At 6.10am local time our overnight flight from Jo'Berg to Istanbul landed dropping off two very weary travellers. While there are no complaints with the service provided by Turkish Airways, there is no way in economy you can really enjoy 9 and a half hours on a plane when you know you should be sleeping but simply cannot. The only thing that kept us going was the excitement that we had arrived in a dream location. Our stay in Istanbul was not to disappoint.
You are greeted in the country by 2 things - the bustling organised chaos of a city that is home to more people than live in our entire country and the constant haze of cigarette smoke. I say neither of these things to put off future travellers or as a knock, they are just small facts that are part of the make up of this hectic and amazing city. People are everywhere, cars fight for millimetres of space and 90% of the population enjoy a packet of darts a day. We were also greeted by and not prepared for leaving a Southern Hemisphere summer and being welcomed by Eastern European winter!
Our home - and I really do mean home this time - for the past 11 nights was an apartment building in Sultanahmet in the heart of the old city. I have made a promise not to fill this blog with advertisements for local establishments however if ever in this city, make sure you jump on Airbnb and look up Cube Suites. I cannot promise you will have the experiences we had (more on this later) but if you are open to meeting the staff there the chances are you will go away with a heavy heart saying goodbye to some amazing people. Yusef and Erol run and manage the accommodation. They are there 24/7 between them fussing over your every need, pouring coffee and tea at will and never short of a recommendation on what to and not to see.
Unfortunately the tourism took a bit of a back seat for the first few days. While firstly needing to recover from the transit, I also had an issue that needed attending which had been placed on the back burner for a good two years. An already pretty damaged tooth broke into 3 pieces while finishing off the Africa leg. No longer able to put the pain to the back of my mind but unwilling to contract HIV in Africa, the American Hospital in Istanbul was paid a visit. I was very brave and a very big boy. The tooth was removed with minimal fuss and the stitches come out tomorrow. A few days of soup, icy poles and loving attention had me raring to eat a few days later.
Yusuf over a morning coffee (the Turkish breakfast of champions) randomly asked what Kate and I were doing one evening. The next thing the 3 of us plus his hilarious cousin Bayram are being treated to a night of Turkish singing, eating and drinking. We do not understand a word the band played but the skills and passion the songs were performed with was so amazing to watch. Raki - the local drink comparable to Ouzo - flowed and as standard I underestimated the power of such a strong drink not helped by my over excitement at being out. It was such a fun and funny night that lead to the drunken invite to Yusuf's beach house Saturday night to repeat the dose! Luckily there was no awkwardness the next morning and the plans were laid for what would be a fantastic night.
The local tourist sites were all hit up during our stay. The Sultanahmet and Süleymaniye mosques were breathtaking and you could feel the power of faith and belief. At the much less touristy but far more impressing Süleymaniye we were actually invited to observe prayer time which was an interesting experience. You can't help but feel a little awkward but I am glad we were invited. Upon departure an English copy of the Quran was handed to us. I'm not sure if it's something I'll read right away (as I'm still going with my Harry Potter books) but it is something I do intend to look at when the time is right. The Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market are interesting but not life changing experiences by any means. We were able to do some cheap shopping and purchase some gifts for some lucky people - which included yet another suitcase as we have purchased so much along the way - but there is nothing to write home about there.
What Turkey offers above all else is hospitality. Everyone is so very nice you are taken aback as you assume they want something from you. Once you let the guard down and start to trust you will find some of the warmest people on earth. All they want to do is share a story and a coffee or tea. Forget all misconceptions you have about this land - it is safe, it is clean and it is as welcoming as anywhere on earth. And the food.........words escape me when trying to explain the smells and the pure joy from eating the meat, dips and bread here. All my hard work losing a few kgs has gone down the drain but it is impossible to resist.
Saturday night at the beach house was one of the most enjoyable nights I can ever remember. I have already mentioned this on a social media post but Yusuf's cooking (aided or hindered by my assistance I am not sure) was to die for. Lamb legs, hearts, kidneys, livers and meatballs accompanied with salads and dips I didn't know could melt in your mouth so easily were picked at for over 4 hours as we ate and learned about each other's cultures. We touched on the big three - sex, religion and politics - but it was done with respect and honesty. Bayram has lived a life that I know a few of the boys back home would be very jealous to hear about! Again we sat up putting away shot after shot of Raki which would be regretted in the morning, but I will forever be grateful for the experience - a real tourism experience that rivals any site or monument in existence.
To Yusef, Erol and Bayram - you are three of the most sincere and generous people I have met while travelling. I cannot put into words how much Kate and I have grown to love you guys and I pray (to Allah and to God) that you make your way to Australia where you will have a second home. We also promise that at 5am every morning the last thing you will hear is 36 mosques in the surrounding area giving you the friendly but very loud Muslim wake up call :)
Tonight our Intrepid Tour starts that sees us travel this beautiful nation for 18 more days. At 6pm we head down stairs from our new hotel near the harbour area and meet the tour leader and our fellow tourists. The highlights read like a lonely planet guide of the must do things of Turkey and we are beyond excited. I again cannot promise connectivity every day of the trip, but I do promise a rather large blog / diary detailing our journey (I will most likely break it up into 2 halves this time tho). We can only hope the crew we meet are as fun and beautiful as our African family!
Until next time, Mighty out...
