Istanbul in Style

The bus got into Istanbul at around 8am on the 13th. I've decided that traveling by bus is the way to go. It is very comfortable, you get breaks unlike on a plane, and it is a great way to see the countryside. So anyways i got a bus from the station back into the sultanhamet area. Before in Istanbul I had found a cool little hostel that seemed like a backpackers hangout, unfortunately it was full then. I headed there now and since it was nice and early I was able to get a bed on the roof top. They have a small little covered roof top with about 20 beds up there. It is a little tight but all I really need is a bed and its a really good price. I relaxed here for a bit and took a short nap. When I got up I headed out on foot to the Beyoglu area. Istanbul has three areas that are divided by the Bosporus and the Golden Horn that branches off of the Bosporus. So the three areas are the Sultanhamet, which has the blue mosque and is very touristy, Beyoglu is across the golden horn and is the central hub for modern Istanbul, and then across the Bosporus is the asian side, which is more residential. So I just walked for about 3 hours all around Beyoglu. They have a main road there that had the first public tram running on it. It is somewhat like boston's Newbury street, very tending with lots of cool shops and places to eat. After my self led walking tour, I settled in at one of the tables outside the hostel and tried to get it touch with Zummerut. Zummerut is the girlfriend of a very good friend of mine from home named Carlos. After wrestling with my phone and dialing her number about 100 different ways I finally got in touch with her. She agreed to meet up with me the next day and show me around. I also got a call from my cousin Paul and we worked out the final logistics, very excited to have him traveling with me. The rest of the night I just sort of hung out at that table and talked with various other travelers about turkey and American politics. I ended up having a very long conversation with a missionary from Suriname. How I did not offend him during that conversation I do not know, but we went to get some dinner together and decided to do some touristy things together the next day.

The next day Matt and I headed out, sinner and saint. We saw the basilica cistern, an under ground pool essentially, and an obelisk that was brought here from Egypt in the 5th century. Feeling a little tired we went for a nice Turkish lunch of Kofte (meatballs) and some traditional desert which i forget the name  of. After lunch we met up with Zumrut in front of the blue mosque. Thank god for cell phones because i definitely did not recognizer her, and with this manly mug how could she possibly recognize me. Our first stop was the Dolmabache Palace. Filled with ornate objects and over the top decorations this opulent palace was a good indicator of the wealth the Turkish sultans commanded. Next we hoped from one drinking establishment to the next on a tour of the local hot spots. Zumrut promised Matt and I the perfect view, and she came through on her word when she took us to the top of the swiss hotel for a drink. There where amazing 360 degree views of Istanbul and the Sultanhamet. Next we went for dinner at a scenic little water front restaurant. I do not know what Zumrut told the waiter but he just kept brining one appetizer after another for us to try. Feeling very full it was finally time for the main course of fish. For a non seafood lover it was all very good. Zumrut also insisted on paying for everything, and at this point Matt and I had racked up a pretty big bill. Matt was feeling a little tired so he decided to head home, while Zumrut and I met up with her friend and headed out to a, as she put it, very funny club. When we got there I noticed something was a little off, I don't know if it was the fat man in the green dress with the fake boobs that first tipped me off, but it was somewhere shortly after that. It was actually a very trendy night club and the "transvestites" harassing all the men made it quite fun to watch. If this wasn't enough, they also had little shows every half hour that included fire wielding women and transvestite sing along. I could not have asked for a better tour guide, Zumrut really painted the town red for us.

On the 15th Paul's plane was scheduled to arrive. In the morning I made a quick trip with Matt up to Suleiman's mosque, very impressive, and then hightailed it back to meet up with Paul. I told Paul to meet me in a park right outside the Metro station. When I got there and saw the crowds moving through I figured I had made a huge mistake, but we met up without incident. Together at least we headed out to once again meet Zumrut for another night on the town. This night she had made reservations for us at a hotel on a little man made island in the middle of the Bosporus. It was a very classy joint with a live band playing everything from Latin music to Aretha Franklin. The meal was fantastic and the company even better.