I got back I joined hallon with his two Japanese friends that are friends of his wife, who he met in gorame and is japanese as well!
And the owner he's such good people! He speakes little English but he made me a killer breafast when I showed up! It was an omlet with tomatos on the side and a basket of bread!
I was happy to find this hostel even tho I was the only in checked into it ha ha!
I have a cave to my self with five beds with a bathroom and shower!
The first night I was feeling out of it and run down like I said so I called it an early night around like ten!
And j slept in till about ten, cause it's sooo dark in the cave Ha ha and pretty cold which makes it harder to get up but easier to sleep!
When I did get up I was to late for breakfast but osman the owner made me one any way! Then I got did some emailing!
I got such a cool email from suzzane that made my day! She noticed that my blog hadn't been updated in a while now! This is the longest I've gone With out updating, and it made me feel good that one she cares and two she's reading about my adventures!
My blogs are gonna make a great jornal but I'm doing it for people back home as well!
But anyways that started my day off good!
And of course j heard from my momma who I have been keeping in touch with! And i couldn't forget mothers day!
So my goal was to update my blog yesterday which didn't happen because this one took a while ha ha!
But I hiked around the open air museum which is a little bit out side of the city and you can go in caves and see some cave churches, and just be in awww where ever you go! There's nothing like this anywhere else in the world, that I know of!
Its just something else!
So after a day of exploring my allergies were gettin bad.. So i found the one phamecy in the town and got some what i hope to be allergie medicine ha ha! It was cheap like all medicine over here and im supposed to take it for ten days! I I came back and saw hallon and noticed a lady that was very upset and I thougt I'd stay away from that!
So I hung around with hallon and the owner and then this lady came and sat by the reception to use the Internet and I just started talking to her! Why not?
She had puffy eyes and looked lime she'd been crying because here tour package just wasn't working and idk... That why I do it my self! I don't néed to follow a tour plan that a travel agency will charge me boogo bucks for..
But I ended up talking to this girl for about two hours while hallon was cooking a BBQ for people, and they could just pitch in! But finally I wrapped up the conversarion and we talked about ALOT ha ha but in the end she was happy and she came up for the BBQ which was soooo good! We sat at a table looking out at goreme the beutifle city!
I offered to pay and hallon said no, I offered to do dishes and hallon said wait for the tea! So I cleared the table with out asking, that's the least I could do after a big home cooked Turkish BBQ!
After dinner we had tea and everybody was off to bed, except for me and the owner! I hung out with him untill 1:30 am and went to the super market and got beers for both of us and did our best to comunicate! Sometimes with help of a dictionary, but it was soo cool!
His dad used to own this pension and it was a house! Which is a big house, then he took over the pension because his dad went to Germany. And he showed me where he lives around the corner which is sooo cool is a cave home! It's just something most people won't see! And he lives there! By him self with spare caves! I'm tryin to rent one out ha ha! Really!
He breeds beuatifle pigeons that he showed me! I saw babies, eggs and you can tell he just loves them so much! Oslam is 71 but he looks 45 no joke! I'm so glad I met him, even the language barriar is tuff it's cool to be around him!
So I went to bed around two a.m and woke up this morning and about 8:30! The allergies medicine has cleared me up alot and I'm only on my third dose!! I love it!
I had a good breakfast agian this morning and ended up going with hallon to the air port to drop off the lady that was up set at first! Her name was sisillia, and she was a defense attorney and seemed to be a very kind hearted lady but maybe a litle on edge.. Idk!
But it was cool the ride back was fun! We jammed out to some good music and then we stopped for gas and hallon bought me a beer!
And I got back to the hostel and started typing my blog agian which has taken for ever!!!
But I feel sooo good to be up to date!!
Wooooo hoooo
Im glad Susanne sent me an email or I may have become lazy and given up..
I miss every one!
and all be home to share stories before you know it!
we got a whole summer ahead of us!!!
Cant wait'
Hope all is well! :)
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)