Istanbul 6.5, 7, Canakkale, 8, Ismir, 9, Pamukkale

From my last writing, on day 6 of Istanbul, hungry, heading to "Old Ottoman's" near the Hagia Sophia...  I had showered and gotten ready for the evening a bit early, so I hopped in a taxi in an attempt to avoid sweating too much.  The driver was clean shaven, drove really well, and seemed generally knowledgable about his job - however - it was one of the worst taxi rides I've had.  The fair was by meter which was good (usually a sign that it will be fairly priced) but he went so fast and in the wrong direction that it ended up costing a lot more than it should have.  He was driving probably 100-120 KPH around the east side of the Topkaki palace, so fast I could not tell him to turn at the intersection I wanted him to turn at in time.  I thought to myself, I don't mind because I wanted to see this side of the bosphorus anyway, but he kept going.. far past the turn I wanted to take - again - and stopped only after I told him we were now going in the wrong direction.  Almost offended, he suggested I get out and walk the rest of the way - that's fine - except I was now almost as far away from the destination as when I first got in the cab... Oh well.  I tried hopping in another taxi however they told me it would be a very expensive amount due to traffic being bad and they didn't want to use the meter, I responded no thanks and decided to walk.  It was a bad day for taxi's.

Finally I made it to Old Ottoman's, a little sweatier than I wanted due to the walk...  The same guy was working and asked me if the women had left me, he remembered them from yesterday.  I replied no, they were on a tour, and I came back for the delicious dish I had yesterday, which he remembered quickly.  I thought it was odd the food was so good, it was the #1 on trip advisor in a big tourism city - but it was always available for walk in seating and he remembered guests so well.  I told him about my taxi rides and he admitted the drivers were crooked, I'm sticking to my 50/50 ratio I mentioned earlier.

After dinner I took a nap at the hotel "Erbil" and woke up when my roommate got back from the Bosphorus ferry cruise he did with the group.  We talked for a few then went downstairs for dinner and belly dancing.

The dinner was alright at best, barely any meat was served, several plates of food came out but I was only waiting for the main dish - meat and potatoes.  The meat and potatoes were quite good, Reannon felt bad and gave me some of hers also, since I didn't eat much of anything else.  I refused but after watching it sit for a while, possibly about to be taken away, I gave in and ate hers as well - delicious.  The belly dancing was kind of hit and miss, sometimes it was nice, but for the most part it wasn't that interesting.  They had a group of Chinese women learning belly dancing and took them on stage one by one - I was very surprised the Chinese women got on stage and danced in front of everyone.

There were some male dancers that danced as a group and even threw knives.  I was really confused by their dances, I suppose it has to do with history but I'm not familiar with it and the dancing itself wasn't too attention grabbing.  All in all I kept thinking in my head "you win some you lose some" chalking this up to a loss, a mistake I couldn't avoid.

The last belly dancer was really quite bad, I didn't understand why they put her last, I thought it was fairly common to at least save the best for last.  After she was finished a guy came on stage and started singing "New York New York" in a Sinatra like voice and outfit.  I was impressed, but this was just the beginning, he sang in several languages - engaging the Chinese, the Iranians, the Australians, Canadians, Americans, Argentinians, Mexicans, and other hispanic countries.  I thought it was the most impressive when he sang in Chinese because that language is difficult but he did really well, and the Chinese loved it, singing along quite nicely - very cute to listen to the women completing his chorus.

After dinner the tour guide Ahmet said he would drop off a group if they wanted at Taksim square.  A few of the women wanted to go out and they wanted a guy to go out with them - I said I could show them around.  I was a little apprehensive because I expected them to be fussy and complain a lot but they were quite the opposite.  I took them to the club (Ritim Terrace) I had been several times because I trusted them and other than it being overcrowded I had not heard any complaints or problems there from the women.  When we got there it was almost empty, I knew Ramadan started but I didn't expect it to be empty.  Slightly confused I asked one of the staff if something was going on or if it was empty because of Ramadan, he said there was a private party that just ended so it would start filling up soon.  It was a little before midnight at this point, and by 12:30 am it was fairly full.  The women danced by themselves and had fun - the atmosphere was really relaxed on the roof (no view other than the sky due to other buildings) and as the club filled they had even more fun.  It turned out to be a good night, and I was happy they enjoyed the club / Istanbul.  At the end of the evening I walked them down to a cab and sent them on their way -  I had just figured out my apartment was only a few steps away.. Previously I had gone back to the hostel which was about a kilometer walk.

I wanted to do some more laundry but I was exhausted.  I half expected to miss my meeting time of 730 in the morning... Accepting the fact that I may need to catch a bus on my own and meet up with the group in the next city.  I'm quite used to things not working out perfectly while traveling and while stress is necessary for some time constraints, I enjoy the days I can live stress free.  This was one of those days, no stress needed.

Day 7:
I woke up on time without any alarm going off.  0630.  It was fate, I packed my bags, grabbed my stuff, and was at the hotel by 7, plenty of time to spare.  We were off to Canakkale (pronounced Chan - ahk - ali) and Gallipoli.

We stopped by the ANZAC sign on the beach and paid respects to numerous Australian and New Zealand soldier's graves.  It was a day for the Aussies and Kiwis.  We grabbed a stone off the beach of Gallipoli and took some pictures at the top of the hill.  The view was awesome - though I don't have any way to attach the picture at this time.  We learned about Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (a Turkish Army officer and the first Turkish president), we saw "Lone Pine", the tomb of the unknown soldier, and a grave of a 16 year old from Perth - the youngest Aussie soldier's grave.

At night we checked into the Tusan hotel in Canakkale around 5pm with a dinner time of 730/8.  I immediately went for a run in the clothes I had on, my cotton grey north face shirt and some niki grey shorts.  My gps locked on and I took off, hoping for at least 15 minutes and two miles, I felt surprisingly good and decided to go for 30 minutes / four miles.  I ran by several houses on the water and even another local guy around my age running.  I saw a lot of families doing stuff around the house (as it was the weekend) and a strange old person walking with great difficulty (using the assistance of canes/crutches) all by himself in the middle of the road.  He was obviously stubborn, and probably should not have been out there alone.

I made my time and was sufficiently worn out after the run.  I took a few minutes to relax, rinsed off in the shower, changed into pool shorts, and went to the pool to meet up with the rest of the group.  I jumped in the pool and it was freezing.  I got out and was salty all over, slightly regretting jumping in at all...  I relaxed on the pool chair, facing the sunset in a nice cozy atmosphere with the beach directly below us.  Dinner was delicious as it always is in Turkey, and tonight we were sitting on a patio of the hotel with the sun setting over the sea to our west.  There was a parting in the wood line where the sun was setting, it was quite picturesque as we all sat and ate together...  This will be a fond memory and I commented that this was what everyone talks about on Contiki tours, these moments that just feel good, are well planned, and appreciated.

After dinner we played a couple games of beer pong downstairs, a pleasant surprise.  They had a hookup for Jess to play her music and Lee and I teamed up to take on Jess and her twin Kate.  Lee and I won two games and split for the third game, it was Kate and I vs. Jess and Lee.  Kate and I lost the last game.  I remember really liking the set up they had at the hotel for beer pong, they would wipe down the table for us after each game and reset everything for us, surprisingly good service.

We paid all our bills and most people went to sleep.  A few of us (my roommate Luke, Jess, Kate, and Lee + his wife Bella) went to the beach to check out a Turkish evening on the sand.  It was nice out, there were no bugs, the waves were crashing slightly like a lake in the U.S.A. and the stars were out.  We talked a bit about different things, I talked about some of my experiences as what I've come to know people are commonly interested in (war, army stuff, my current job, psychology etc).  It does feel nice to talk about things, and with different perspectives.  I think talking is one of traveling's luxuries, especially with all the different perspectives.

After the beach we went to sleep and woke up at 7 for breakfast.

Day 8 (Troy / Ismir):
We were on the bus a lot, we saw Troy.  Troy had several numbers attached to it: Troy 2, Troy 6, Troy 8, apparently it's such an old city that over time things got buried.  It was quite confusing having a fountain from troy 8 right next to the main ramp of troy 6 but at a much taller height.  Supposedly at the time of the troy 8 fountain, the ramp didn't exist, and at the time of the troy 6 ramp, the troy 8 fountain didn't exist...  And this repeated several times for different things.  I get the concept but it was a little difficult to fully comprehend all the moving pieces in a quick one hour tour.  Another concept was the picture they showed of the water right next to the city, if you stand on the city wall now you see the water far in the distance but surely it's a mile or two away.  I guess the water recessed.  We thought the same thing at the dead sea.

After troy we headed to our hotel, Aksan in Ismir, I checked in on Facebook to kind of mark a spot.  I think it was my first Facebook activity since the plane to Europe back twenty days ago.  I try not to make too much of a Facebook imprint, for several reasons, but I do like checking in to keep track of some places I may forget.

Ismir was the place we were supposed to go out and meet with Ahmet for cheap drinks and then end up at a disco club.  The first night out with the group.  In not necessarily this order, I got off the bus, went to the grocery store next door, showered, changed, ate, and then some friends came over to Luke and my room to drink together before going out.  We even got Ahmet to drink with us.

Ahmet made his phone call for a table reservation and we all went out.  Apparently the Turkish basketball team won some championship and there was a large celebration, even a concert.  Ahmet said it is bad luck because it was extremely busy, though many of us were glad it was busy.  Lots of people were wearing red for socialism...  Ahmet explained a lot of things to me and we even talked about local real estate.  It was not cheap in Turkey to buy a house, it had very similar prices to most of the USA.  Some of the places on the water or in Istanbul were even comparable to California / San Fran / New York prices, reaching in the millions quite quickly.  I was really surprised by the prices.  I would only be interested if things were significantly cheaper, otherwise I'm very happy with America.

Some of the group stayed at the concert but most of us went to the disco clubs.  It's an experience I'll likely never get the chance to do again.  The night went smoothly, no problems, all fun.  We checked out a couple clubs and ended the night taking taxi's back in small groups.  I remember Jess's card got eaten by the ATM and I was kind of worried about that since I just had my credit card left (my debit card was taken/canceled when I left it in the ATM at the Istanbul/SAW airport).

Day 9:
We woke up knowing we wouldn't get a good lunch today.  We hopped back on the bus and took off towards a carpet weaving tour and Pamukkale.  The carpet place was a government establishment and well trusted by both our touring company and our tour guide Ahmet.  Once I heard about this stop I had been interested in learning more about carpets.  I know in Iraq they often had carpets for sale, but I never knew the difference between hand made or machine made let alone silks, cottons, and wools or how to price them.  We got a class on how silk was made, how carpets were made, why things cost more (basically just because they take more time).  Some carpets take years to make by hand.  It is understandable why some of them get to be quite pricy.  These hand made carpets last forever they said.  I see the appeal, plus some of them were really soft and looked great.  All together, I can see the appeal.

The presentation was nice.  I ended up buying two as gifts and one for myself.  I couldn't pass up the opportunity of a hand made carpet from Turkey.  I hope they make it to America - I had them shipped, one to my mom and two to Sophie's place (one for each of us).

After the carpet facility we went to Pamukkale, I didn't even know what this was, I don't think I would ever have gone without the tour's help.  It was quite nice.  I didn't know these things existed, apparently it took a million years to create.  It was quite easy to take pictures of this place.  I can't upload them since I am writing this blog on the bus but you can google "Pamukkale" images, and they should pop up.  There wasn't much water there when we were there, apparently they are running out, so it wasn't as beautiful as it used to be.

After Pamukkale we went down and checked into what was supposed to be our best hotel (5 stars).  There was a nice, large, main pool, a hot springs collection of outdoor pools, and an indoor heated pool (luke warm really).  Most of us made good use of all the pools.  The thermal outdoor pools were hot, and the hottest at the top was almost too hot.  I love hot baths, so I enjoyed the temperature, but admit that it was almost too hot.  A lot of people thought it was too hot.  I would imagine Rachel wouldn't like how hot it was at all.

We ate dinner by the pool and I drank a lot of white wine.  The chilled wine in the sun at the pool was perfect.  I got wined up and spent most the evening with Lee, his wife, my roommate Luke, and Amanda, someone who I hadn't really met yet from Australia she had been sick for the first few days. As my next trip is to Australia / New Zealand, I've been keeping an ear out for insight to how I should approach the trip.  How long should I dedicate to which cities, where I "must go" and where I don't need to go, etc.

I closed down the thermal pools and went to sleep.  The shower head was broken, the toilet didn't flush, the back door wouldn't fully shut and there was music coming from somewhere, maybe a club or something at the hotel.  The sheets weren't really great, I couldn't believe the place was 5 star.  Oh well, the pools made up for it.  We woke up at 6 (our early wake up for the trip) and got back on the bus where I currently sit writing this using a hotspot off Reannon's phone and my macbook.  Contiki has been great so far, giving me more time to write while someone else is driving us, and the guide takes care of the research of each site - even taking us to places where he recommends we take photos.  A good guide saves a lot of time.

Istanbul 4, 5, 6

First let me post some pictures of the previous days.

 Blue Mosque tour day

 The Bosphorus opening up to the Black Sea behind the bridge.

Trying sheesha (hookah) on a rooftop with Seif, me, Josh, Emma and Anize (left to right)

Day 4 (Tuesday the 16th of June):

I woke up leisurely, half intending to see some sights, I only had Princes Island, Taksim Square proper, and a few areas to walk around in (just to see and feel more of Istanbul - I had accomplished my original goals).  I messaged a few of the group and saw what they were up to.  Josh Anize and Emma were heading to the Bazaar for gifts - I didn't feel like heading back there and James was near by so I recommended lunch in Taksim.  James and I met and headed towards Taksim, I had done some research earlier on restaurants I wanted to try in the area.  The following picture is from the restaurant with James...

It was really just a nice lunch on top of the Marmar hotel at a restaurant called Raika.  The restaurant was relatively empty and had just opened at noon, we were some of the first guests with the ability to choose any seat in the restaurant.  The view was incredible, the picture looks great but imagine the entire floor with glass walls like the picture, it was great.  We enjoyed our lunch (splitting a beef fillet and appetizer).  The beef fillet was around $20 and the champagne was $11 (I wanted a mimosa but they didn't have orange juice for some reason).  The restaurant provided a great atmosphere for good conversation, it just felt nice to sit and chat up there.  Thanks Raika for a great experience.

We continued the conversation on the walk back to the hostel so that James could grab the rest of his stuff before he flew out - he also had an apartment (I'm not the only one that does this! and Josh ended up staying at a friends apartment as well).  James is from San Jose, just a 10 minute drive from my cousin Sophies, I'm pretty sure we will see each other again.

Once I returned to the hostel I attempted to start writing the blog on my phone but got a message from a fellow contiki traveler explaining she had arrived in Istanbul and would like to meet up (I had posted I would show people around that were coming into Istanbul early as I had acquired a lot of knowledge from Deniz the local).  I postponed writing the blog and met up with Reannon from Australia, a smart, driven woman working in corporate retail and also had a degree (everyone had a degree it seemed).  I took her back to the places we had gone the night prior and we enjoyed a great dinner at a local spot.  We ordered things I had the night prior - Turkish Ravioli with yogurt, Chicken and mushroom casserole with cheese on top (I did not eat the mushrooms), and a five plate taster for two - the bill coming to $20 - amazing.  The food was just as good as I remembered it - so delicious.  The waiting staff didn't speak english, we had to write our selections down in turkish from the menu (which was in both english and turkish).  The name of the restaurant was "Tavan Arasi" and was in the same general area as everything the hostel went to off Istiklal Caddesi (the main walking road with millions of people each day walking on it) (see picture below of both the restaurant and street):

the restaurant is difficult to find, is on the top floor and has a small view / open wall with a small breeze.  cozy and simple - great food.  GREAT bread / olive oil.

Istiklal Caddesi

I took Reannon to Balkon, the rooftop bar I arm wrestled at (see picture below) and the place we smoked sheesha at.  Sheesha doesn't taste like smoke, and I don't like smoking but it was fun and I don't think I will do it many times in the future. 

Seif from egypt, Mel from Adelaide, Deniz the local and Josh from Germany, with Istanbul in the background looking south from taksim over the golden horn to where the mosques/bazaar/palace are.

Day 5:

I had been meaning to go to princes island the entire time...  I was waiting for Reannon because she was interested and I thought it would be a good idea, but I got news from work that I needed to take a drug test before I could return.  I spent day 5 talking to numerous people trying to accomplish this - it was rather frustrating the language barrier was definitely difficult.  I got a 5panel drug test but they couldn't do the second half (and more expensive) steroid testing.  Reannon went with to the drug testing facility and we got to see a more business side of Istanbul near Profilo shopping center.  We ran into some english speaking people that helped us on the metro and had a nice little journey.

After the drug test we made our way back to the apartment then the Erbil hotel where Reannon was staying and I checked in for the Contiki tour.  We met her roommate (mine was not there yet) and we went to the number one trip advisor voted restaurant just a few blocks away from the hotel called Old Ottoman.  Rochelle, Reannon, and I had white wine and two of their top dishes.  WOW was it good.  another restaurant added to the top of the top...  Different, but just as good as Ireland (Serendipity) and Berlin (Schweissen(sp?)).  It was an eggplant / almost hamburger tasting dish... that's how I knew it was good I don't even eat eggplant yet I was devouring it because it was so good.  The service was fantastic, and they seemed unimpressed with the fact that we found them on trip advisor - they were legitimately great, they didn't care about rankings it seemed, which added to the authenticity.  All the dishes were clearly home made and the presentation was unique as well.  Reannon took a pic - I am trying to get it as I type.  (EDIT: Got it!)

Once we were done with dinner we went back to the hotel to meet everyone else in the Contiki and our tour guide for our 7pm meeting and dinner.  We had 38 people, and it seemed 30 women or more, it was really quite opposite of my work which is all men and while it seems great I would have appreciated a couple more guys this was really overly one sided.  We went through the introduction and information of the tour - I liked our guide, a nice guy named Ahmet from Turkey.  I tried warning people of the scam that happened to the hostel guys but to no avail it seems Luke had already been scammed in the first day he was here.  The guide said this is normal but I've never seen so many people get scammed, that was four of the few people I had met... a rather large number.  In case I haven't written about the scam it is where an english speaking person pretends to be a tourist and buys a beer for the traveler (all men so far) - even takes them around and shows them sites.  Then he asks for a beer in return and women come out and they charge hundreds of dollars and lock the door.   I was not approached... I like to think it's because I don't look like an easy target - I don't think I would want to talk to anyone anyway, but maybe I just got lucky, who knows.

Dinner was amazing, simple rice and beef dish with soup appetizer.  All of it was really good - the food has just been amazing here and for the most part really really cheap.  They say the prices have doubled, so I wish I could have been here before...  I guess the grass is always greener in some other time or place, I am still happy and appreciate what I experienced here.  Thank you istanbul.

After dinner a group of 11 of us went out, I wanted to show them Istiklal Caddesi and the rooftop bar I loved so much.  We ended up smoking sheesha again because Reannon was hooked, I didn't think I would but I ended up doing it for a third night in a row.  It is just fun, I don't know what it is about it, we chit chatted and split up into two taxis afterwards, I walked back to my apartment alone, and felt safe - finishing the previous blog (Israel > Istanbul 0, 1, 2, 3) and falling asleep around 4am.  

I got my results for the 5panel sometime during the day and emailed my work hoping to get an exception on the steroid test.  It seems there was no exception.  I worked with my host and tried to arrange a urine shipment or steroid test through colleges/hospitals/labs.  No dice.  

Day 6 (18 June 2015, Thursday):

I spent the morning trying to find a drug testing facility in Athens, but having difficulty.  At least athens speaks english more fluently and commonly...  The last option is cutting my vacation short and instead of spending time on greek islands, getting sent to Uganda for a company contracted testing facility.  I emailed them just now saying I think that is the option we have to pursue.  I guess I wanted to see Uganda anyway, however my old boss from A&F just moved to Kenya so I am a little sad I won't have a friend there.

Ok, the blog is finally up to date...  Istanbul has been just so easy to visit, so cheap, so fun, and the people here have been great.  What a great experience.  I'm starving, and going to head to the restaurant we ate at yesterday for the same dish...  Can't wait.

Hoping to meet up with my old boss from Baghdad who works at the embassy here in Turkey for dinner or a quick chat, then meeting the Contiki group to watch some belly dancing at dinner again.  We leave for troy in the morning I think, not sure.  But we leave for somewhere in the morning.

Israel to Istanbul 1, 2, 3

Wow, time has flown...

Last time I wrote I was finishing up in Israel, packing for the airport.  I wanted to get sleep since I had only slept three hours the night prior, but it did not happen.  I talked to Rachel a bit and the blog actually took hours longer than expected.

Three A.M. approached quickly, I got all my stuff, left a bottle of wine for the landlord and met Jack at the hostel.  Jack was always ready and on time, a great quality and much appreciated, thanks Jack.

We took off for the airport and got there way faster than I expected, we followed the signs to rental car drop off but it turned out we had directions that said "do not follow the rental car return signs" - we didn't really figure out why but it took us a bit longer than expected to figure it all out.  No one told me when I rented the car that I had directions in the bundle of papers they give you and that I may want to know not to follow the clear signs that say where to return the rental car...  The actual directions were rather unmarked and very unclear...  Random.

I finally got into the airport and started the process around 4 A.M. - my flight was at 750... The security team had to rush their questions and when they found out my flight was at 750 they relented and let me go through - rushing me past the line and putting me in special screening lines.  I barely made my flight but did get to stop by the VAT Return (tax return) place for about $175 of taxes back on my iPhone purchase.  Everything worked out.

The flight was really empty, and it was a very nice plane- probably the nicest I've been in in a while.  All my flights have been the same company - Turkish air, but this flight was really much higher quality (same price).  I passed out, completely.  I vaguely remember waking up in Istanbul, went through the motions and hopped on a bus to Taksim - the center of the city and near my apartment.

Day 0:
The end of the bus line was Taksim so I knew I was safe sleeping, I woke up when everyone was getting off the bus, around 11:45 which worked out nicely.  The plane ride was only two hours, so backtracking I must have landed around 10 am and the bus ride was probably around an hour and twenty minutes.

My airbnb host said he would meet me on his lunch break at noon.  I grabbed a quick chicken quesadilla at a nice hotel that offered free wifi as soon as I got off the bus to reconnect and let Damir the host know I was near.  I noticed the food was cheap, only $7 at what seemed like an expensive hotel.

I checked into the airbnb apartment and fell asleep for about six hours.  The apartment was nice, 124 stairs to the top with no elevator was unfortunate but truthfully barely noticed it because I only walked up them once a day.  The view was good, the bathroom, bed, laundry machines were all really nice/high quality.  I think I paid $70 a night for a two bedroom centrally located nicely furnished apartment with a view.

Once I woke up I double checked my booking for the hostel, and gave them a call wondering what was going on in the evening - they responded "a pub crawl".  I showered, got dressed and headed over to the hostel to meet the pub crawlers.  Taxi's here I would soon find out are a pain!  50% of the time you get someone you just cannot work with and you end up getting out, paying them or not, and walking...  The other 50% of the time when it works out and they know where you're trying to go, it's really cheap.  Random roll of the dice I guess...  Only one ride was more than $10 and I've been all over town - I think that taxi driver ripped me off.

Once I changed four taxis I finally got a good taxi driver.  He said "25 liras" and I agreed (it's roughly 3 to 1 so that is $8-$9) once I got in he knew exactly what he was doing and sped through traffic like I was a VIP...  I was impressed, thanks for that.  I got to the hostel right on time and met the group I would soon grow quite fond of.

The night went smooth, we checked out a rather empty pub, then went to a half filled bar, ending at a packed club.  The promoter / guide / leader Deniz did a great job.  I was kind of minding my own business but ended up making some good friends that night that stuck together the entire time I was in Istanbul.


DAY 1:

We ended the evening and I woke up at the hostel talking to some roommates.  Thomas, from Vienna was going on the ferry and had all his times set - I had 10 minutes to make a decision whether I wanted to go with him or not (I had not met him yet), I decided to go.

The night prior I had asked someone I trusted to hold onto my phone because I didn't want to lose it, and we got split up, so they still had my phone.  I really didn't want to leave it since I just lost a phone in Israel and it was expensive to replace but I had to make a decision and it was the right one, everything worked out perfectly.  We took a ferry up the bosphorus to the dead sea, hopping off on the asia side and meeting a couple french people randomly.  We walked up to the fortress on the top of the hill and got a great view of the bosphorus opening up to the black sea.  A new bridge was being built - a massive bridge, quite a view.  I have pictures of this but not enough time to post them here.  I will post them on Facebook or in the picture slide / video.

We eventually made our way over to the European side of the Bosphorus in an attempt to go north to see the black sea and dip our feet / go for a swim.  The path we had to take was quite off the beaten path, we ended up taking a bus west/inland to Sariyer and then from there taking a bus north to Kilyos.  Once in Kilyos we walked to the beach, the bus trips and walking through these little cities was really quite nice.  The day couldn't have been better, and we ran into no problems, only nice people and smooth transitions.  We rarely waited more than 30 seconds which was probably just random luck - in fact one ferry even had already departed but then came back just so we could board - how nice.

We purchased entrance to the public beach, it had showers and washrooms, mostly populated by families.  There was an area that had what resembled a cement boat launching area that was much more populated by the younger crowd.  People just laid on whatever was available and free, jumping off the end of the cement "dock" and having a good time.  Later I would see more people laying on rocks in Istanbul/Turkey than I've ever seen anywhere else.

The beach was nothing special.  We checked the block (I didn't have my phone so I don't have pictures).  Thomas went for a swim I just dipped my feet (the water was freezing).  We stood there for a while getting a feel for the beach and he explained the countries on the Black sea - Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Georgia, etc...  Neat little body of water.  There were a lot of large shipping freighters out there, not sure what they were doing.

We left the beach and grabbed a quick schwarma type sandwich from a local shop, heading back to the buses to get back to Istanbul (it was past 3pm - the last ferry time).  We took the same bus back to Sariyer then a local turkish woman around our age spoke perfect english (rare) and told us how to get on the next bus which would take us to the metro.  We arrived at the metro and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the public transportation.  It was real cheap - around $1.50 one way!  The ferry was around $3.50 one way.

The metro was fast, clean, and made perfect sense.  Well built, well ran, couldn't be happier with it.  We arrived at our stop fast, and we were back at the hostel before we knew it.  I grabbed my phone and went back to the apartment to change before the pub crawl that evening, I had made many friends including some air force guys stationed in turkey, two women with college degrees from new zealand, a guy with a masters from san jose working in IT, a guy from germany in school for his phd, - people I genuinely enjoyed being around - how lucky.

The evening went well, we went to a couple new spots and ended up at the same club at the end of the night.  It got way too packed, WAY too packed, people were smothering me, I didn't like it at all and started feeling kind of upset at people so I just left...  It was so packed I couldn't even get to most of my friends to say I was leaving - I just told the people I was near and I decided to head back alone, grabbing some food on the way.  Josh must have had the same idea (the german working on his phd) because after I came out of the potato shop I saw him eating and walking back alone as well.  Apparently everyone pretty much left at the same time, in the same fashion, for the same reasons.

I had ordered meat off of the rotating skewer, put into a pita bread wrap type thing (basically schwarma) but asked them to put cheese and olives in it from the potato bar... They gave me really weird looks but did it.  I thought it was good?

Day 2:
Day two I woke up and met up with Josh and his roommates, the two new zealand women for a guided tour of the Roman chariot racing area, the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and since the Grand Bazaar was not open on sundays, a smaller bazaar in its place.

The girls were not ready so I decided to maximize the time and grab some breakfast.  We met up and walked to the bus stop for transportation from Taksim area to the Hagia Sophia area (not sure what else to call it, but the area south across the Golden horn that has all the sites).  We shared two omelettes on the bus with two forks between four people like we had been family.  It actually worked out well, and we had a good start for the day.  We saw all the sites, took all the pictures (will post them later).

The chariot racing area was neat.  The romans had made it their second capital and transported huge displays from different countries such as egypt to show their power and wealth.  There was a lot of history in that little spot such as the three snake scepter missing the heads made from bronze weapons and shields from the enemy to celebrate victory.  Still standing to this day!

The blue mosque was alright, nothing to write home about.  Women and men alike had to be covered (legs and shoulders), you couldn't wear shoes inside, and it was pretty massive.  There were no ways to cut the line as in mosques they said everyone is equal.  Sounds like a good idea.

Hagia Sophia was much more impressive in my opinion.  It seemed much larger, and much more sturdy.  The guide said even in the huge earthquake the hagia Sophia didn't suffer any damage, not even a crack, while other buildings fell down.  Hard to believe with such a massive, old building.

The bazaar was small and quiet, it seemed like a more personal / private bazaar compared to the massive and kind of crazy grand bazaar with so many people.  We bought some dried fruits and Josh got ripped off haha.  He ended up returning them after some haggling and taking about a $7 loss only.  He said it was quite an experience.

After we finished the guided tour, we were dropped back off at our hostel and Josh and I went to the Sulimaniye Mosque to check out some more sites.  It was very similar to the other two and I see why the tour left it out.  We spent a few minutes there and soaked up some quality quiet time outside relaxing in the courtyard.

After the mosque we went in search of a recommendation from the hostel pub crawl group leader Deniz - a restaurant with a view near the mosque.  On the way we found a really nice looking courtyard restaurant unlike much I've seen before.  It was literally a square with one way in, directly outside the mosque - all outdoors but walls on all sides, quite private (except the open doorway).  We peaked inside and saw quality looking people creating a good environment and kids playing around the fountain in the middle.  The food and furnishing seemed really good quality so we decided to grab at least a snack and a peak at the menu.  The food turned out to be amazing  - Josh and I shared an appetizer and a single entree...  Green beans and I think lamb kebob.  Yum.  It was so good we got a dessert - though I don't remember what it was called it tasted good also.  A really high quality experience and greatly appreciated.  I left a good tip and thanked our waiter who taught me turkish words : Thank you - Tesheku Ederim.  Good bye : Gulee Gulee (or something close).  Very good : Schock Guzel.

Our stomachs somewhat filled, we decided to continue our search for the rooftop recommendation with a view.  Asking for some help from people that didn't speak english we slowly made our way with the help of iPhone maps and navigation.  We ended up visiting three rooftop terraces on the walk back to the hostel - each one getting better and better.  We met a couple people and made some friends in the process with two local guys a little younger than us wanting to go to school in the USA.

We made our way back to the hostel and I went back to the apartment to change.  We made plans to check out the 360 restaurant because I wanted to see if it was affiliated or on par with the 360 in Toronto at the CN tower and the 360 in Dubai.  True to its name it did deliver and was on par, the views were awesome.  A new arrival joined us, Seif, and we had a good time.  I wanted to check out the top rated club before going to bed just to see the view from it (supposed to be great) but when we got there it was clear from the Lamborghinis outside and the people in suits, that we might be a little underdressed (the reviews said it was impossible to get in but we thought we would try).  We asked to see the views but they said we needed women with us (also in the reviews).  A third note about this place, it was in the reviews that they really didn't like tourists either, so we had all that working against us.   The area was really nice though and it was good to see more of istanbul, not a complete waste.  Josh had a birthday party there previously, locals with women, with good clothes, and he said it was not his kind of place, overly high end, to the point of making a statement.  I understood what he meant better once I saw it for myself.

Seif and I took a taxi back to the hostel / apartment area (I forgot to mention josh did not join us, he already was home and it was just Seif and I).  We got some sleep and I woke up around mid morning, maybe 9-10 am.

Day 3:
I hit the ground running.  I didn't have any messages, people seemed to be quiet, so I decided to just take off on my own.  I enjoy having someone with me or tagging along with someone else, but when it's just me I can get to work and not have anyone else to worry about...  I walked for HOURS, probably 5-6 hours of straight walking...  I walked for miles through the south side of the city, from west to east, leading up to the grand Bazaar and the area all around.  Endless shops... endless knock offs... the smell of chinese production, really impressively bad.  Miles of shops with the same stuff, really cheap.

I hit the Grand Bazaar, Egyptian Bazaar (Spice market), Gulene Park, Topkaki Palace, and then got a massage.

The bazaars were huge, I didn't buy anything just checked it out.  A few gold shops, and a lot of stuff I didn't want.  Same with egyptian bazaar/spice market.  Not really anything different than the small bazaar we went to with the tour guide - but much larger and busier.

Gulene park was HUGE, it surrounds the palace.  The park was free to enter and I walked the entirety of the park - ending at a rear entrance to the palace with what looked like Turkish army guards.  I asked them how I get into the palace and they said the other side.  Ouch.  Huge park - and I had to walk all the way to the other side of the huge palace.  Probably a 20 minute walk in itself.  To paint a picture, I was on the north side of the palace walls, walking east until I hit the water and the rear entrance with the guards.  I then turned around, walked away from the water and followed the wall curving west/south until I exited the park and went into the south gate (of two gates) which was for Topkaki palace and the Archaeological museum.  I walked straight past the Arch museum and went into top kaki.  There were not many signs, I was walking ahead of another english speaking solo tourist and everything I did, she did, we kind of laughed at how little instruction there was - trial and error.

Eventually after a couple hours (the palace was huge) I caught a few solid views, and decided the palace was impressive, no doubt, but really quite simple at times too.  It was obviously rich, yet had very plain cement floors and couches I wouldn't even want.  It was weird.  It had 86 karat diamonds and what seemed like endless property / buildings / views that could kill but I just wasn't impressed by anything other than those couple spots in the palace that were about 40 feet high on walls overlooking the water and surrounding city...  Extremely powerful spots...  Other than those spots, I wouldn't even want to live in this "impressive" palace.  I think it might have something to do with muslim culture being basic, and if that's true, I could respect that - but I am unsure/uneducated.

After Topkaki, I saw a nice hotel on the walk home that said Lenvi Spa, and when I saw spa, I thought massage.  I hadn't had a massage in a long time...  And my legs were sore from walking for hours.  I asked if they had availability and they said they could squeeze in a quick half hour session.  I fell asleep - I remember liking the massage but woke up completely alone - weird - I guess the massage was over.  I paid and used their wifi to set up some plans for the evening...  I was trying to bring everyone together again...  In the back of my head I kind of knew everyone was leaving soon - I had all of their contact information and went to work influencing a group gathering because I just genuinely liked all of them.  Everyone made it happen , it was great ... things just fell into place perfectly and as I was finishing up the last of my texts, got out of the shower, walked back to the hotel for the suggested meeting time, everyone else had just finished their day and started gathering naturally at the hostel as well.  The beginning of a perfect night while traveling.......

What a great night.  We smoked Sheesha, ate a traditional and absolutely delicious local turkish dinner, drank their local drink, went to one of my favorite rooftop bars, arm wrestled, and just had a good time.  Everyone was leaving the following day, this was it, we had arrived at about the same time and were departing around the same time, how convenient.

We stayed up pretty late and enjoyed beautiful views the entire time as we sat in the best corner table and talked about our travels etc.  The evening came to a close and I went back to the apartment and fell asleep.  I was kind of sick from the sheesha and local drink (not my favorite).

Israel 5, 6

After my last post I ended up walking across the street and getting Dominoes pizza.  I really like dominoes in the states so I was hoping it would be equally enjoyable here.  They didn't have chicken breast, bacon, or hamburger, so I wasn't going to get my usual with olives.  I got a mix of Pastrami (they said it was thin slices of chicken but google says differently - a language and cultural mixup even though I did make chicken noises, respectfully), pepperoni, pineapple, and sausage (not like american sausage).  It was so good.  There was barely any pizza sauce and the cheese was delicious - it worked out well.  I ate four pieces and then felt terrible so I went for a run.  What a beautiful run!!  Night time running through the park, at 930pm the tennis courts were full and the trail on the river was packed (I think it's a river, it says Nahal HaYarkon - google will tell you Nahal has some meaning to the defense force - I thought Nahal might mean "river" and Yarkon is the name of the park).

I ran over the river and through the woods.  I ended up at a basketball court and had to stop.  This is actually a compliment and politically correct: those jews could play.  I now know how massively out of shape I am.  I've been talking about it, I know, but basketball is a good measure for me since I have played for so long...  I was about 60% and we lost both games.  I had opportunities to win them but I just didn't do well, it always bums me out when I could have won the game and my team could have had more fun / kept playing.  The guys on my team were extremely nice, a lot of the people here are very nice, it's easily spotted and felt.  I had discussions about it, surely I thought there were some deterrents such as major punishments or something, but then I thought people face life in prison in the USA but they still kill people or themselves.  It might be something else.  Women walk by themselves late at night here, unafraid it seems.  It makes me feel comfortable, the city feels safe.

I gave some info to a guy on my team that was going to San Francisco for his honeymoon (road tripping through California), and congratulated the other guy on his newborn son.  He was 38 and had his first kid, which of course made me feel very comfortable to talk to him about having kids later in life.  I've always thought I would have kids by now but it just didn't work out that way.  After the games we parted ways and that was that, see you when I see you.  If I was staying I am sure I would have exchanged contact information but I was leaving in just a couple days.  I ran back to the house to get showered up and ready for bed.  Once I got back to WiFi I had decided to grab a taxi and meet a friend for a quick beer while also checking out some of the city at night.  I ended up forgetting my phone in the taxi, and spending a lot of time trying to track it down.

The phone was gone.  I could not track down how to find it or where it was.  I wasn't 100% sure it was in the taxi or if it had fallen out...  I had to face a decision of how to get a new one, when, and where.  The tour was also pushed back to the 14th and while I got a refund I can't say I was very excited to hear that, what a bummer...  So there I was thinking of whether or not I even needed a phone and looking up prices via craigslist and the iDigital store (their authorized Apple dealer).  I went to bed at some point and slept in, I needed some sleep.  Back to finding a phone.

I thought it through, my phone was three years old, buttons weren't working and it was 16gb - I ran out of memory from photos all the time which was annoying.  Long story short I needed a phone anyway at some point, I wanted to upgrade, and I was traveling so an iPad wasn't easy to carry around everywhere.  I did the conversions and I would pay an extra $300-400 here but I would have it right away and didn't have to deal with worrying if it was a real iPhone or not if I bought from the authorized dealer and paid a little extra.  I looked up the location of the store and went to the mall, I got the 64gb iPhone 6Plus and called it a day.

Leaving the mall, or Dizengoff Center to be exact, I saw an American Eagle and have been looking for some shorts - might as well take advantage of the coincidence.  I went in to see the prices expecting them to be higher abroad, they were cheaper than I thought they would be.

After grabbing some shorts I asked for a local family owned Israeli restaurant for some traditional food, I had heard about Abu Hassan's famous hummus but I just wanted something small and not famous, low key.  The restaurant I found was a short walk from the mall and I was very happy with the quality and kindness extended from the waitress.  She was older, but so nice, spoke great english, and knew exactly what I was trying to order even though I simply expressed I wanted local food.  I got my hummus with chick peas and freshly baked bread, it came with some pickle looking veggies, some veggies I was unfamiliar with, falafel, an onion, and a fork.  I asked how to eat it and she said if I'm like a local I break a slice off the onion and scoop out the peas and hummus with it.  Reluctantly I tried it (yes mom I ate large chunks of onion, I know, crazy) - surprisingly I really didn't taste the onion.  I didn't finish the onion either... not my cup of tea but not horrible.   I tried to take a picture but my phone would not let me since it was brand new and I didn't have my sim or WIFI (both at the house).  It was all vegetarian, no meat, which is unusual for me and she said welcome to Israel and told me it is normal after the meal to drink coffee and tea...  I said I do not drink coffee or tea, and she was curious why not, I said I thought it would be addictive and bad for me.  She said we all do things that will kill us, and all the locals drink tea or coffee.  Makes sense, she was very comfortable to talk to and very kindhearted.  When I was leaving I told her to put service on the card and she refused, she said: "No tip, enjoy Israel."

I drove back to the apartment and started setting up my iPhone.  I got a text from a friend I had made locally (Ilon) who said he was meeting some friends at "secret Garden" (sp?), a local hidden gem - how could I not go.  I took another taxi (half tempted to leave my phone at home) and met him in what I consider the center of the beach between Jaffa and Old Port.  We walked through the old city and he explained some of the history, really doing a good job explaining things.  He seemed like a truly quality person who was also into Eckhart Tolle, a recurring name lately between my friends and an author of a book I'm reading about enlightenment.  We walked through some pretty areas and I said I had not seen this before, it was really nice - he said it used to be very run down and the conditions have improved.  It was an old abandoned train station, the first in Tel Aviv (you could see the old tracks).  We walked by some of the places he was looking to open up a business and ended up at the secret garden, or whatever it was called.  It turned out to be a nice, very relaxed outdoor bar similar to what I would expect in California.  We met a lot of his friends and had a good time.  We ended up calling it a night and I woke up early for my trip to Haifa, Nazareth and Tiberius.

Thursday June 11th
Hitting snooze a few times I woke up to Jack texting me saying he was close by (coming from Jerusalem).  I had added two females that wanted to go with us from the hostel and everyone was up and ready to go.  I got ready and met them at the hostel - with two tickets on my car.  Parking here is horrible, and I don't know how to pay for street parking.  I took my chances and didn't think it was possible to get two tickets without moving...  Wrong.  They were politely set right next to each other, thanks, I now had three.  They were the same price as the parking lot unfortunately so it isn't the end of the world.  Parking is just expensive here, I'm not sure I would do it again - I might just take the tours, it's really 50/50 because I did have a good time driving, the few days I drove.  Once at the hostel I used the WiFi to contact my Uncle Fred's family who are near nazareth.  Doris, my Aunt, had said if the mom answers be patient she didn't speak english, and to ask for the brothers.  I tried, however only the mom was home and I told her I would try to call back earlier.

It was my first time meeting the two people from the hostel that had responded to my offer of opening up seats to anyone who wanted to go with.  One was Haley, someone from San Fran coincidentally, and the other was my old roommate Jess from London.  We all introduced ourselves and headed to Haifa, I was excited to see the garden there from the Pictures.

What a great, simple day.  We walked and drove through Haifa, Nazareth and Tiberius, eventually ending up at Mount Arbel for some incredible views.  Ilon had recommended to grab Schwarma in Haifa and he was SPOT on, that was delicious!  We got all our pictures in, and we had a really good conversation about some personal stuff.  There is something about traveling that makes sharing things easy, you are in a learning environment and with like minded people - truly a good thing to find when traveling alone.  I felt very good about the people I was traveling with.  They were significantly younger at 23, 20, and 19 though well educated and well traveled already.  I had also met some women from Harvard a few nights earlier, and MIT.  There were some healthy discussions and I was happy for the exposure to different people in general on this Israel trip.  I was sad I was not able to see Fred's family, but the day was moving very quickly and I had no way of contacting them without taking a lot of time to find WiFi.  I wish I would have been able to coordinate with them before I left when I was on steady WiFi.  Perhaps I will be back.

Israel was great.  It quickly became expensive even though it really seemed quite affordable at first.  Everyone said it was expensive, but it wasn't obviously expensive, it was subtly expensive.  Parking, occasional drinks, laundry, nice restaurants, gas, insurance, the new phone, and clothes.

I am currently sitting in the apartment writing emails to the different people for Istanbul, this apartment, friends back home and abroad, as well as this blog.  I will include a picture of Mount Arbel and maybe some day you can ask me about a story of an upset park ranger.  If you notice in the pictures no one else is around, it's just us.  Surely a bad sign.  I'm still not fully sure all the rules we broke because I don't read hebrew and the only english speaking guy just kept saying he was going to fine us $400.  But I know after the fact, that he had to close the gate and our car was there for an extra 40 minutes.

In closing at this moment, I am thinking back on Israel but also still have Africa on my mind.  I think Africa may have made a bigger impact on me than just the poor nutrition.  Going to get ready for my flight and take a nap.

 A picture of me trying to pose for a picture on a rock.

A picture I snagged of Jack.  I would like to come back here some day.

 At the gardens in Haifa

Snagged this photo.  Actually reminded me a little of Duluth / Lake Superior.

Israel 2, 3, 4

I have been quite busy on my trip in Israel, each day I had a big trip planned whether with a tour company or driving myself.  I also wanted to go to the beach and relax as well...

My first evening in Tel Aviv was spent with a hostel which was very fun.  They took us around as a group of 20+, showing us the coffee/bar Cofix where you can get coffee for a dollar and a beer for a dollar.  We went to a sort of night club where you had to be 25 for men and 23 for women, the legal drinking age is 18 but for whatever reason there are age restrictions for each establishment here.

The following morning (Sunday) I had a Jerusalem tour booked, however there was some kind of error and the company asked if I could do it another day, the only day I had free was Tuesday (today) and that's when I rescheduled it.  I ended up going to the beach all day on Sunday and swam in the Mediterranean - very warm and nice beaches, it was an enjoyable day and much needed.

Sunday evening I decided to check out a restaurant I found online, supposedly the #1 restaurant in Tel Aviv.  It took some time to figure out the maps because everything is in Hebrew, the name of the restaurant was "Hatraklin Bistro Meat and Wine" address: Heichal Hatalmud 4 (pronounced with a lot of Hebrew accent).  I have not learned any Hebrew except Schalom - meaning hello, and an annoying word "Ken" which I kept hearing everywhere I went and looking around...  It turns out my name means "yes" in their language...  Great.  I hear it all the time.  It's like being named Yes in America.

It seemed like more than half the restaurants on the top twenty were seafood, pasta, or beer gardens.  Hatraklin was not only number one on the list but the one I wanted to try the most (convenient).   Upon arrival I thought I was at the wrong place, the picture below will likely verify why.

From first greeting, the customer service was perfect.  They were very polite and anything I needed they were there, otherwise they left me alone and did not over service, or bother me.  I couldn't have asked for a better meal.  I'm not sure exactly what appetizer I had, but it was delicious.  Even the bread and butter was uniquely delicious.  I had a ribeye for around $40 and it was the best $40 ribeye I have ever had, all ingredients local, aged, and they said the meat comes from a cow that had their first baby (not sure what that means).  The wine was superb, local, and the dessert was really what got me.  I asked for the Vanilla Malabie but he recommended the home made salted chocolates with nuts.  He said they were like a home made snicker bar, which sold me.  When the dessert was brought out he brought out the Vanilla Malabie as well and said on the house, in case I liked it.  Hands down objectively speaking, the snickers bar was better I must agree, however the Vanilla Malabie was the best thing I've ever had- a combination of vanilla pudding, mocchi flavor, whip cream and Panna Cotta (all my favorites) resulting in a not too sweet, extremely delicious dessert with perfect consistency.  It was exactly what I wanted and I didn't even know it existed until I had it.  The waiter said it was not like the normal malabie made in the middle east, they had "made it better".  I am interested in trying more Malabie, and should probably google what it's made out of.

After dinner I was too tired to do anything - and too full.  I went to bed early and woke up early to do an all day Dead Sea trip + Masada with Jack (a junior in college I roomed with in the hostel).  

Monday morning I hit snooze several times and eventually made my way to Jerusalem.  It was very surreal driving through the hills.  I didn't expect Israel to look the way it did, now I know it has a lot more vegetation in some parts than I expected and looks a lot like blends of the Dakotas, and the South West of America.  The dead sea was a blast, Jack and I swam way out in the middle, much further than I would normally swim in a lake or sea, and we just floated.  It looked like we were standing up in the middle and there was no fear of anything biting us, we both agreed nothing could live in the dead sea due to how salty it was.  I tried the salt water by dabbing my tongue in it a couple times it was horrible.  The consistency was like oil but perfectly clear when you held it in your hand.  It was very warm and comfortable, I enjoyed it a lot - just floating without effort for an hour or two (there was no time limit).  

We finished up the Dead Sea trip with some mud caked all over us and went back to the road for Masada.  We made it just in time (Masada closes at 5pm) for the last cable car to the top, we watched the video and checked out the views.  All in all masada wasn't too impressive other than the dramatic video explaining how the Rebels all killed themselves rather than letting their kids and wives be taken as slaves, literal definition of live free or die.

While driving out of the parking garage the attendant told us we had a flat tire, so we put on a donut and drove around 80-100 kph the rest of the way back to Jerusalem.  I tried contacting my insurance company but it was very difficult and they said in the end they don't cover tires (first time that's ever happened).  I drove back to Tel Aviv at around 10pm after grabbing a beer and a burger with Jack in Jerusalem.  The views were very pretty in Jerusalem at night.  It has a hilly setting similar to San Francisco, but with an ancient appeal to it as if they've been there for thousands of years....  Which they have.

Tuesday was a boring day, I decided to sleep in for once and get the car tire fixed.  I did laundry at a local laundry mat and checked out the Azrieli Shopping Center (a type of mall).  I grabbed a food court burger and walked what I think is the entirety of the mall without finding one good place to buy some khaki pants and a shirt, or some ice cream.  How disappointing.  Right now I am debating what I want to do for the evening and tomorrow I have the Wine Tour with pickup and guide.  There are supposed to be three of us and the tour is called "Judean Hills Boutique Wine Tour".  I am excited to get some history and views while trying wine from a region that has been making wine for thousands of years.  

Here is one of my favorite pics so far of the israel trip of me overlooking the dead sea.

Israel, Day Zero to day .5

I arrived late - my plane kept getting delayed and even had a fire truck waiting for it when it landed.  There was no information offered to us.  It was Friday and there was some kind of holiday on Friday so no other planes were landing and the Airport was empty for the most part.

I got stopped by the customs lady who had no sense of humor and took her job quite seriously.  She said they had some questions to ask about my Iraq visas.  I was met by another man after a 30 minute wait who said "prove to me your story" - "I want to feel it".  I actually thought this guy was kind of funny but I didn't dare laugh because he kept using the words "or I will send you back to where you came from" quite loosely.  I had heard about this before but never thought I would have to prove my story and make someone "feel it".

We turn in our badges when we leave, I left my work credentials in my bag on base, and I don't carry anything about work with me other than my passport because I have to have it.   I found some things on my iPad I had used for work and pro accounts that he was satisfied with, he asked me several questions and questions about my answers, he was very proficient and knew what he was doing.  After I answered his questions without hesitation, he let me go through.

An hour after the security stop, I was at the car rental company.  The internet was not really working and I couldn't pull up my email from the car company which I had saved in my predownloaded travel folder...  Murphy's law I guess, every email worked except that one.  The guy at the first counter let me connect to his hotspot and it pulled up my car information - Avis.  The avis desk was empty and after a five minute wait a man appeared.  I had to have insurance - he said full coverage for a week was $400 and basic (comprehensive) was $300.  I sighed heavily because I already have car insurance but it doesn't work here.  I always get full coverage anyway so that wasn't the question - I just don't like paying $400 for a week of car insurance I feel like that is ridiculous.  Once I requested full coverage I asked what the total was going to be, and he laughed and said $400.  I was a bit confused but he reassured me the total price was the quote, not for just insurance like I had thought.  This made me much happier and the people in line behind me laughed as they followed along, clearly the english barrier led to an error on his side of identifying the total vs insurance prices - but I was relieved to learn I was not paying $400 for insurance alone.

I got in the car and drove around, happy to be on the correct (right) side of the road, unlike london, I quickly realized most signs were in hebrew...  Things were a little confusing but I had preloaded directions on my phone and navigation was working so I had no trouble finding my apartment.

Thankfully the person with the keys was very kind and still up at 0400 in the morning after I arrived (the plane and airports took forever, each plane was delayed more than an hour and the security/car rental took hours).  I entered the apartment caught up on emails and texts and immediately went to get some food, I was starving.  Walking a short distance around the corner from the apartment it was clear I was in a good area, people were still out and about and as far as I could tell all spoke english and were very nice to me.  I could get to like this place.

One thing I noticed was the area had a lot of cats walking around at night, which was random but stuck out.  The pizza and beer I got were delicious, for four in the morning I couldn't ask for more.  I ate my food and caught a few smiles from women when I ordered my food because I assume they heard me speaking english, a welcome change as some places I've been don't like english as much, or even if they do, they don't always show it.  In fact some places want to kill us...  It is nice to be in a friendly place, so far.

I went back to the apartment, brushed my teeth, then passed out, fast.  I woke up lazily about six to seven hours later deciding to stop thinking and go for a run.  I wanted to do a quick little run with some pushups but once I started on the boardwalk I just kept running like Forrest Gump.  The result was about five miles later in Jaffa I felt like I was going to die, it was noon now and I hadn't drank water in over 12 hours, what was I thinking (ps I am in horrible shape from the food in Africa).  I walked around old Jaffa for a bit and took in the sights/culture, I was starting to feel the beginnings of heat cramps and heat injury.  I looked around for water but wasn't so bad that I had to ask a restaurant.  I like to think I have an image to represent when traveling to foreign countries and I want to keep the American image strong - we can take care of ourselves and know our limits, we don't go around begging for water the first time we get thirsty.  I've done this before, I'll live, I don't need handouts and I can last longer than most people on earth.  (In my mind anyway).  I will admit this was further than I wanted to push myself, I still had at least four miles back and the sun was just getting stronger.

Yes my watch confirmed it, exactly 9 miles when I stopped the gps.  Starting at 1130am.

I finished the walk through Jaffa getting some good scenery in - I will have to go back in the rental car and take a picture of some benches overlooking Tel Aviv near the old church or whatever it is on top of Jaffa (the picture everyone posts of Jaffa).

The rest of the way back I did a slow jog (9-10 minute pace to be exact) and it was painful, I was pushing my limits and pacing myself appropriately, estimating the temperature and my reserve energy left.  It feels good knowing what you're capable of.  By the end of the run I had timed it perfectly and was out of gas and energy, it's been a long time since I've felt this way... there is no need to push yourself this hard unless you randomly decide to keep running at noon in Tel Aviv...  but I suppose I knew I could so I did.

Now I am back at the apartment downing water, taking my malaria meds, typing this up and cooling down in AC.  I am about to hop in the shower or get some food, not sure which order, and then head to a hostel to see what tours/group activities I can get into.  Hostels have a large amount of traveling on a budget information too valuable to pass up.

I think I'm really going to like Israel.  I already really like it.  Great vibe, great history, very good looking women, good food, good quality about it, and not many downsides so far.  We'll see.  

Africa > Paris Pit Stop

Departing Africa was quite simple, we left our work area and arrived at the airport in a ten to fifteen minute drive.  The airport has one interesting fact about it, the refugee camp is right next to it... It being the main airport in the capital of the country, a coworker said that is probably not the best image when arriving so it is of significance.  Once at the airport we took a right before security and were ushered into a room.  The lady was younger (20?) and attractive, she seemed to be telling me a massage was this way...  I hesitated and looked for my group...  I didn't see them down the hall to the left and it was long enough to where I figured if they went that way I would have seen them.  I half hesitantly took the right and went with the young lady, again, half suspicious - but for no reason, a few steps and a left turned into the vip room where we paid ten dollars (US) for entrance.  In the VIP room was just a few seats, maybe enough for 40 people.  They had beer and basic alcohols (one of each, vodka, whiskey, gin, etc... basic "well" drinks such as Johnny Walker Red Label) I think it was unlimited but I'm not sure, I did not partake.  The beer was called Castel, I took a picture of one.

We went through security and they took all my bandaids...  Very strange.  When I protested she took a bandaid out and held it to my mouth, I assume saying "I could gag someone with it..." - yeah ok...   She also tried taking my beard trimming scissors and tweezers, again, I assume for her personal use.  I used some distraction techniques and stole back my diamond coated tweezers (ok they might not be diamond coated but they are awesome) without her noticing... there was no way I was giving those up.  I realized each of the items in my shave kit had been acquired in multiple countries around the world and replaced if not exactly what I wanted.  I don't know where I got them anymore and I don't want to have to replace them - I like them all.  Those bandaids were the perfect kind, strong enough to last days even in water - I really enjoy buying things that fit the needs I have and often I find lesser quality or things for people less active than myself or just poorly made things...

Finally we get through security and we have another checkpoint.  This time the guy takes my lighters.  When I protest he gives me one back and says "One for me, one for you" with a wink.  I was flabbergasted and surprised at the concept of what just happened.  So basically he literally admitted it's ok for me to have them, he just wants one and he's the boss.  I looked around real quick at my surroundings, no one cared and I assumed he could probably do worse.  I thought, welcome to Africa, rookie.   Some of the other guys told horror stories of Afghanistan, and in the middle of a story our boss walked up and heard just a few words about really bad airports, immediately stating with confidence, "Afghanistan", suggesting he knew what they were talking about with only a few words about bad airports.  I said I haven't been there (and thought to myself, I don't ever want to go).  The idea of Iraq with snow and mountains never appealed to me (if I had a choice).

Once past security we boarded a bus and it took us to our plane.  Each place we went, african locals were cutting in-between us.  I kind of thought to myself, if some white people (the only white people in the airport) are together, doesn't it just make sense to let them stay together instead of cutting between them?  I haven't figured out the way or thoughts of every culture in the world yet.  The people I've been working with in Africa are really kind people.  They seem to accept the place they are at very well and go about their day fairly positively, each day, even though I think their conditions are quite unacceptable.  I learn from them each day that I can be kind even in austere and opressive conditions.  In the end I am continuing to learn I just want to be kind, and it seems one way or another, as much as I fight it, I will continue to come back to kindness and patience as priorities in my personality - I think I was born with it, or maybe it's Maybelline.

On the plane I fell asleep pretty quickly and it was a short, uneventful trip to Morocco.  Morocco had no internet and we got some basic food.  I had a chocolate croissant, ice cream, and some pistachios, only the ice cream was satisfying.  Jack said the yogurt was surprisingly sweet, and maybe up there with the best he's ever had.  I will try that next time, I already had enough sugar.

Arriving in Paris was fairly quick, just three hours from morocco.  I sat next to a guy reading a hebrew book and made conversation about my trip to Israel in a few days.  He happened to be with the mayor of the fifth largest city in Israel, and gave me his email to look him up for a music festival occurring while I am visiting.  I was very impressed with their kindness and how high quality of an interaction it felt like.  We arrived to Paris quite late (2230) and as we were checking into the Sheraton at Charles De Gaul Airport, the restaurant closed (2300).  We were left with limited choices for room service (many salads and one meat), and no alternatives besides a thirty minute and sixty dollar cab ride to paris.    I was half tempted to go, however decided not to.  Instead I had "penne" which turned out to be penne pasta with meatballs on top, the only option with meat, and called it a night.  I slept VERY well, and began my journey into paris in the morning.

Trying to get to Paris proper from CDG airport was a slight pain, my master card didn't work - they only accepted a specific euro master card for the automated ticket machines or coins.  The coin machines were out of service and the bank didn't give change which I had to double check because in plain view was a tray of coins!  The lady said confidently they did not give change.  It made no sense but I went on my merry way.  I went to the ticket counter and waited in line.  The line went quick and I bought two tickets, there and back.  It was very much like BART, and ten euro's each direction on separate tickets.  The train I took was RER B.

The train ride was a direct shot to Gare Du Nord, where I walked a pleasant two blocks to my hostel: St Christopher's Inn.  St Christopher's is a top notch hostel company I've gained trust in and it delivered yet again.  Though I was too early for check in, the hostel had lockers and I purchased a ride on the Big Bus Tour.  The lady told me the walk to the bus stop was a pleasant 15 minutes down Rue de Lafayette.  I said "so I should take a taxi?" and she laughed and said "No, walk, it's pleasant!" convincingly..........  I should have taken a taxi I sweat so much......  But I did get to see a lot and stop in the Apple store to check out the new watch so maybe it was ok.  I walked to "Opera Garnier" which reminded me of Phanton of the Opera with shampoo...  I eventually found the Opera Garner intersection/square whatever you want to call it but had no idea where in this massive open area the bus stop was.  I ended up catching a bus on the move in traffic and he let me in. I never found the bus stop - it must have been prior to my embarkation.

The big bus tour took me to more than I wanted to see, and I didn't have enough time.  I finished only a quarter of the tour, stopping at the Arc de Triumph (a quick 30 minute detour - BEAUTIFUL) and Eiffel Tower (hours, and hours, and not much more beautiful than the arc, but a lot taller).  I went to the very top of both, I think the Arc was around ten euro and the tower was around 15 euro - relatively cheap compared to Dubai's Khalifa ($100 ish).  The lines were horrendous !!!  It made me want to pay $100 if I could have the quality of the Burj and less crowds/waiting.  When I finally arrived at the top after changing elevators and waiting in I don't know how many lines, I only had a few minutes to snap pictures and head down so I could make it to dinner.  While in line I made friends with a family from Stuttgart.  Also when I checked in to the hotel a guy was coming from Stuttgart.  I wondered how big Stuttgart was?  My friend Lane is stationed there and I'm supposed to visit it eventually.

I arrived to dinner via taxi, a few minutes late.  Taxi's in Paris are difficult and expensive.  Each fair was no less than $10 for a short trip and more than $20 if I spent any time in the taxi.  They say paris isn't big but it seemed big.  I went all over and only saw three to four, maybe more, of their "arrangements" (they have 20 districts, called arrangements apparently).  I wanted to see the sunset at the Eiffel around 630pm but the sun was no where near setting.  I thought it a little odd.  In africa (similar time zone) it gets dark at 630pm.

Dinner was fantastic.  It was great spending time with Rachel's mom.  We went on a cruise down the river afterwards and it was late by the time I made it back to the hostel.  I had a few drinks, talked to Rachel, and went to sleep.

The following morning I had a great conversation with my Roommate Cole from north bay.  I added her on Facebook and took off to the airport.

At the airport in Paris, I just can't understand why the food is only ham and cheese sandwiches...  I am reminded often about things I truly enjoy about America.  Sometimes things remind me, other countries have everything that America has, they even do some things better, and some things remind me, America is my favorite, hands down.  The things that other countries do better, I appreciate, however, they just aren't quantifiably worth all the things that you lose.  Walmart, as bad as it is, is my case in point.  Something we may not necessarily view as a great thing, is awesome.  The airport food is so plentiful and amazing, it almost makes the experience enjoyable at times, certainly I am able to count on getting a decent meal (not great, and certainly pricy, but decent none the less) if I am in a hurry and want to save time eating during the unavoidable wait for the plane.

Now I am boarding to Israel, I am excited.