Day one was a doozy

 September 13.  

I went to bed last night after 11 but I woke up this morning at 4:30.  I did not go back to sleep.  I had a walking tour of the old city called 'Old City Tour:  Byzantine and Ottomad Tales.  

I partook of my free breakfast and then had to navigate the metro on my own.  First I had to find the funicular (F1).  I did but I think I unnessarily paid to enter the metro first.  Anyway, they do not put the FUN in funicular. It is a cement tube hurtling downhill until it gets to the water and then disgorges all of the passengers.  No fun tourist outing this funicular!   Next, find the Tram (T1) and get off at the right stop.  success and then find the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.  It is right across from the Blue Mosque so I got a bit distracted with the sightseeing but I got to where I needed to be in time.  

Sun is coming up.  Time to get out of bed

The cheese section of the breakfast buffett

Out Guru Walk guide. 

Sept 14, I feel asleep.   Sitting at breakfast, I'll try to finish this before I have to go to my next walking tour.

Back to my walking tour.  

Blue Mosque

The Egyptian Oblisk in the Hippodrom square.  
Dates from Contantinopal times

There are three columns in the square
which are all that is left of the Roman era

German Fountain, still working

Hagia Sofia

It was a long tour, almost four hours.  Lots of history.  We ended at the Egyptian Spice Market.  

The street cats are not suffering here, 
as shown by this chonky boy

An outdoor coffee shop we passed

A food street, I came back here for lunch

I was wrong, this is turkish delight. 

Spice Market, external

Spice Market, internal

View across to 'new town'

A sunny Saturday in a busy town.

Tour was over.  The guide pointed to a near-by mosque and said it was very beautiful inside.  I headed there.  It was right behind the spice market, I think.  I kept catching glimpses of it at the ends of alleys but I could not find the entrance, no matter how many alleys I walked down.  I kept ending up on yet another market street, or the same market street.  I finally found a sign and I google translated it.  Around the corner, upstairs.  

There it is, right there!

finally, the very unassuming door to 
the mosque found!

That same alley, from the mosque

There is never a bad time to see kittens!

I was starting to get tired at this point, I had woken up at 4:30 am. And I had been walking for hours.  And hungry.  it was mid-afternoon and my breakfast buffet was only able to carry on for so long. 

this place might be famous? Kebabs. 

Mixed kebab plate

Feeling a bit revived, I jumped back on the tram and headed to the Grand Bazaar.  

You'd think I would have looked at this mob scene
and reconsidered.  But I did not

A bit of gold, anyone? 

this one is for Valerie C.

I didn't buy anything.  I tried on a little ring but I could not justify $400.  What I also did was get very very turned around and lost.  I couldn't even find an exit, let alone the one that got me back to the tram!  

I was so tired.  I walked in circles until I found an exit, I didn't care where I came out.  Well, I came out who knows where.  More circles.  Eventually, I resorted to my old trick, just follow the crowds.  This usually works.  However, I discovered, not so much during call to prayer.  We all went to the mosque.  only to the courtyard for me though.  

Luckily, or perhaps excellent planning on my part, I could see a street a ways away and the tram rumbled by!  Sucess!

I got near the street with the tram.  It had been a sardine can when I came to the market, standing room only, so I had a little sit while I braced myself for the journey home.  Played a bit of NYT Spelling Bee.  I was just about to stand up when this man asks if I need any help.  No thanks, I'm good.  Very brief chitty chat.  May I sit down.  Sure.  He owns a carpet shop.  I do not need a carpet.  That's ok, he is just out for a bit of air.  More chitty chat.  There was a mosque near-by.  I told him how I couldn't find the door of the other one.  I'll show you how to get in, he says.  I am suspicious, of course.  But we are up and going.  It was close.  He probably can't kill me in the square. 

I can't remember the name of the mosque. Midis?  It's big.  

This is the box where the sultan attended mosque

My impromptu tour guide

There is another, more beautiful mosque up the hill.  I had heard about this beauiful mosque. Sure, let's go.  

The view from the mosque gardens

They used to use ostrich eggs in the light fixtures

I had learned in my tour that the ottoman empire 
was controlled for centuries by one family. 
This is their graveyard

And returned safe and sound
to where I was sitting 

But I had to go to the bathroom. Well, it seems Abdullah has a bathroom in his carpet shop.  Long story short, I bought a carpet.  Turns out I as in danger all along! 

First a stop at his spice shop for some apple tea

Then down this dark alley to his
closed carpet shop.  This gave me a
moment of pause but I followed anyway

this very official and not shady sign

I did email a friend and said if I die, this is where you can find my body.  

My new carpet.

This is the carpet I bought.  When he showed it to me, it is old, and has a giant hole in it.  Plus it has some wear and tear so it was easy to say, no, I don't need a carpet.  But I really liked to pattern.  No worries darling (I had been promoted to darling by this time), I have a carpet repair guy.

Assessing the damage.  It can be fixed!  

Abdullah in his office.  

That's when things got ambigous.   Abdullah said, let's go for dinner.  And then I found myself on what may have been a date?  It sure seemed like a date.  He took me to a nice seafood place and he paid.  

my date?

I was still fairly suspicious of his intentions.  But he walked me to my tram station, gave me a chaste hug and off he went.  Oh, and he invited me to visit him on the asia side.  And, to go to Greece with him, as one does on a first 'date'. this is my fault, I had talked to my seat mate about finding someone to travel with that came commitment free.  I accidentally manifested this!  haha, of course, I am not going to Greece with a strange man from Turkey but it was a nice evening.  

Ok, I have to head to my next tour.  

No time to edit.  Sorry for any typos.  

On my way... and I'm in Istanbul!

September 11. 

Killing time in the Maple Leaf lounge, you know, where the fancy people drink for free.  So far I've had a salad so I'm not taking full advantage.   I'm thinking about getting a cookie.

I woke up early and had time to reconsider my decision about the small backpack.  I moved everything to the big pack.  And that's where it ended. 

Judy got me safely to the ferry.  Where she took my traditional 'on my way' photo.

I passed an amiable crossing chatting with my seat mate.  I managed to get onto the bus and then onto the skytrain.  This time I even got on the one going in the correct direction.  Look at me learning!

Easy check in and bag drop.  Things are much speedier in the Business Class line.  I was third.  We had two dedicated agents so one of the economy agents called me over ahead of the dozens of economy people waiting.  Yes, I would love to jump the queue, thank you.  

Sept 12, Next day (before bed)

Here is a montage of my flight: 

Free slippers, so much leg room!

This is too much choice!

Waiting to take off

Wine and warm nuts

sleep

Some Turkish delight to take with me

Arriving over Istanbul

Passport control

September 13.  (next day, in the morning if 4:30 counts as the morning)

We arrived late and then getting across the airport and through customs and then across more airport to find my bag before I could actually find Rob, patiently waiting for me at the Cups and Clouds coffee shop by the exit.  

No rest for the weary.  We had more walking to do, lots more, to get to the metro, and onto our first train.  Then a long hike in a huge metro station to get to M2 line to get to Taksim Square, where my hotel is.  

Gotta stop for this photo.  
Istanbul is a cat city, so prepare yourself

My first photo upon emerging to street level

I landed at 5:30.  We go out of the airport at 7 ish.  We reached the hotel at 8:30.   Must remember that it is not a quick trip for when I have to get back to the airport.  

Sofitel Taksim hotel was very close to where we emerged.  I checked in and Rob waited in the lobby while I had a very quick shower and change of clothes.  

Fancy!

But more important than my room, there is a hotel cat.

She will let you have 2 seconds of 'scritch'
but then she had to get back to work

Rob took me through winding, narrow streets, full of people and light and noise.  Istanbul is very alive and exciting at night.  Just as well Rob was guiding me.  There are a million little kabab shops right across from the hotel.  I would have gone there and then to bed.  If I had ventured further, I would never have found my way back to the hotel in the dark. 

We finally arrived at our destination.  It was probably only a few minutes away but the sensory overload made it seem much further.  

I managed to grab a few street pictures on the way

We ate at Nevet, which I think is a hotel with an upstairs restaurant/bar.  Up we went to the sixth floor in the tiniest elevator, that snap crackle popped all of the way up.  

We had a lovely meal that we did not manage to finish.  Trio of dips, and two mains.  

The view from the balcony restaurant.

Rob and I parted ways in Taksim Square.  He is heading off to his next destination in the morning.  He really was a good friend to come and get me. I am pretty sure I would never have found the metro route without him.  He gave up hours of his time in Istanbul to come and get me.   Now, I am on my own.  Yikes!  

My favourite photo so far:

I woke up at 4:30 so I am writing this before I get up.  It's now time to start my day.  Or sleep a bit more?  I've got a free breakfast to eat and a walking tour to find by 10 am.  More Metro navigation.  Hopefully I'll be back, if not, I am somewhere underground.  

Shopping and Packing

 August 31. 

(I spent three paragraphs complaining about my new travel computer.  I deleted it all.  You're welcome!)

Shopping list: Keyboard for my tablet is number one.  It hasn't arrived yet.  New book called Sovietistan: A Journey through Turkmenistan, etc.  I found out about this book in an article my friend Greg sent me.  This article is about Turkmenistan opening up to tourists.  Which makes me even happier to be going when I am.  Book has arrived yesterday but I haven't started yet. 

(I have to complain a little bit, I am going through update #4 on my computer)

Back to shopping.  I bought a couple of merino wool t-shirts from Icebreaker.  I managed to hit the end of season sale which saved a bit. 

I think this is a good time to head to the pharmacy to pick up my prescriptions so I have enough for the trip.  

I'm back.  I wore my new (to me) Oboz hiking shoes.  I got them at Value Village super cheap ($6!!) because they are for 'kids' (they are also Women's size 6, $209 at full price!).  I'm not sure if they are going to make the cut though.  It's going to be the Oboz or my Hokas.

Packing.  I seem to be creating a travel wardrobe of blues and greens with some neutrals.  Different that my usual blue, green, red, purple, yellow and maybe orange with nary a neutral to be found wardrobe.   

September 1. 

I pre-packed over the weekend.  My bag is too full and too heavy and doesn't included everything yet.  Some un-packing to follow.

September 2. 

I like to buy one 'luxury item' for each trip that I know I will use for all future trips. I don't think I mentioned that I finally broke down and bought some walking poles at the Robinson's anniversary sale. 

I realized I really need them on that huge hike in Madagascar.  The downhill was brutal. 

They were expensive compared to other brands but cheap compared to a broken ankle in rural Turkmenistan.  I bought top of the line for two reasons.  1.  I need short poles and the cheaper brands don't usually come in 'wee'.  2. I need them to be lightweight and break down as small as possible.  The Black Diamond poles I got weigh nothing and collapse into four pieces so they will fit into my day pack for day hikes.  I know I won't take them if they aren't easy to carry. 

Tonight my friend Judy and I went to a travel presentation at Robinson's (always fun, you should sign up for their alerts) and had a quick chat with Erin the owner about the poles.  She recommend some inexpensive rubber tips and gave me a user-pro-tip to lengthen the poles on downhills. 

I have never used poles before.  I will report back. 

And bonus, on my Antarctic cruise, along with our 'free parkas' we also got 'free water bottles'.  That free water bottle came in a little cloth bag.  Which I came upon in my travel tote while I was packing this weekend.  The poles fit perfectly!!  

Wine bottle for scale, and maybe a sip

Collapsible!

full length (if one wants to call my length 'full' - 110 cm).

I started the Sovietistan book.  Much more entertaining that the History of Central Asia.

September 5.  

Busy, busy with Fall term start up.  I just realized that I have way over-scheduled my time in Istanbul.  When am I going to buy too much at the Grand Bazaar?  When am I going to eat too much in Taksim?  When am I going to drink too much coffee in the Beyoğlu district?

So I cancelled the two more interesting walking tours. 😞 The one about Spirituality and the one about Art.  Boo!  I may rebook when I get there and see the lay of the land. 

September 8. 

My family was staying with me on the weekend so I did not get my packing/unpacking done.  

I watched a couple of videos on how to use walking poles.  I am meeting my friend Carolyn tonight for a lesson.  It doesn't look like it should be complicated but everyone says it is harder than seems.  

I had a keyboard situation with my new travel computer.  I had bought one online.  It turns out there is a very big difference between the S10+ computer and the S10, which is the one I have.  So, I went to Best Buy to bestbuy the right size.  They don't have one in stock.  It is too late to order one.  Langford also does not have one.  Cowichan store has three.  Okey Dokey, road trip!  

I dropped my brother off at the airport and headed to Duncan.  I get to the store and the greeter tells me there online order system is down and I won't be able to pick up my item.  So, I picked up the greeter and shook him until a keyboard fell out.  No, I did not do that.   I said I will ask at the pick up counter. The poor manager who was barely 21, but still two years older than the rest of the staff, was very nice.  I told him my tale of woe about driving up island and going on vacation.  So, he found my item and handed it to me and made me promise not to cancel my order before they could process it.  I promised and came home.  

So, keyboard situation solved.  Remember all of the updating I didn't tell you about at the top.  Now I can't remember my password.  I'll figure it out.  

September 9.

I had a lovely walk up Anderson Hill with Carolyn last night.  The poles are not hard.  Perhaps I am a pole savant?  What other types of poles should I employ?  Perhaps I'll try barbering?  Less core strength required than the other pole work I can think of. 

Anderson hill, just another reminder why I like to come home after traveling

I got my 'this is your last email' from G Adventures reminding me that I have a trip coming up.  In case I forgot, I guess. 

And that this is my last chance to book an airport transfer.  They are very polite about it but also a bit fear-inducing

What to do when you arrive

Arriving at an airport in a new country can be a frantic and daunting experience.

You still have an opportunity to request a G Adventures arrival transfer to make your arrival stress free. If you are committed to getting there on your own (way to embrace adventure!), please review the Joining Instructions in your trip details for information about about public transportation, taxi's or "other" modes of transportation to get to your start hotel.

I am not up for frantic or daunting at the moment so I took a minute at work to get them to book that transfer. I'm sure once my brain is less frazzled with work and trip planning, when I am standing in the Bishkek airport, I will think, I should have just done it myself.  But today, still full brain frazzle.  And I need one tiny 'unknown' moved to the 'known' column. Gives more space to the 'unknown' of how I am going to reduce my carrying load.  

I still can't decide which shoes to take.  

Later that same day...

Remember when I couldn't remember my password for my new travel computer and I said i would deal with it later.  Well, I sort of remembered my password so I tried it. Nope.  variation of it.  Nope.  Variation, other variation, etc. etc.  Nope, other nope, etc., nope nope nope.  Every time I tried a new password it would make me wait longer and longer to try again.  30 seconds to retry, 60 seconds to retry, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 10, 30, 60 until last night I was up to 2 hours of solitary confinement.  I went so far as to 'chat' with Samsung.  The nice not-bot told me I was basically screwed.  I could go back to a previous password.  I don't have a previous password.  In the end, when I asked her if I should just throw it in the garbage, she did finally tell me that I can hard reset it.  Excellent, great, how do I do that.  I wait for it to get to 0 power and then do some steps.  But I had just charged it. And it is good on energy saving.  It is now 24 hours later and it it still at 70%.  It was not going to die before I had to leave.

So, I gave it one more kick at the can tonight and hallelujah!!  I managed to drag my password out of whatever mental dungeon it was in.  So, I am currently writing this on my new travel computer.  

I am still not packed.  

September 10. 

Ok, one day to go.  Time to actually pack!  I am working from home and doing quick runs into the packing area between meetings/emails.  I don't know how this is happening but I have only ADDED things to the pile.  Wrong direction.  I am going to have to concentrate and not half-ass it like I am currently doing.  It's almost time for lunch.  That will give me a slightly longer block of time.  

Post-Lunch

Well, the best laid plans etc. etc.  I am also trying to organize a couple of projects to be done while I'm away so dealing with trades people (although I am loathe to call Chuck a trades person, more like a god-send) and the house sitter.  I spent lunch showing the garden guy what I want done.  Now I'm eating at my desk.  Not packing.  

Couple of hours later.  

I took a 15 minute break to be ruthless with my packing.  Out went the skirt, the cardigan, the capri pants, one pair of undies, one pair of socks and my sandals.  I replaced the sandals with a second pair of shoes.  I couldn't decide between walking shoes appropriate for city strolls or for country hiking.  Answer:  Both.  

I switched to my smaller backpack and now I have room left over.  Is my bigger backpack a lie?  I like the smaller one anyway so I'm going to take it.  The test of this whole pack situation is getting from home to the ferry to the skytrain to the airport. 

While I was throwing things onto the floor, my lovely friend Judy called to say goodbye.  I convinced her that she wants to drive me to the ferry tomorrow.  So, one leg of that 'test' taken care of.  

Look, a total corner worth of empty space!  

I'm going to post this now.  See you all from Istanbul!