Central Review

Galavanting across the country side… (part 2)

So finally we were in Istanbul. Home to the International Mayors Summit of 2007.

Getting off the plane was easy (one step at a time). There was little to no security going from the plane to pick up our bags through to the visa office. Once at the visa office you are required to pay the lady $20 US in exchange for a sticker in your passport that sais you may enter Turkey as many times as you wish within the next 3 months. YAY, access to turkey for 3 months!

Getting to our hotel was just as easy. Thankfully we had already organised for a transfer from the airport, where our driver bought us home made turkish delight and asked for a tip.

The next 2 weeks can fairly easily be summed up by the following: Long 13 hour bus trips, 3 hour ferry rides, 3 hour train trips, hours of walking, plenty of cafe’s, greek coffee, turkish tea, overly expensive food, cards, more cafe’s, more coffee, more train, bus and ferry trips. More walking, cafe’s, coffee and cards followed by a late night fever, a mid day cold sweat, a bit of grand bazaar shopping then lastly a 23 hour plane trip with 2 stops. That’s pretty much how quickly our trip whent too!!!

I would also like to add, if you fly and have conjested sinus’…. DON”T! It is almost the one, singular, most painfull experience you will have. I havn’t experienced much worse than sitting in a plane that’s taking off, while certain parts of your ear are rupturing causeing your ear drum (while under extreme pressure) to be encased in puss and blood (from ruptured bits). Thus, completely muffling your ability to hear out of your right ear. What makes it worse, is now your up in the air at 35,000ft and you’ve still got 3 more landings and 2 more take offs!!!