My travel buddy, Mo, and I found ourselves seated amidst a group of Turkish men who were acting as if we were at a bar rather than on a 3 hour flight. They were standing around in the aisle unchecked by the very British flight attendant, Francesca, whom they kept calling over so they could buy more drinks. Every 5 minutes, they would burst out into unified Turkish song. It was pretty intense (And this is already skipping the part where our plane got struck by lightning).
And, of course, these folks became our new friends. By the end of 3 hours, Mo and I were invited to come to a Bisiktas football game, the official team of Istanbul.
Our new Turkish hosts were more than hospitable. They took us out to eat, drink, and sightsee--and wouldn't let us pay for a thing. Right before the awaited game, they brought us into the team gift shop and insisted that we choose Bisiktas gear to wear for the game...and then they paid for it. We protested with all our might, but they acted truly offended at our rejection of their hospitality.
"Wouldn't you do the same for us if we came to Los Angeles?" demanded Ercument.
"Uhhhmmmmm..." said we.
"Well, whether you would or not, this is how we do it." he replied to our awkward pause.
Istanbul itself was an incredible experience. I had never been in a Muslim country before. There were mosques galore and we immediately heard the 5 daily calls to prayer from the loudspeakers posted on the top of the minarets.
It was really neat to be able to travel from Europe to Asia (and vice versa) daily. The Bosphorus Strait was an interesting body of water with lots of vessels traveling through it.
You'll have to ask me later about the strange hostel receptionist, ridiculous rain, racial issues, why the Turkish flag design came to be, beer & wine, and near drugging experience. There are, again like Madrid, way too many stories to recount.
All I'll say for now is that Bisiktas lost 2-0 : ( , yet I am still a fan for life. Also, I have never been offered the sale of so many carpets!
Sadly, I came out sick from the weekend; a combination of not fully recovering from the previous weekend, my sick host, and being immersed in rain-water. Please pray that:
1. I'll get healthy again.
2. I will get all my assignments done.
Thanks : )
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