Turkey Highlights

Turkey was the first stop after India and oh my....I fell in love! I don't know if it was a reaction to getting out of a developing/3rd world nation or what, but everything was so clean and so nice and I experienced quite a bit of culture shock. For example, when I was riding the trolley to my guesthouse, I got freaked out because it was so quiet. Cars weren't honking non-stop. It was a strange moment.

Smitty met up with me in Istanbul and it was surprisingly easy to get her there. All I had to do was say "Wanna go to Turkey in October?" and she was there. We spent the first part of our trip exploring Sultanahmet, going to the Aya Sofya and the Blue Mosque. They were both beautiful. The Blue Mosque looked like something out of a fairy tale and it was very lush inside. The Aya Sofya was magnificent and so freaking big. I have to admit, I wasn't as overwhelmed as I thought I'd be because after seeing the Taj Mahal....it didn't hold up well in comparison. It takes a while to get the most beautiful building in the world out of your head.

After a few days in Istanbul, we headed down to a town on the southwestern coast called Fethiye. This place was gorgeous! We went on a day tour on a sailboat and I was pretending I was Jackie O. We would stop and get to swim in the water and it was so wonderful and relaxing and just...that is what a proper holiday should be. We also spent time at a Turkish bath getting a lovely soap massage and we loitered on beaches a bit.

We ate our combined body weight in fish while we were in Turkey. There was this fish market in Fethiye where you'd buy a fish and then take it to a restaurant and they'd cook it up for you with potatoes, bread, and salad for about $4. The fish sandwiches on the street only cost about $3 and they were so delicious.

Oh, we also went over to the Asian side of Istanbul with our holiday friend, Kurt. I found my future house on that side and Smitty found a trail of cats. Good times, good times.

Turkey was so wonderful that I'm thinking of moving there after I finish up in Korea. It was one of the most relaxing weeks of my life and I'm so glad I had Smitty with me to enjoy it with. I highly recommend her as a travel companion.

Amendment...

Jeeze, y'all. This jet lag is really kicking my ass, mostly because up until today I had no routine. The Powers That Be at my school decided to make me take an extra week off so as to make sure I am not swine flued. As a result, I sat around my house for a week, bored out of my mind. No, I did not unpack. No, I did not update my blog. I fell asleep at odd hours of the day and went out drinkin' with my friends. D'oh!

Today is my first day back to school and I feel pretty happy about that. I missed my students and I missed my co-workers. Plus I have new Hello Kitty slippers and that adds tons of confidence ;)

I know I'm getting ahead of myself as far as reporting about my trip, but it's so nice to be home and not living out of a pack. I love lying in my own bed with my stupid cats and not having to wear the same 5 outfits over and over and over and over again. I had also missed my idiot flat mate and all my other friends in Seoul. While its sad my big trip is over, it's also lovely to be home.

Catching Up

Wow, the last half of the trip whipped by! In India, it was easy to slip off and spend an hour or so at the internet cafe because I was by myself. I'll post country highlights starting today and finish up by the end of the weekend. I know all of you are sitting by your computers, waiting for me to post (ha ha) so I'll put some pep in my step.