Life for the last few weeks (i.e the boring part):
Back to the Gulf, it was still hot, full of sand, shopping and a lack of pavements. Lots of nice, home cooked food, a well stocked liquor cabinet and familial bickering (about benefits, Gaza, jobs prospects... the usual! We also headed off to the beach in Oman for a nights camping with some friends, which was actually fun (coolbox full of beer) except for the sore back, sand in my shoes and my extremely drunk decision to crawl into my parents tent and sleep between them like a sick toddler. With that bombshell decided I wanted to head off somewhere before Christmas with the parents.
What was a visa run to Oman became a trip, then a trip to Iran, the realisation that visas and prices were prohibitive so I basically looked at world map and found somewhere with cheap flights. Istanbul via Manama, $200, done deal. Gunned for it and bought a Lonely Planet (a commitment to actually going somewhere I feel) and then had to stock up on warm clothes after packing for the Middle East and India. My basic plan was to fly to Istanbul and make my way down to the South East and then take a train all the way back just in time for roast turkey on the beach. And that brings me up to date, sitting here drinking Efes and looking at the Hagia Sophia. It's so nice to be back on the road (yes, I've been reading Keroauc), to sit in front of a map and say I can go anywhere I want which was the main quibble with Lebanon; Syria being on one side, Israel underneath and a few coastal cities which were mostly descending into sectarian violence. So now I've gone back to the city that was the Capital of an Empire that stretched halfway into Europe and all the way back to Dubai ready to run head on into the Anatolian adventure.
So after a particularly nasty transfer in Bahrain (GC travel advice: NEVER GO) I arrived not so bright and in the early afternoon. I was too tired to function but managed to drag myself out of the hostel (which by the way is amazing) sit in Sultanahmet park and then waddle off for dinner at a restaurant that specialises in "pide", Turkish pizza, which I can safely recommend as incredible.
But today, with a bit more energy, I tried to really get to grips with Istanbul. Aside from my embarrassing speaking-in-Arabic-not-Turkish it was great. The Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque are both closed on Mondays so off I trotted to the Grand Bazaar. Seriously, not even Dubai Mall can prepare you for the sheer size of this place, it is absolutely incredible and goes on and on and on. It reminds me a lot of Fez but it feels as if the Bazaar is about the same size as the whole of Morocco. The old archways (the whole thing is covered) are beautiful and resplendent in flaking, vibrant painted patterns and add to the feel of walking into a lost city still functioning like it did in when the British were still owned by the French. Of course the pain thoroughfares have Louis Vuitton handbags and diamond encrusted teapots (wish I'd taken a photo...) but when you get off the beaten track and down some of the side alleys and into hans, the old caravanserais that used to host merchants from all over the Ottoman Empire you can still see craftspeople producing goods and selling the like they have done for time immemorial. It truly is something special, and unlike the slightly sanitised, hawker in streets of Marrakech, it has a blazing authenticity that has hopefully geared me up for exploring the rest of the Old City.
Back to the Gulf, it was still hot, full of sand, shopping and a lack of pavements. Lots of nice, home cooked food, a well stocked liquor cabinet and familial bickering (about benefits, Gaza, jobs prospects... the usual! We also headed off to the beach in Oman for a nights camping with some friends, which was actually fun (coolbox full of beer) except for the sore back, sand in my shoes and my extremely drunk decision to crawl into my parents tent and sleep between them like a sick toddler. With that bombshell decided I wanted to head off somewhere before Christmas with the parents.
What was a visa run to Oman became a trip, then a trip to Iran, the realisation that visas and prices were prohibitive so I basically looked at world map and found somewhere with cheap flights. Istanbul via Manama, $200, done deal. Gunned for it and bought a Lonely Planet (a commitment to actually going somewhere I feel) and then had to stock up on warm clothes after packing for the Middle East and India. My basic plan was to fly to Istanbul and make my way down to the South East and then take a train all the way back just in time for roast turkey on the beach. And that brings me up to date, sitting here drinking Efes and looking at the Hagia Sophia. It's so nice to be back on the road (yes, I've been reading Keroauc), to sit in front of a map and say I can go anywhere I want which was the main quibble with Lebanon; Syria being on one side, Israel underneath and a few coastal cities which were mostly descending into sectarian violence. So now I've gone back to the city that was the Capital of an Empire that stretched halfway into Europe and all the way back to Dubai ready to run head on into the Anatolian adventure.
So after a particularly nasty transfer in Bahrain (GC travel advice: NEVER GO) I arrived not so bright and in the early afternoon. I was too tired to function but managed to drag myself out of the hostel (which by the way is amazing) sit in Sultanahmet park and then waddle off for dinner at a restaurant that specialises in "pide", Turkish pizza, which I can safely recommend as incredible.
But today, with a bit more energy, I tried to really get to grips with Istanbul. Aside from my embarrassing speaking-in-Arabic-not-Turkish it was great. The Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque are both closed on Mondays so off I trotted to the Grand Bazaar. Seriously, not even Dubai Mall can prepare you for the sheer size of this place, it is absolutely incredible and goes on and on and on. It reminds me a lot of Fez but it feels as if the Bazaar is about the same size as the whole of Morocco. The old archways (the whole thing is covered) are beautiful and resplendent in flaking, vibrant painted patterns and add to the feel of walking into a lost city still functioning like it did in when the British were still owned by the French. Of course the pain thoroughfares have Louis Vuitton handbags and diamond encrusted teapots (wish I'd taken a photo...) but when you get off the beaten track and down some of the side alleys and into hans, the old caravanserais that used to host merchants from all over the Ottoman Empire you can still see craftspeople producing goods and selling the like they have done for time immemorial. It truly is something special, and unlike the slightly sanitised, hawker in streets of Marrakech, it has a blazing authenticity that has hopefully geared me up for exploring the rest of the Old City.
In summary: Turkey is brilliant, Istanbul is beautiful. I still miss my beloved Libnan but exploring a new city is amazing fun.
I booked my ticket to Cappadocia today for 4 days time (Google it and you'll get why I am excited) and right now I feel like I've just taken the first bite of an amazing meal.
Love to all, email me and tell me about my flooding homeland.
Gx
P.S. sorry for the formatting, this is my first iPad exclusive post and it's certainly a learning curve!
