Anyhow, there needs to be both with me, I realize. Because I tried to scribble stuff down on my scrap paper I carried around with me, but I know I've forgotten stuff that didn't make it onto paper, or into the blog. Very aggravating.
What follows are the few random things I encountered on the trip, to the best of my recollection.
- I had a layover in JFK on my way to Istanbul, and I opted out of eating at Chili's because that very restaurant is where my buddy Jay had a cockroach in his hamburger. Really. So I just bought something packaged instead.
- The scooters delivering Burger King were pretty sweet. Maybe we should do something like that in the States. Maybe it is already being done in places (I haven't seen it). And speaking of Burger King, from they way Uğur talked, it seemed more popular than McDonald's over there. But I didn't bother to research that.
- Our gas prices are rising. They are probably around $3.70 or $3.80 per gallon on average, nationwide. Maybe more like $4.40 or so in the larger cities. We shouldn't complain though. Gas in Istanbul was $3.86 per Liter. Want me to do the math for you? That is a whopping $14.67 per gallon ( I hope I did the math right). So, stop complaining.
- I had an Australian sharing my room (a 4 bed). We were in opposite bunks. Well, this Indian couple came in and didn't like that they were 6 feet apart in 2 different bunks, so the Indian dude just jumped into James' bed (the Australian) while James was out, and the girl took the bunk above him. They then took off for a bit. I just laid in my bunk watching all of this. A little later, James is back and napping, and wakes up to see the Indian girl staring at him. She asks if he would move over to my bunk (Indian dude had already been lounging in James' bed anyhow), so he was nice and moved. I wish I could have made this sound as weird as it was to witness in person.
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| Zoolander. Was he at Topkapi Palace? © Paramount Pictures. |
- There were two Turkish guys (visitors) at Topkapi Palace who were taking "staged" photos of each other. If I had to guess, they imagined themselves as male models and were striking poses. Really. It was a combination of Madonna's "Vogue" video and the Zoolander movie.
- I am having a hard time sleeping past about 5:30am, which was the first ezan (call to prayer) of the day (it changes, but this one is like an hour before dawn). No matter what, you hear it. And it takes a little while to play through. About enough to fully wake you up if you were still sleeping.
- Do you remember Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce night at the hostel? Remember my skepticism? It was well-founded. There was definitely some sauce on the pasta--barely enough to give it any red color at all. But apparently this was to be remedied by the condiments brought out to go with the spaghetti. Ketchup and mayonnaise.....yup. Ketchup and mayonnaise. Again, I had already gone out for my donner kebab. So I passed on it.
- If Hylke, Dirk, Catheleine, and Marlies are any indication of what the Dutch are all like, than the Netherlands is in great hands for years and years to come. Really. I wish everyone I know could meet the four of them. And Jochem-- that's Dirk and Catheleine's dog.
- I need to get Marlies' scarf back to her. I suspect there was instigation involved, as her scarf turned up in my backpack the morning after we all had dinner at Lotgenoten. I am pointing fingers at Dirk and Catheliene here. But, I'll come up with some souvenier to send back along with it. I need to do better than a keychain, though. Preferably something impressive. Marlies is pretty awesome.
- Don't lose track of time at the bar in Union Station, because you can miss your train and have to take the next one that leaves 3.5 hours later. Yeah. I did that.
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