Sunrise and Camel Rides at the Pyramids!

July 28
Cairo, Egypt day 2

We woke up at 4:15 and had a nice breakfast (yummy bread with fig jam) at the hotel with delicious chocolate milk! The oranges were really good too, we don’t get these on the ship! We rode on the bus to the Giza plateau to see the pyramids, and it took about 15 minutes to get there. We slept the whole way because it was so early and dark outside! When we got there, we walked up a sandy hill and could barely see the pyramids. They were beautiful and the sun wasn’t even rising yet. The sun finally started rising and it was extraordinary! It was a little foggy so the pictures didn’t turn out as well as planned, but seeing it in person just took my breath away. We were all sitting there, silent, just staring at the sun rising behind the 3 pyramids. Just sitting there looking at these massive structures, thinking about all of the history behind it, and wondering about their time, it made me realize how amazing this trip was and how incredible this opportunity was. We took a lot of pictures and hung out there until 8 or so, then the camels showed up! We had the ENTIRE pyramids to OURSELVES. Just our group, no sellers, no locals, no tourists with us, no one. It was absolutely amazing. We walked down to the pyramids, because the pictures were from far away, and we sat in awe. Some guys were doing back flips off of rocks and getting cool pictures. So once the camels showed up, men with their little table shops came as well! They sell little statues of camels, pyramids, and other Egyptian figures like the Sphinx etc. All of the camels lined up and we each paid $10 to ride! The camel ‘drivers’ were in robes with white things around their heads, and the camels had pretty fabric over them; they were fancied up for us! She and I walked up to our camel and climbed on! Camels are way bigger than I thought, for the record. We hoped on and watched other camels stand up as people held on for life! As our camel started to stand, I held on so tightly to the knob in the back and the camel leaned far forward to where we thought we’d fall off! We were laughing so hard through all of this. Finally the camel made it up, slowly and scarily, and we gained our composure from laughing so hard! The camel driver was laughing too, I mean, it was pretty funny. We attached in a line with other camels and started walking towards the pyramids! The camel behind me was a little close and started making these weird grumbling noises. The driver started making a grumbling noise back at him and it made the camel stop and move back! So cool! The weather was actually perfect, the sun had just risen and it was a little cloudy. We walked down by the pyramids and the ‘driver’ (who walked the camels with a rope), took our pictures and then we stood for a while and walked back to the top of the sand hill! Some of the drivers were on little donkeys leading camels galloping. It was SO fun and I can’t believe I rode camels at the pyramids in Egypt!!! After we took some more pictures and everyone got a turn, we headed out! What an unbelievable experience.

We headed to the other side of the pyramids, which was nice because it was the side that the sun was on, so I got a few more irreplaceable photos. Behind us was the Sphinx, which we were going to next. 4 months ago, 4 MONTHS AGO, they found a tunnel/chamber connecting the Great Pyramid to the Sphinx! That blows my mind. They also found treasure chambers that will be opened some time this year when they finish excavating! Can you imagine what they will find?! And I was there!!!

So next we headed down to the Sphinx of Giza. Let me remind you- the weather is PERFECT. I don’t understand how lucky we got being in the desert in the summer and sweating slightly; perfect. We walked down a ways and there was the Sphinx. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen or pictured. It was massive and beautiful. We took silly pictures that looked like we were kissing it, haha! We could see the pyramids behind it so you can imagine that it was pretty astonishing. I love the Sphinx. I want a shirt or jewelry or something with a Sphinx; I just LOVE it.

Next, we headed to the Egyptian Archeological Museum. Our guide gave us earphones so she could narrate throughout the museum. She majored in Egyptian history or something like that, so she knew a LOT about it all, which was so incredible to hear and comprehend; so much to take in! She would say, “Put your whispers in Sunshine!” referencing to the earphones, and she called our group ‘sunshine’, haha. We went in, and it was beautiful and massive. This was the prettiest structure of a museum that I’ve seen. I don’t know if this is right or not- but I think she said it was build over 100 years ago, which is why it was so ornate and beautiful. We weren’t allowed to even bring a camera in so I can do my best to describe! First we saw old boats that were re-build for display. The Egyptians would use these during the Nile floods to assist their strength in lifting and building things. We also saw pottery (rooms full of it) and tables, beds, more boats, and jewelry. We walked into a jewelry room and it was air conditioned, unlike the entire museum, which really wasn’t that hot. There were queen’s and king’s jewelry. There were bracelets with the lotus, the beetle, the Sphinx, and many other Egyptian symbols made into bracelets, necklaces, bangles, earrings, and arm bands! Shea and I wanted it all, it would make great jewelry today. The Egyptians had good taste!! We then walked into another part and saw a fetus that was recently found in a tomb. This tomb was probably 4 feet long and solid gold. Inside was another decorated casing, containing the fetus, which we actually saw. It was weird but so amazing at the same time. If the fetus has this big of a gold tomb… you can imagine what King Tut’s looked like! We saw bows and arrows, and many other archeological artifacts that are still being found to this day. We then went into King Tut’s room. There were 3 giant gold chambers that were all inside each other, Tut’s tomb in the middle. All three gold rooms were on display, along with his tomb. Let me tell you something- this was incredible. I was 3 feet from King Tut’s tomb. It was massive and solid gold, with turquoise and other precious stones and decorations all over it. I bet that thing weighed so much. It was about 8 feet long and 5 feet wide, laying on it’s back (does that make sense?). I can barely put it into words- amazing, incredible, breathtaking, astounding, ridiculous! Whew. Google it, and look how amazing it is!! What a memory.

We then left the museum and headed to the Citadel of Saladin and the Alabaster Mosque. On the way there we were stopped on the street next to a prison bus. The prisoners were all hanging out of the metal barred windows and reaching towards my window and the bus. It was really scary and there were guards with huge semi-automatics were surrounding the truck. I quickly closed the curtain!! Creepy feeling- let me tell ya.
We arrived at the entrance to the Mosque of Mohamed Ali, the founder of modern Egypt, and made our way up a steep hill in the high, dry heat! We took off our shoes and put them in little bags. There were Egyptian kids on a field trip and they were all smiling and saying hi to us, it was cute! Inside was the most beautiful mosque that I’ve seen so far! The courtyard outside of the mosque was huge and beautiful too. We all sat down inside and rested, while our tour guide was throwing out facts and people were on the ground praying left and right.

Our tour guide sells jewelry through a company, and she showed us her catalog and samples. It’s like Mary Kay for Egyptians, she probably gets a pink camel if she sells a lot! Shea and I each got a gold pendant that has our names on it in hieroglyphics. I got my middle name because the symbols look pretty together and I never use my middle name on things so it was a fun change! We chilled there for a while and walked around some shops, then headed out.

We ended up on a bridge crossing the Nile and stopped for lunch! We walked up to this big gold entrance saying ‘The Pharrohs’ and it was very touristy decorated like the Egyptian times; it was really neat! There were mini statues of the Sphinx, pyramids, and other figures. We got on a pretty double-decker boat that was very resort-looking. It was decorated for tourists and was definitely a money maker! Inside was a huge buffet with great food, and a stage! We all sat and ate while we cruised along the Nile! Then, the musicians came out and set up the stage. There were a few men with drums, a keyboard, a singer, and an accordion. The music started playing and a belly dancer came out! It was so cool! Then a man came out in a very big dress-like thing and he was spinning in circles, and he has sparkly boots! When he would spin, his dress would poof us and make cool shapes. He would spin really fast and do cool moves! Then, the band played some more and we had desert while watching this entire show. It’s neat to think about the Nile and the part that we were on- this was the same waterway traveled by pharaohs, queens, and other people thousands of years ago. It was really fun and I met some girls that are going on my trip to Morocco so that’ll be cool to know some people going on the same one as me.

We went back to the hotel and had a few hours to hang out and rest. I tried to buy internet but something went wrong on my computer so I got my money back, thankfully. It’s so hard to get internet.
After resting, we headed to something really amazing- the light show at the pyramids!! It was at the Giza Plateau. There were chairs all lined up and a few cafes facing the pyramids and Sphinx. We took pictures as the sun set and then took our seats. Under a star-studded sky, the sound and light performance brought the magnificent history and achievements of the Ancient Egyptians to life as the illuminated pyramids and the mysterious Sphinx dominated the darkness! There was dramatic orchestral music playing in the background as a British voice would narrate things. It was amazing!! Some people decided not to go because they thought it wouldn’t be good, but I was not going to miss out on this. Yes, it wasn’t a Disney World light show, but it was pretty incredible! I loved it. We headed back to the hotel to sleeeeeep, my favorite. We have to wake up at 3 to drive to the airport to fly to Luxor!!

Hello Sunshineee

July 27
We woke up and met with our group for the overnight trip to Cairo and Luxor and headed out in Alexandria! We went through customs, which was an empty, nice big beautiful building that looked like a palace inside! There were guards everywhere with semi-automatics, this was the first time that I‘ve seen a bigger-than-normal weapon around and it was a scary feeling, kind of made me realize real quick that we weren’t in Kansas anymore. We stepped out of the building into a courtyard with a pretty fountain, greeted by coach busses. We loaded our bags and met our big Egyptian tour lady. She was decked out in hieroglyphic jewelry and other Egyptian stuff. The weather in Alexandria was very hot and humid, because it’s a port city (8 million people). When we got to Cairo it was much more dry/bearable. The bus ride to Cairo was very freighting! No one stays in a lane, everyone honks, people cross while we go fast towards them, donkeys are everywhere, there are herds of goats and sheep crossing sometimes, no one obeys ANY sort of rules; it’s chaos. There were fruit stands everywhere, bread sellers on the streets, palm trees (produce figs), people with baskets on their heads walking around, donkeys pulling carts full of watermelons and tomatoes, and many other cultural sights! Not one single woman was uncovered. All had head to toe black dresses and a majority had their faces covered, so much different than anything we’ve seen, even coming from Turkey. We passed bright green fields with people in the garden working and donkeys pulling things around. We thought we were seeing the poor side of this part but really it was the rich side. The ‘rich’ can afford land and the poor live in small mud brick houses or just on the streets o in empty buildings. There were a few really nice Egyptian-looking houses on pretty land, and those were really rich people. People were out everywhere, and the towns we drove through were simply something you’d see out of a national geographic magazine; everything was so natural and old. I had a hard time grasping the fact that I was in Egypt and I was seeing the way people live, it was so shocking and interesting at the same time. They have no technology, no electricity, no clean water, no real buildings, just barns with hay roofs and a few donkey carts. Now this was only a part of Egypt on the drive to Cairo, where it different than the rural side we passed through. When we arrived in Cairo, we went across a big bridge over the Nile! It was cool to see, but muggy and run down. I didn’t know what to expect when I saw Cairo, but it wasn’t what we saw. It made me think of the movie Wall-E, when Earth is just dirty, muggy, and everything is a shade of brown with little to no color. We went by a few big red brick buildings, which were schools. You can go to school up until age 15, then you decide if you want to continue or not. We also went by a military camp, which was a big wall with houses behind it, and men carrying huge guns guarding the walls. Women aren’t allowed to join or go in. Our tour guide said, “It’s a man’s world over here,” and told us not to look men in the eye for a long time.

First, we went to lunch at a really nice hotel, overlooking the pyramids! When we got off the bus, we were greeted with a band of men dressed as ancient Egyptians, playing fun music. The lunch was a yummy buffet. It was pasta with red sauce, chicken with bell peppers, potatoes, eggplant cheese casserole, French fries, chic peas, mixed vegetables, bread, rice, humus, beef, and all that stuff! It was delicious. For dessert there were many cheescakes, chocolate mouse, baklava, almond bread with honey, and bread pudding! It was a filling meal and got us read for the day.

We then headed to Mit Rahina Museum. We pulled through a driveway passing men in shacks selling pottery, camel rugs, and many other souvenir treasures. There were also guards and police carrying big guns on their shoulders. We walked into a building that was a statue that had fallen over and was on display; it was massive! It was the statue of King Ramses II, made out of limestone. Shea and I asked these guys to take our picture and they said they go to Bama, and weren’t on SAS, thought that was funny. We then walked over to the Alabaster Sphinx, a small one, but really neat! There was a small group of Asians that were taking pictures posing like cats in front of it, we took pictures of them taking pictures, haha. Then we went to Sakkarah to see the Titi Pyramid, Mereruka Tomb, and the Kagemnj Tomb. We walked through sand in the HOT heat to get to these. The king was buried in the small pyramid, and the women and children of the family were in the tombs behind him. This is how it always went with royal families. We learned all about it on the ride here, and it was so cool to finally see! They have found 114 pyramids total, and recently found one under the sand. It was so amazing seeing our first little pyramid! It was crumbling because they didn’t use anything to hold it together, but it was still pretty awesome. We first went into the mastaba (tomb for family) and saw many hieroglyphics and some still had color! It was mind-blowing to see these paintings and structures that they worked so hard on. I’ve seen so many Egyptian pictures in school and movies, but seeing it in real life was indescribable. Then, we walked out of the mastaba and across the sand into the King’s pyramid. While walking across, men in robes with white towels around their heads try to sell you postcards and Egyptian hats. They wont leave you alone! I was taking a picture of the pyramid and one guy tried to make me pay him for taking he picture, he wouldn’t leave me alone, but finally he gave up. We all lined up and started the descent into the pyramid! It was a steep, slick wooden ramp going down into the ground, with raised metal planks to help your step, which didn’t help much. We had to hunch over (4 foot tall ceiling) through tunnels to get to the tomb in the middle of the pyramid. Once we could stand up, it was beautiful. There were hieroglyphics covering the walls, and a large tomb at the end. It had been emptied during excavation and the body was taken to put on display in a museum, so we just looked at the big tomb and crawled through some more tunnels to see more hieroglyphics. We weren’t allowed to bring our camera in, because the flash can ruin the colors of the hieroglyphics. They were beautiful and it still amazes me how this all happened, and how there are many more things to be discovered and figured out. It was much cooler underground in the pyramid, but we had to crawl back up eventually into the dry heat! We trekked through sand and were greeted by some local dogs as we got on the bus to head to the next site. We drove over some hills and could see all of Cairo. It was covered in palm trees and then a definite line where the desert started, and the pyramids were in sight! We went up to another mastaba, with big pillars and columns. There was a camel by the ‘water closet’ so Shea and I walked over to take a picture. We noticed a man running towards us while we were walking to the ‘WC’ and then we quickly realized that he was going to make us pay to use the restroom. You can’t go for free around here, or anywhere we’ve been this summer! Thank you America for free bathrooms. So we walked through these pillars and out into a big field of sand (field of sand?)! There standing was one of the first pyramids ever built! It was beautiful and pretty big. We took jumping pictures in front and stayed there in the sun just staring at it! Some guys bought the long sleeve robes and Egyptian hats, so we got pictures with them, they looked like locals haha. There were men walking everywhere selling big turquoise and coral necklaces, but I’m pretty sure they were fake, so I resisted. After hanging out there for a while, we hoped on the air-conditioned bus (thank goodness) and headed to the hotel for a small break before the bazaar. On the way back, our bus driver was seriously honking every 5 seconds, we couldn’t even count to 6 before he honked again! We saw a lot of nice buildings that said ‘carpet schools’ and ‘papyrus schools’! We pulled into an electric gate, which was big with scary guards/gun. The hotel was beautiful; like a giant resort! It was funny seeing this nice place because on the other side of the walls, it was poor and dirty. The hotel had two part, an old part and a new one. I was put in the old part, which was very nice and antique looking, and I was on the 8th floor over looking the pyramids! Shea was in the new building, which was a little further away, and just as nice but more modern looking. The pool was huge, like one you’d find at Schlitterbaun or something. There was music, bars, palm trees, and people everywhere. It was all men and there were no women, so we decided not to go. When women swim, they were a body suit and still cant show their hair! We then got ready for the bazaar, and took a far drive to get there. It was a cool drive, because we saw the sunset through the great pyramids while seeing more of Cairo! It was so hard to soak in and realize. I actually got one of my best pictures through the bus window- two pyramids with the sun directly in the middle, perfectly round and visible! We passed a lot of brick buildings that had concrete pillars and metal chords coming out of the top. Our tour guide told us that it’s just as cheap to build one floor as it is two, so builders leave the tops open, in hopes that someone will buy it and build more. No one ever buys it apparently because every single building had concrete pillars and metal coming out of the top. We crossed the Nile again and saw some crummy apartments that had a good view of the Nile for $200,000. We passed by pottery lots, more fields, and more poor housing. When we got to the bazaar, it was already dark, making it a little more scary. It was not as touristy and safe-feeling as Istanbul’s. There were all men dressed in pants and long sleeves, and women again covered head to toe in black. There was absolutely no way of fitting in. There were shops after shops so I bough a few souvenirs, everything is SO cheap, it’s unbelievable! I didn’t get to do much shopping/bargaining as possible because we were all trying to stay together; it was scary actually. Then, we went and met our tour guide as a café before getting on the buses. I ordered hot hibiscus tea (recommended) and it was delicious! There were little boys that kept bugging us and trying to sell us jewelry and things while we were sitting. They were cute, but got annoying after 20 minutes. I would tell you the name of the place, but everything is in Arabic! Right now I can hear the call to prayer. This happens 5 times a day and I’m starting to get used to it and not realize when it happens! Anyways, we paid in Euros, American dollars, and Egyptian pounds; they take it all! They especially love $1 dollar bills. Then we headed back to the hotel for dinner. The dinner was really nice and was the EXACT same as lunch from the other hotel (this meal appears in every hotel this trip), haha. We went to sleep in our massive suit, overlooking the pyramids, and slept for a good 3 hours. Our wake up call was 4:15am to go see the sunrise on camels at the pyramids!!

At Sea, passing Crete and Cyprus

Today I woke up and ate a big breakfast and a drank a big cup of coffee so I could focus in class! Yesterday I was having trouble focusing and staying awake from the crazy week we just spend in Istanbul with little to no sleep! In my 8am, we had a group presentation about Egyptians, Muslins, and Ramadan. It was really interesting and then in Global Studies, we talked about it too! It all related and intertwined, which made it more interesting because I was a little more familiar with it. I had a music test after those 2 classes, and it was actually a little tough! It was held towards the back of the ship, and today it has been rocking so much that it didn’t help taking a test in the rockiest part!
Tomorrow we will be in Alexandria, Egypt! That’s crazy. I can not wait!
We will wake up early and head out to Cairo and then Luxor! I don’t know what to expect… but tonight in the pre-port seminar, they will fill us in on everything we need to know.
By the library there is a sign that says something in Arabic, and it looks like a bunch of fancy cursive letters that all connect. It translates to ‘Hi You Are Here’. Wow how on earth am I going to read Arabic! It’s no even the same alphabet, it’s completely different!

Today in Global Studies we learned about Egypt, the past wars with Israel, and issue with the Suez canal. We talked abut the current president, Hosni Mubarak, who has been in his position for 30 years.
The issue with the Suez Canal is that Egypt built this with the French in 1869. This caused Egypt to go into great debt because it was such a massive build. The British stepped in and intervened and didn’t let the Egyptians operate it freely.
British then granted Egypt its independence in 1922 and Egypt was the first major country in its region to gain independence.
Nasser became president (1954-70) and was a socialist. He used state policies to control rents on land to poor peasants and created free health care and education. He had a strong agenda and vision for Egypt.
The Suez Canal became nationalized (which was a crisis with the British), and Nasser and all of the Egyptians now had complete control over it. The British and the French were upset when Nasser took complete control over the canal so they became allies with Israel to become enemies against Egypt. Nasser was going to invade Israel to take it over but the United Nation intervened. In 1956, Israel decides to make moves and invade Egypt and succeeds. They started moving towards Cairo but the United Nations stopped them, so they drew back to Israel. In 1973, Nasser and Egyptians attacked Israel, but they lost. These wars between Egypt and Israel caused land shifts to go back and forth. The Gaza strip was a settlement zone, full of Arabs and poor people. These wars have been a huge factor in relations between Egypt and its neighbors.
When Nasser died, Anwar Sadat took over the presidency and decides to sign a peace treaty with Israel, which shocked all of Egypt and caused major controversy. Through all of the hate and controversy towards Sadat, he got assassinated. Hosni Mubarak became the president in 1981 and is still the president to this day!
This is just a little taste of what we learned today about the country we will be arriving in tomorrow :)

Turkish Bath- gotta love it!

July 23/24

Today (25th) we are passing Iraq. That blows my mind and puts it into perspective just how far I am from home and how big this world is. Everyday I look at the giant world map on our wall and just think about everything. I want to travel so many more places after this!

I noticed my tan has faded from Croatia and Mykonos :( but my hair is still super blonde! I need a trim but I don’t know if the salon hair cutters are any good…

Today we went back to the Grand Bazaar one last time. We took some girls that hadn’t been before, so we wanted to help them out! It made such a difference having Torros help us, so we did the same for others. It saves you time and money when you go with someone who has been, and you wont get lost (even though that can be fun!). After shopping, we took them to the same coffee place that we went to on the first day. I was glad to go back because it was delicious and a fun place to sit for a while and watch everyone walk past you in the Bazaar. After that, we kept walking around and some of the girls bought belly dancer outfits for Halloween, which were kind of expensive and not my taste, haha!

We went down a passage way on the edge that was full of little restaurants that were quick stops. We sat down at one and I had a chicken and cheese crepe, with amazing spices on top! It tasted so fresh and was so yummy I wish I had one right now! We stayed at the Bazaar for half of the day, and then we headed just outside the corner to try out a must-do, a Turkish bath!! The one we went to was called Cemberlitas (with strange accents that I can’t type in), The Historical Turkish Bath. When we walked down some steps and inside, it was so much more quiet than the loud street above. It was also a giant sauna, we instantly started dripping with sweat while we purchased our Luxury Style treatment, which was not expensive at all. We got these two little dominoes that were red and yellow, and a new bar of soap. One domino was for the bath, the other was for the massage! We were lead into the women’s side and up some windy stairs to the dressing room. We were given small red checkered dish towels, white slippers (like Crocs) and a locker. They told us that throughout this entire process, you can stay as long as you’d like. Once you were inside, you didn’t have to leave, ever! One by one a large Turkish woman would come and get us and lead us into the bathing part. They give you undergarments to wear that are brand new, thankfully. Picture a huge dome with a giant marble slab in the middle, about 3 feet high, that is a perfect circle. On the ceiling of the dome were cut outs that were in the shape of stars that let in the sunlight. It was pretty dark but since there was fog and steam, the beams of light were visible and it was so cool to be in. You lay down on the edge of the circle and we were all lined up on the edge. The Turkish lady that bathes you gets your soap bar, fills up buckets of hot water, and uses a pillow case thing to make bubbled that she pours all over you! It was not awkward or uncomfortable at all because this is their way of life, it is so normal for them, so I just sat and enjoyed this crazy experience! After getting a massage, they pour cold water over you which is so refreshing because it’s super hot in there! I was sweating so much, but it was so cleansing! Then, she led me to a fountain (which lines the outer ring of the dome) and she washed my hair and scrubbed my face with some exfoliating stuff. It’s not like a nice spa where there are candles and music, it’s the real deal. After that, she led me to the hot tub and cold tub. First you get into the hot one for however long you want, then you get into the cold one before you leave. We all just hung out and talked while we relaxed! Then, we left that part and went into another part where the massages take place. They give you hot towels and you sit and wait for your turn (because a lot of us went at once). The massage was so great and was worth it! All of our bodies were in pain from traveling and not getting much sleep! After that, we sat in the sauna some more, got dressed and went up to the café on the terrace. This was still inside the bath house courtyard and it was a beautiful hidden terrace. I had a grilled feta cheese sandwich, MMM. We then got some tea and headed home on the tram! What an incredible experience I will never forget!

For our last night out in Istanbul, we went to Riddim, a very nice club! It was Friday so we knew everyone would be out, so no matter where we went, we would have a good time. We all met at Bambi on a busy corner in Taksim square, hung out outside of Quba at a little store, then headed to Riddim! There weren’t TOO many people inside, but enough to mingle and meet people! There were a lot of SASers there which is always so fun! I was on the outside patio most of the night meeting Turkish people (this is where the locals went) and I was talking with some Turkish college students the whole time. I requested Steroe Love, but the DJ said he only played hip hop, oh well. It was so much fun, and a great way to end my Istanbul night experiences. Then, when it was time to leave, we went to Bambi one last time!!

The next day (24th) Shea and I had dock time so I just went to an internet café across the street for the remaining 3 hours.
I’m going to miss Istanbul!!!!!
Tomorrow I have a music test (should be easy) then… EGYPT!
I’ll try to write postcards to everyone when I’m there. It is so hard to find stamps (the ship doesn’t have them) and then you have to find a post office, which is hard to find too, even if you have the time!

Anyways, thanks for reading and if you get the chance, visit Istanbul! :)

Rice Pudding and Precious Gems!

July 22
We woke up a little late because we were out pretty late last night! Do you know what I found out that shocked me? People have never heard of Whataburger! Some girls from Virginia have no idea what it is, I had no idea it wasn’t all over America! Istanbul is so humid, basically like Houston! Anyways, the other day I ate way too much baklava and I didn’t eat any the rest of the time in Istanbul! We headed out and met Torros at the baklava place by the edge of the port (next to Hotel Odessa) and Torros was asking if I wanted more baklava for breakfast, making fun of the fact that I ate way too much of it! Then, we took the tram to the Hagia Sofia (Ayasofia), it was a far ride. We stood in a long line to get in and once we made it in, the crowd spread out. The outside of the Hagia Sofia was very historic looking and there were beautiful yellow flowers everywhere. We stood behind a tour group for a little bit listening to some facts about everything! Rachel had taken a tour here the other day so she shared her knowledge too, and Torros would tell us more! The inside was huge, and it almost reminded me of the Vatican, but with a Turkish twist. There were domes, pillars, and gold Arabic writings everywhere. There were 3 archways to enter the main dome, one for God, one for Jesus, and one for Mary. We got to see a big throne inside where the emperor would sit and it was covered in gold and decorations! Inside, there were 4 angels in each corner of this massive structure and they all had gold leaves over their faces. They used to not have faces so people wouldn’t worship icons, only fictional things. Then, once the gold leaves were placed over the angle’s blank faces, many years later someone said that one of the angels had a face underneath the gold leaf. The government didn’t want to risk losing money in removing the gold leaf and having no face there, ruining the sculpture, but the man insisted that they take it off. Somehow he convinced them, and when the gold leave was removed, there was a face! After hearing this cool story then seeing the angels in the corners just made the experience fascinating. We went up a steep rocky ramp/tunnel to get to the next floor. It was dark and cool, and pretty tough to walk up. We passed the “sweating stone” on the second floor and it was a huge column that leaked water. People were in line to touch the water and make a wish. There was a small hole on the column for you to put your thumb in. You put it in, turn your hand all the way around without bending your arm (if you can), and if you succeed, you make a wish! It looked a little unsanitary because everyone was touching it and the line was long, so I took pictures and watched these old men do it perfectly; I think they had rubber wrists!

After, we went down the street to a buffet café thing and got rice pudding! We sat on the second floor that overlooked a park and the busy street. The rice pudding was delicious and it tasted like caramel and crème, mmm! Nest, we headed to the palace that was closed the other day, we couldn’t go to Istanbul and not go to the palace! When we were getting tickets after a long walk through big trees leading to the palace entrance, there were many women covered in head to toe in black. They would all have veils over their faces and you couldn’t even see their hands. It was actually kind of scary looking because it looks like a black figure walking around, and they were everywhere. The men they were with would look normal, normal clothes, no extra features, and the children would be dressed normal with their faces showing; a very different sight to see. Once we entered the palace, there were guards everywhere. It was so beautiful inside the courtyards. There were many plants, grass sections with flowers, sidewalks through everything, a breeze, and it was shady from all of the massive trees. It’s all outdoors except for the museum parts where you walk into a stone room which is super hot, then you walk back out to the courtyards when you’re done.

The first place we walked into was full of emperors’ coats and royal attire. The outfits were huge and ornate, covered in rubies, diamonds, pearls, and emeralds and the patterns on the fabric was incredible. Through all of this palace experience, you can’t take any pictures except when you are outside, so I couldn’t take pictures of the amazing outfits and precious jewels. Next, we went into a jewelry part. There were royal boxes covered in diamonds, sapphires, turquoise and everything else! What was interesting about all of these natural stones was that they looked fake in a way. They were not cut by jewelers like you see in stores. They were chunks of diamonds and emeralds that were just jagged. It was beautiful in its own way because it was presented so naturally, and the colors were a little different since they weren’t cut a certain way. We saw many other swords, crowns, armor, and everything else you can think of, covered in jewels. It was amazing! Then, we went over to one edge and walked up some steps to a little tower that overlooked the water! We stood there for a while just soaking up the amazing views, then headed back down and out. Once we started walking back down a main street to go to the bazaar, we saw these dressed up men with a put of taffy-like stuff. It looked like a kettle drum, filled with colorful candy! Rachel got one, and I regret not getting one after I tried hers! They stake a little wooden stick and wrap different flavors on it, making a rainbow swirl! It was pretty cool.

Then Torros took us to another local restaurant where we sat and had meatballs and bread with olive oil! It was to dies for. The meatballs were rectangular in shape (meat rectangles) haha and they were spicy! Two of the girls got salads and got sick because it was washed with water that their bodies weren’t used to. I stick to the rules and only eat things that are cooked in hot temperatures or that are bottled and sealed. After that, Torros had to leave so he led us back to the Bazaar. It was so weird not having him there again with us to show us and explain everything. We got treated differently, not better or worse, just differently since we weren’t walking with a Turkish guy. Funny how that works! When we were with Torros, we wouldn’t get talked to as much by store front workers and people didn’t make many comments to us. When we were alone, we were definitely treated like tourists and called Barbie, Baywatch girls, Spice Girls (more than 5 times) and many other hilarious things. They were all so nice and complimentary, without being creepy or bugging us. One man said to us, “Excuse me ladies! You dropped something!... My heart!” haha it was funny and he knew it would make us laugh.

We spotted some jewelry the other day at this one place so we went back to bargain and get our prize! We ended up talking to the 3 workers for a long time and the owner closed it and ordered us some tea! He ordered someone to go to this little phone on the wall, where I guess they order tea, and then it came right up on a pretty silver tray! We sat and chatted in this little closet of a store for a while and the owner was telling us about all of his travels around the world and he was showing us pictures on his iPhone of him in many countries. He told us we looked “fresh” meaning young and pretty. He said he wasn’t ‘fresh’ anymore haha. It was such a great experience and we got pretty good deals on the jewelry we picked out, along with delicious Turkish tea and a good story! Then, I asked where’s the best place to find something (I can’t mention it, it’s a gift for my dad!) and he led me to his friends store and I got a sweet deal on a pretty cool gift! I stopped by some music stores to see what I might be interested in, and you get a feel right away from the owners if you want to purchase from them or bargain, or if you want to leave and find another more inviting place. I went into a really nice and quiet one and I was looking around but the owner didn’t help me at all. I don’t know if he didn’t take me seriously (because I was looking at nice instruments and he probably thought I was clueless), but he wasn’t helpful/talkative so I left. That’s the whole fun of the bazaar- talking, joking, bargaining! After several music stores I went back to one where the worker was really nice and I bargained and got something for a great price compared to the other stores (another gift, so I can’t tell you what it is!). We went into one place and we were looking at these beautiful tiles and chatting with the owner. He was the sound technician for The Cranberries who were performing that night! He showed us his tickets and everything, you always find out cool stuff when you start talking, even if they aren’t good at English!

Something awesome- I love learning languages and speaking new ones, so I would constantly be saying Hi how are you, thank you, and bye in Turkish. The Turkish people would smile so big when I would use just a few of their words, and in some cases it would get me free things (like baklava for saying hi how are you!) When I’d say ‘no thanks’ in Turkish, they would all be like “Oh my gosh she knows Turkish!” and they would smile and be really nice. It was cool to show them that I was trying to learn their language and fit in, in a way, and it made a few grumpy people smile. I loved it and I think that it makes a huge difference when they see that you make an effort to be like them instead of expecting them to know English. There was man being overwhelmed and mad because we were all crowding his store and being loud. When I bought some gum, I got free cookies (delicious ones, like Oreos) because I said thank you have a good day in Turkish! Something so small like that means a lot to them, I could definitely tell. They appreciate it so much and it makes you stand out as a nice tourists who loves cultural experiences. I know us SASers learned a few Turkish words, but I never heard anyone try to say anything, which made me sad because it’s so fun!

We finished up shopping and headed on the tram (I accidentally took us the wrong way, but we made it back) and got ready for another night out!
 We met Torros and Everan and all went downtown for a nice dinner. We went to a completely different part of Istanbul than the area by the port and Bazaars. We passed through Ataturk’s palace, where he dies, and it was full of huge oak trees that lined the streets. It looked like any major city, with many lanes in the highways, huge buildings, many nice international shops, malls, restaurants, a big stadium, and anything else you’d find in a city of 15 million people! It was crazy seeing this part of Istanbul, I had no idea this is what it was like. It was so… normal. Yes, we were in Turkey, but it was so normal! I can’t get over that. The only difference was the crowd, cars, and more chaotic driving. We passed by one of the first/oldest (but modern looking) malls in Turkey, which was beautiful and covered in waterfalls made out of Christmas lights! We went to a place called Midpoint, which was in the richer part of Istanbul. The houses and condos around were for rich people, but the café we went to wasn’t super expensive, just really, really nice and a good change from places by the port. On one side of the street was the place where we ate, on a nice outdoor patio, and on the other side was a park on the edge of the Bosporus where you could see the Bosporus Bridge! After seafood pasta and steaks, we walked along the piers and boardwalk, passing by huge yachts and looked across the water at Asia! It was so close and full of bright lights and a giant Turkish flag. The Bosporus Bridge was fully lit (reminded me of the Golden Gate Bridge) and it would change colors every 5 minutes. We walked up and down the waters edge and then stopped for a Nutella waffle folded in half, filled with kiwis, strawberries, and rainbow sprinkles! Mmmm.

We headed back to the part where everyone (SASers) usually stay around, and went to Taksim Square again to the same little 5 story bar before we figured out what club to go to! We decided to go to the nicer clubs that were further away, but the taxi drivers don’t charge you much at all here! We all piled in into 3 taxis and went to a place called Crystal, a very nice club under the Bosporus Bridge. The guys had to dress nicer than normal (us girls always looked nice, so we didn’t have to go change). When we went in, it was beautiful and all white with dim colored lights. You could tell why celebrities came here. The only problem was that if you wanted a table to stand by or sit at, it would cost you about $200… just to sit down!! we left after about 5 songs because there’s no where to sit unless you pay. We walked across the street to Reina, which was closing because it was 4 am (so early for a club to close here!) so we went back across the street and down a little ways to 8th Hill, a 4 story club. We went to the very top and the owner let us sit at a table for free, shocking! We hung out there for a while then all headed home because the night was late and no one was really out.

Another wonderful day in Istanbul!!

Little Rock Texas

July 21
We started the day off by walking down the port’s edge and going to Karakoy Gulluoglu, one of the well known baklava places in all of Istanbul (and there are a TON). I tried several different pieces- round ones that had walnuts on top, a traditional one, a pistachio one, and a chocolate one! Delicious. One of the workers asked me and Shea if we were from TV, Baywatch specifically… Haha. The ship has constantly been telling us to carry our passport copy around with us for hotel and banks. They said all hotels and hostels will need to see it and when you get money or exchange it, they will check your passport. This hasn’t happened once this entire summer. Rachel stopped in a cell phone store to get an international sim card and they asked for her passport! This was the first time this entire trip we’ve heard someone ask for it, ironic. We met Torros here and all headed to the Grand Bazaar! Torros is from Istanbul and we met him and his friends in Spain! I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this yet or not. We have been so lucky to have him in this huge city! We walked through the port area to get to the tram. It is full of hardware stores like guns, knives, walking canes, antiques, camo clothing stores (so random), vacuums; basically mini ace hardwares everywhere! We passed by a café called Odessa Restaurant and Hotel Odessa! After walking through the sketch part of the port, we got on the tram and headed to the bazaar. It was YTL1.50 and about a 10 minute tram ride.

Once we got off, we went under a tunnel below the busy streets! It was full of cell phone stores and other electronics. It was also a sauna... Once we popped out from underground, the Spice Bazaar was right in front of us! It had a huge archway with one long path that split into many different ones once you got past the beginning. People were selling grilled corn, roasted chestnuts, ice cream, fruit, bread, etc. There was a big plaque in front that said some things in Turkish and Arabic and “Spice Bazaar’’. When we first walked in, it was so crowded... I mean PACKED. There were spice stores after spice stores! There would be piles of spices, men handing out pinches for you to smell and try, lots of teas, nuts, dried fruit, and of course Turkish delights! I tried some pepper that was sprinkled in my hand, it was spicy but delicious. They also hand out samples of things, and I try em all! One spice guy said something to us in Turkish and Torros translated it to, “I want to roll a red carpet out in front of you when you walk by.” Haha what an interesting thing to say! After walking around for a good while and just visually shopping without buying, we made our way out of the other end of the Spice Bazaar. I knew we’d come back so I just looked and checked prices and tried to figure out what I wanted, plus I didn’t want to carry stuff around all day. We came across another mosque and decided to check it out and get out of the hot sun for a little bit. We went up some steep rocky steps into the entrance of the mosque. It was covered in blue and white tiles, just like every mosque here! It was beautifully designed and smaller than most. We had to cover our heads for this one (unlike the Blue Mosque) and take off our shoes on a fancy carpet. Inside it was pretty with a very soft red carpet with candle chandeliers and more mosaics and painted tiles! It was so quiet and we couldn’t really talk. There was one man praying so we had to stay towards the back and whisper. I took a few pictures (it’s allowed) but it felt awkward because everyone is so quiet and it’s noticeable. After that, Torros lead us up another busy street (filled with random supply stores) that led to the Grand Bazaar. It was a steep walk up hill and through rough sidewalks. We were definitely the only white people. Men would be passing with carts full of vegetables and other fruits, and always oranges.

We made it to a side entrance of the Grand Bazaar finally! It was basically like an indoor shopping mall, but with no doors and a nice breeze throughout the entire place! It was massive and was shop after shop! You could easily get lost in the crowd and we quickly learned not to wander to store fronts alone because when you turn around, everyone is gone! Some girls would walk into stores and when you look for them, they aren’t there! There were many colored glass lamps, bowls, mugs, dishes, hookah, t-shirts, jewelry, belly dancing outfits, clothes, tea sets, rugs, fabrics, scarves, music stores, I mean the list goes on! It is overwhelming thinking about how to describe the Grand Bazaar! We did a good amount of bargaining (which is SO FUN) and then Torros showed us a really modern Turkish coffee café. It was in the middle of the hustle and bustle of everything, but it was quiet and cool inside! We all got Turkish coffee. It comes in a tiny tea cup on a saucer and it is so strong! I put 2 sugar cubes in mine and a small piece of Turkish delight comes with it on the side, yum. The coffee was so hot and almost thick. Torros showed us how to drink it- lift up your lip and sip it from your teeth so it is hot enough to enjoy, preventing your lips from burning. It was fun and delicious! You leave the “mud” in the bottom of the cup and put that saucer on top. Then, you flip it all upside down with the cup upside down on the saucer. You feel the top and make sure it isn’t hot anymore (took about 10 minutes), and then you take the cup off and look at the design in the “mud”! It’s supposed to tell a fortune, so we just made funny things up from what we saw! After that, we went back out shopping! Once we were ready to head back, we went down the hill and through the spice market again. Torros took us on a walk through another busy part of town around the bazaars. We saw buckets of leeches everywhere for sale that people use for medicinal things, it was creepy! Then, we went to Ozturkler Bufe! It’s like a walk-up restaurant where they have grills and about 5 tables, no doors or windows, just a lot of restaurants jammed into the sides of buildings! We sat down and Torros ordered some food for us, we just said anything with chicken. First, we were brought a plate of oregano with lemons. Also, we had plates of these delicious grilled peppers! Then, we had crepe bread things filled with spicy grilled chicken and tomatoes and stuff (made me think of pico de gallo) all wrapped up inside! It was delicious!! Torros got a drink that I think is considered buttermilk, haha. I didn’t really want to try but I think that’s what they all drink here! It comes in a container that looks like yogurt and you peel the top off… I stuck to coke and water! If it weren’t for Torros, we would’ve picked some close, touristy, expensive gross food place. But, instead, we were taken to where locals go and where the owners and customers are all best friends! We decided to walk from the bazaar to the ship, which was a while, but the sunset was beautiful and we got to cross a big bridge full of fishers (Sea of Marmarar)! It was a great day and we were tired, so we headed back to the ship to get rested and ready for the night out.

We all met at the gangway again to head out to Taksim square, where you are always guaranteed to have fun! On the tramway, I let Richard take a picture of us and he dropped my camera.. the lens broke… Luckily, Shea has 2 cameras… so now I use hers with caution! We all took the tram to Taksim and met up with more SASers (everyone says “sasers”) at the corner by the big war memorial (meeting place for us every night). We started walking down the busy street (no cars, just people) and turned down one that looked inviting to find a place to hang out before the club. We found a place that had a nice deck with good music! We all sat down and just hung out. The inside of this place was 5 stories tall! Sad news, the bathroom was on the 5th floor. We had to hike up steep, windy, uneven stairs to get there! It was really cool though once you get to the top, there was a balcony that overlooked a busy street in Taksim! Shea and I just stood on the balcony for a bit soaking up the fact that we were in Istanbul hanging out and having the time of our lives. It was so fun! We stayed there for a while and met some fun French people and we all decided to walk to Quba again to dance the night away. It was a little more full than the night before so that was good. Shea and I hang out with these two SAS guys from Arkansas, Richard and Dylan, and they are from Little Rock. The DJ at Quba had on a t-shirt that said Little Rock and Texas! It was too ironic!! We went up to him and tried to ask him about it and all he said was, “I no know what you say! I bought for 9 Euro! Don’t blame me!” and he put his hands in the air like he was innocent, thinking we didn’t like his shirt haha. It was funny and then he figured out that we liked his shirt. We snapped a few pics. Then we met some really cool Germans in Quba but they were leaving the next day so we couldn’t all hang out again! After staying there for the majority of the night, we went to Bambi again (of course) and then caught a taxi home. Thanks to Torros and Everan’s Turkishness, they got all of our taxis down to YTL6! We said bye to our local friends and headed back to the ship in a crazy cab ride (should be expected every time); successful day yet again!

Mere Habba!

July 20
Happy Birthday Papaw!!!!!

Fun Facts about Istanbul and Turkey:
Istanbul is considered the “center of the world” and has 15 million people. The entire country of Greece only had 12 million!
Turkey is the cultural capital of the world right now in 2010 so it’s a great time to visit the country because many efforts have been made to beautify the city of Istanbul even more and most all constructions has been taken down and stopped for this year! How perfect is that?
Turkey is the world headquarters of Media (which is awesome for me being in Istanbul because I absolutely love media).
Istanbul is the business center of Turkey and around the 16th best economy in the world.
Turkey is the #1 yacht-maker!
Ataturk’s picture is in every restaurant, school, store, etc. He is seen as the father of Turkey and I’m sure we will be seeing a lot of him these next few days!
A few years ago, someone put up a bad video about Ataturk and so Turkey banned YouTube. Crazy!
Currently, $1.00 US is equal to YTL 1.54 (New Turkish Lira)

Today FLEW by. It was incredible. This is the cultural change I’ve been thinking of. (Spain and the other countries try to be like America in some of their ways, but definitely not here in Turkey!)
This morning we had a diplomat come on board and speak to us about relations between countries surrounding us, our country, and a lot of interesting information about the world around Turkey right now. This happens the morning of every arrival in every country and it’s so cool! We get filled in on all of the political and diplomatic effects. It makes it really cool that we have this before each port because it applies to what we are about to step out into!
For my FDP for intercultural communications, Ozlem Sandikci (professor of Marketing and Advertising at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey), came to speak to us about media in Turkey and marketing/advertising. It was really fascinating! She was pale with very dark , curly hair and ice blue eyes. It was cool seeing a real Turkish-looking woman because I never really knew what to picture in my mind. She was very nice and shared a lot of interesting information about Turkey, fashion, and ads/marketing.
We left the ship around noon and walked down the town to get to the tramway. Istanbul is so amazing! It’s hard to explain because it kind of looks like everywhere else we have been, but more modern and bigger, so maybe it doesn’t. The crowd is way different too! Everyone is dark with blue and green eyes, it’s so pretty and distinctive! There are palace steeples everywhere, modern stores, Burger Kings and Starbucks, and amazing baklava/tea and Turkish delight bakeries too. It was one Lira to get to Taksim Square on the underground tram and it was only one stop away! It was on the edge of the Bosporus and took about 10 minutes to get there, but we walked slowly and looked around so it took a bit longer! The tram ride was 5 minutes. A cat that looked like Abby greeted me as I got off. I took a picture of the stray and I swear it’s Abby’s twin! When we got off at the top of the hill, it began to sprinkle a little and was windy. There were men everywhere selling clear umbrellas for 5 Lira so everyone bought them. I had my big camera and leather purse so I felt the need to get an umbrella too! It was worth it because it rained for a few hours, but I still had a fabulous day!
When we started walking around, I noticed rugs stores, tea cafes, hookah bars, leather stores, jewelry, alleys with musicians at restaurants, and so much more! It was such an amazing sight. There were women with headscarves, but not nearly as many as I thought. People were dressed conservatively and we were too, but no one really stood out as looking very Islamic, which surprised me! Our tour guide showed us several restaurants and good places to find great tea. We stopped at one of the 3rd restaurants she showed us and it was tucked away in a little alley! When you walked in, it was huge, nice, and full of well dressed business men! We were the only girls in there but they didn’t really stare or act differently. It was interesting. Shea and I ordered this rice dish which had pistachio slices, pine nuts, pieces of pork we think, and other nuts. It was warm and made your lips greasy with a very distinctive, yet delicious, taste! It came with yellow bread that tasted exactly like cornbread. I took some yummy pictures :) After that, we were walking around when this loud humming came on, filling the entire street, making you almost want to cover your ears. Then we realized it was a call to prayer! I didn’t see anyone around ay down and start praying, maybe because of the wet ground from the rain, but it was definitely loud singing through speakers throughout the square. We made our way down to a Turkish delight place with many treats that our tour guide recommended. I got a lemon Turkish delight and Shea got a random one that tasted the same as mine but with a fancy name, haha. THEN we had the most amazing thing ever that I hope to bring back home- dried figs stuffed with roasted walnuts. TO DIE FOR. And all of this was about YTL2.75 = $1.86! How perfect! We will be going there countless times this week. We sat at a table next to the café and then saw the sign that had numbers on it, meaning we had to pay to sit... We decided to order tea since we already sat down, and it would go well with our treats! I asked the waiter (who was hovering over me), “Where can I find some tea?” He said, “Ok,” and disappeared! 10 minutes later he brought us out 2 little glass cups on little decorated saucers, a small metal plate on top covering the tea, and 2 sugar cubes with a tiny spoon. I have no clue what flavor the tea was, but it was amazing!! Typically, you put a sugar cube in your mouth and sip the tea, which we tried, and it’s by far the best way to drink it! It seemed like a small cup of tea, but it ended up being the perfect amount and we didn’t want more, even though it was so good. Maybe it’s secretly filling? I don’t know, but I’ll be getting tea very often here! After resting there for a little bit, we made our way to the Blue Mosque to meet up with some girls. It took about 30 minutes to get there because we had no clue what to do! We asked store workers and they helped us out by telling us where to get on the tram and where to get off. Once we made it over the bridge by the mosque, we all met out front. There was a beautiful park in front of the mosque (mosques are everywhere), and there were flowers and fountains, along with families and many tourists! We went into the courtyard of the mosque and stood in a line to go in. We noticed that the line was all Turkish people but we stood in it anyways. Once we got to the front, they said we had to use a different entrance. I think that line was the line to go pray inside. We walked around the courtyard and out the back, and there was a small line with men handing out scarves to cover your head and shoulders. We took off our shoes. When we went in, the carpet was nice and soft, with beautiful red designs. Everyone was whisperings, there were candle chandeliers everywhere, and everyone was taking pictures. It was pretty cool inside (compared to the hot humidity outside) so we sat down on the carpet and just looked around for a while. The ceilings were huge and domed, filled with blue and white patterned tiles. All of the mosque kind of look the same inside regarding tiles, colors, and the carpet.
After that, we walked down the busy walkways to get to some palace. We were walking along an old big brick wall, which was super tall, and then we found the entrance. On one side of this wall was the busy, loud street. Once we went into it, it was very quiet and it was a forest! There were huge walkways through many statues and big old trees. Couples were everywhere and dogs were too! We walked all around in this park. It was shady from the trees and there was a breeze. We then walked into a museum and saw a ton of marble sculptures and tombs. It was pretty cool! After that, we walked outside of the walls an sat at a little café. We ordered tea and I just ate sugar cubes the whole time! We hoped on the tram for YTL1 and headed back to the ship. We all decided to meet in front of the gangway (where you exit the ship) around 10:15 for the night’s activities. We took the tram to Taksim Square and decided we’d be staying there for the night. When we came up from underground, we were in the main square! There was a huge war memorial in the middle, cars everywhere, and people flowing. We walked across to the other side and went down the main drag. it was about 5 lanes wide, full of people and street performers. There were Christmas lights acting as a roof the whole way down, it was so pretty! There are people selling roasted chestnuts, oysters, grilled corn, and pretzel things. There was an old man who had a table with a big bunny and a little baby one on it! We walked over to see this precious bunny and it picks up paper that tells you your fortune! I didn’t do it but I think before I leave I’m going to get a bunny to pick my fortune, just for fun! After walking around, we found an Irish Pub, but it was empty. We kept walking down side streets that were full of bars and karaoke places. We stopped at a club called Quba, a bar with walls, but no ceiling and trees coming out of it! It played really good music that we’ve been hearing all throughout Europe so we stayed for a while. Then, we went down the street to another one that was basically the same idea, with more people! After dancing for a long time, we went to a sit down patio bar and had fruit kabobs and just hung out. We were heading home by taxi (tram stopped at midnight) so we started walking towards the taxi part of the square. Right before we were about to leave, we saw this brightly lit place called Bambi! It was Turkish fast food. Some locals told us that it's really good and that it’s not bad for you or gross. I ended up getting a Panini- bacon and cheese. It was SO good, and we’ll be back there again. Bambi is on every street corner and it always busy. When we went back out to get a cab, the locals (who we met in Spain) bargained with a few drivers and we ended up getting home for 7YTL (around $5) altogether! On the way home, the driver sang to us in some Turkish way and it was really entertaining! I took a video to remember how cool it sounded and to show everyone! Turkish is hard to speak but I’ve actually learned more than I thought and it’s only been a day or two.
Mere habba- hello
Nassal Sinnes- how are you
Chokuzel- great
Higher sal- no thanks
Shedehfe- cheers
Hehsum- check please
Iyi geceler (pronounced strangely)- goodnight
Oh I forgot- I went into a baklava place and they were closing so they gave me a lot of free baklava. After, I found out that it was one of the nicest and most expensive baklava places in Istanbul!
What a fun first night in Istanbul!
PS In Spain, a few of the people we met have only been to Miami in the USA. In Croatia, a few guys go to school in Miami. Here in Turkey, several people said they have been to Miami or want to go! Strange!

I’m slow on blogging because there’s hardly any time to catch up!