I'm in a plane flying from Sai Gon to Istanbul
A nice modern plane.....43B is in the last row....no room for a seat at the window....I sleep a lot..
Day I
5:25 AM
endless taxiing of the plane and endless walking through that new Ataturk airport
The female immigration officer is snippy....no idea why....
I entered the airport in Sai Gon at 31 degrees Celsius......I come out of Ataturk airport at -1 degree Celsius..... in shorts and sandals..... 'nough said?
Taxis are waiting and the drivers are freezing..... 400 TL about 30 US to get me to my hotel at the golden Horn......
It only has 5 rooms, so Taskin gave me the security codes to get into the building and my room before....
7:00
I'm in the hotel......I call Eda.....but it's already 21:00 over there
8:00
I actually make it up the steep hill to Migros Jet... when I get there, I am SO HUNGRY (exhausted?) that I can't decide what to buy and buy too much..... 650 TL that is only cad 46, but I bought them at the airport for a loss of 25% at the exchange place.... so even 60CAD is cheap for 2 bottles of wine, a big block of cheese, ham, yogurt, hummus, cherry jam, and the most amazing fresh bread....
And I eat a bit of all of it.... I better watch out that I don't get fat here very quickly.... but then I will be walking hills.....
10:00
Jet lag is hitting hard.....the Rose and that good food don't help either... Taskin said, that he'd be busy until 10:30..... try to stay awake....
I can't sign into my Royal bank account......not even with VPN ....OMFG....I hope they don't screw up too badly, otherwise I'll be cashless....
My MC website also asks me to verify my identity....but at least I can do it.....
I call the RBC assistance center ....and get to talk to an AI that is dumber than Homer Simpson......Well Done Royal Bank of Canada !
I can log in but can't see the accounts or make payments..... OMFG, what a nightmare.....maybe that is why the card did not work at the airport..... ?!
Let's hope this fixes itself..... otherwise I'd be REALLY SCREWED......lots of money in the bank but no way to get to it.....
10:30
Taskin arrives....200 Euros for 5 nights and he says that he doesn't really want to take my money... all his guests are repeat guests and the hotel is full....
11:00
Good thing I checked again....... it's 1:00 in Canada and online banking works again..... I can finally relax.....
now I just need a message from Phapie....
12:00
too wired to sleep and too drunk and cold to go out yet.....
There is something peaceful about this room and its view.... not even the noise of the ocean to distract one.... I finally download the cell pictures of the last month or two into the laptop....
bite the bullet
walk down to Halic......with help I buy another Istanbulkart (those two stupid girls said that I'd have to buy it in the supermarket but the station overseer and others helped me with the machine) and I take the Metro to Taksim square ..... exchange another us$300 into TL .... I find a second location of Deni's and get a pair of jeans (size 31?) and 3 pairs of socks.....
I'm already exhausted in the store and stop shopping even though they have amazing stuff
then I realize how far it is to walk home
I stumble along.... still make the detour to Migros Jet for more wine and turkey breast....
I get home .... nothing from Phap...
I wolf down food...(exhaustion and Kummeressen)..bad idea !....let's hope I don't have to pay for it....
14:30
OMG... I LOVE it.....24 hours ago I had BARELY left Home Away in Sai Gon.... and was slowly making my way to the airport..... then I managed the wait in Saigon, an intercontinental 11 hour flight, the new airport, the currency exchange, the taxi ride, the self-checking in, met with Taskin, did sink laundry, got myself an Istanbulkart, took the Metro, bought clothes, WALKED A LOT, went food shopping TWICE....
Not bad, especially considering that I walked 3.8 km today and some of it UPHILL....
15:15
NAP
16:30
I get woken by semi-rhythmic banging from above..... damned !....
But better be awake while the sun is still out to get into the rhythm....
17:30
There is a Phap message....he says that I look beautiful
and that he wants to hug me to keep me warm.....the day is saved.I want to EAT and EAT ....but that's just the exhaustion calling for remedy.... have to STAY HUNGRY ...
18:00
it's 22:00 in Vietnam.... I have several reasons to be tired ;-)
The sinking sun is hitting the back wall of the apartment.... I have to turn the heat off because it's boiling in here ....
19:00
It's 23:00 in Vietnam....and I'm fighting to get another hour out of it..... hopefully being exhausted I won't be wide awake at 1am....
The setting sun reflects off the Halic waters..... no wonder it's called The Golden Horn
19:30
The sun is gone and it's COLD out there again
Finish calisthenics (oh no....I forgot the push-ups..ah well)
19:45
I have my second glass of tea (with a jam cherry inside) made from the same tea bag....and I'm getting a second wind.... ... hopefully not too much of one....
Another yogurt and a bit of bread with hummus..... I think all that goes well...
21:15
try to pass out .....
nap
22:30
awake and hungry again....
Today was gorgeous sun and cold.....starting tomorrow, it will go up to 11 and then even 17 but there is a higher chance of RAIN ....YUK....
sleep
4:15 ....8:15 at home....
Day II
March 31..... today would have been Mara's 81st birthday.
5:00 ....19:00 in Vancouver
call Eda.....we switch to video so she can see the inside of my fridge ....
I eat bread and baloney instead of the planned yogurt.... I'm going to get fat....it has started already :-(
6:00
Research..... It seems the Rheinhotel Anker in Remagen no longer exists.... damn it.... the good and/or cheap hotels and restaurants always die first.... because the cattle doesn't recognize their value and rather goes to the fancy flashy rip-off places.... SAD
nap
7:15
I eat the rest of the bread !....
7:40
I walk down to the Halic Bridge.....there is the old guy with the glass case on wheels... inflation really shows it's head now..... last time it was 5 TL for 3 or 4 buns.....now it is 20TL for 3..... but then that is only 1 USD.
when I bring them home, I realize that they are made from a kind of croissant dough....and that I should be REALLY careful eating them.... but they are SO GOOD, both with hummus and with cherry jam. I have to force myself to stop eating...
It is a strange sight after spending so much time in Vietnam...... trees without leaves..... it's an interesting sight.....but one I can live without....
8:00
Migros Jet is open..... and yesterday at this time I was walking there....but I still have everything...so that can wait.....NOT a good idea to buy more food now ;-)
8:30
OK.....I have a full-blown cold.....the amount of snot coming out of my nose is amazing....
9:45
Walk up to Migros Jet....3 bottles of wine, more bread, turkey, hummus.....No deodorant there.... 801 TL ... CAD 56....NOT bad !
on the way back: I finally remember that Istanbul is a CAT city
I eat more....ts ts ts .....but the stuff tastes SO Fucking GOOD !
10:15
A lovey message to Phap
10:45
An email to Beverly in Georgia
Where is Taskin? He always says that he has to do his work first..... but I don't like having to adjust my plans to whenever he decides to knock on the door.
11:00
I feel deflated.... not only jetlag but I do have a COLD.....my nose is running constantly....
A message from Choi..... everything ok? what are you doing?
When I answer right away he video calls.. and asks what time is it? smart cookie didn't want to call in the middle of the night..... seeing his and Hang's face and the beach makes me happy....
11:45
I'm about to have a nap....but then think....screw it.... I signal Taskin whether he has time for lunch.....YES is the immediate answer
10 mins, he says....he's a noon lunch kind of guy....but then he works all bloody day.....
Bi Balik restaurant..... Raki, fish, laughter....
Back on my balcony smoking..... some Turk in his early 30s with nice clothes asks for cigarettes.....but no, he is asking for money.... I'm drunk and give him 100 TL without thinking....that's 7 CAD...too much.... ah well...it doesn't hurt me ... and hopefully it makes his day.... but I'm a little angry at myself for not thinking when I'm drunk....
13:30
nap
14:45
I wake up and go straight for more puff pastry and tea with cherry .... wtf?
15:15
the Viet government stipulated a few days ago that all owners of cell phone numbers whose information doesn't match the national database and who don't go to one of the phone company offices in the next two weeks will be disconnected..... that's probably why I got those two phone calls ......fucking bureaucrats ...... I hope Zalo will still work....
15:45
A cat wash with too much soap becomes a proper shower......finally....
18:00
No point napping.....I head out to buy shoe laces.....Taskin is still in his reception cubicle and says there is a store in the underground passage under the Metro tracks...... but at first I head to the fancy sneaker store just before Galata Bridge.....NO....no shoelaces....they tell me to go to a MALL.....
I find the TINY shoe store in the underground passage.....lo and behold.....laces for 20 TL ;-) I'm pretty sure that they are too short for the high tops but they'll come in handy when the old ones rip....
18:45
I EAT MORE .....fuck....but that bread is SO YUMMY ....
21:00
I Zalo Phap to remember his Gmail password and send me a message because I'm worried that if my phone number gets cancelled I will no longer be able to receive Zalo verification codes......
Stop worrying....I did everything I could....
22:00
But it bothers me to the point where I can't sleep..... well...also the fact that I haven't heard from him in over 24 hours....
sleep
Day III ???
4:00
OMG.....I am so stuffed up.... and my foot hurts from having walked in shoes (or was it the booze?)
at least all the food I ate yesterday comes out before I even have a coffee.....
I finish Lidia Poet on Netflix....it ends with a cliffhanger.....can't wait for the 2nd season ;-)
7:00
Eda calls back....HAPPY to hear her voice....
More food and wine..... still sneezing and sniffling :-(
8:00
time for another nap before I head to Taksim...
nap
9:00
HUNGRY again..... and it's cold in the apartment......Phap wrote..... his phone number is in danger too (he writes 'same same' as xem xem ;-)..... but of course no email..... ah well, I tried.... ...on the bright side "I miss Han very much. Han is everything. I love you".... OMFG..... gotta stop eating.... he might not like a wobbly white maggot coming back from Germany !
10:00
Taskin is still not there.....
Julian in Cambodia at first does not answer the phone....... but calls back.....and we talk for 40 minutes......
11:30
Take the Halic Metro to Taksim..... walk to COLIN's.....2 T-shirts (kind of feminine) ....they don't have a hoodie in my size.....I should have taken the small one to wear under the jacket.... but that's OK....then I buy 3 pairs of socks....1 US$ per pair.... can never have too many of them to wear inside the high-tops....
I walk back to Taksim, take the Metro back to Sishane..... 3 wine and 3 bread from Migros Jet....and walk back home...... OMG....those little green peppers are AMAZING with that cheese.....
I also bought a chocolate bar for $1.....too greasy.... but the sugar wants me to eat more..... NO !
13:00
Deflated.....
time for a nap.....
14:00
more cheese and peppers ;-).....a slight headache..... could it be the peppers?
The weather forecast: North Vancouver 4C....that means it's -1C at my house.....
14:30
Worrying about where to stay over Easter.....
doze, sink laundry
15:30
still that slight headache.....
15:45
Relief...after checking Google Maps for Frankfurt. There are no tobacco stores in Walldorf.....and one needs a German EC bank card to pull cigarettes out of a vending machine (to verify being over 18).....but there is a Kiosk with food and smokes almost right next to the hotel......KARMA ;-)
16:00
starting to plan my trip from Frankfurt to Karlsruhe ....
I set the alarm clock for 16:30
and doze off ;-)
16:30
coffee .....worn out....
I feed a slice of Hindi Fume to The Cat....same one who was there yesterday <pic> ;-)
17:00
Nothing from Taskin..... I have to stop drinking..... wish I had some teabags left....
17:10
Taskin signals....he says traffic sucks and the journey might take him 2 hours.....should have taken the ferry ... I feel bad for making him come out here just for dinner....
I walk down to the Halic Market to buy 2 packs of cigarettes and toilet paper (turns out to be kitchen towels) and cookies.....total: CAD 7.05 ....OMFG ..... that would have been ~ 17+17+3+2 = $39 in Canada.....
I doze (nap) for 30 mins .....
18:30
He should be here in 30 mins.... poor guy in traffic .....
18:40
I hear the door downstairs....but no one is knocking....
I see the Slavic couple who live above me walking by with their daughter......YUP....they do look like elephants which explains the stomping above my head in the middle of the night.....
19:30
Taskin is in the building but he still has some work to do.....and he says he took the ferry, so the delay was not traffic related..... ..
but no....he had to buy Istanbulcards for two of his guests and is delivering them now.
He keeps asking me when I will come back....I reply "When Allah wills"..... Inshallah !
We head to Bi Balik again.... This time I'm having Koefte..<pic>...let's hope I won't regret it.....
21:05
I hug him good bye since I won't see him again before I leave.
23:00
time to try to sleep....
nap
00:00
I thought I recognized that particular sound....... that most dreaded ugly sound.....car tires on a wet road... it's pouring outside.....
sleep
2:30
wide awake.....wtf?
I drink coffee...
3:15
Someone comes back to the hotel and stomps up the spiral staircase.....WTF?
back to bed....pressure relief....was just about time....
nap.....and I dream of Phap....
4:45
another coffee....
A poll.....action against climate change is only important to 33% of Germans....not important to 50% of Germans....they rest can't make up their minds..... fathomless ignorance and stupidity ....
at 5:15 I was just standing on my balcony having a cigarette...because at the mini-mosque in front of me the muezzin was calling the muslims to prayer..... it is kind of a calming sing-song sound.... Then I heard fainter calls of other muezzin at other mosques coming from various directions..... magical ;-)
5:30
An email from Toan Le Duc (Mr. Bikini) wanting to know when I come back to VH ..... ;-)
5:45
Some guest comes home NOW? ....the steps sound slurry and DRUNK..... ah well....
6:00
I call Eda..... good to hear her voice.....her mother is still asking to see me; she found a translator.....NICE people ..... someone is knocking on the door downstairs.....what is it with all these drunk idiots ?
6:30
The puff pastry cart is not there !!!.....actually makes sense.....it is Sunday...not many commuters using the Metro today....too bad...I was looking forward to that treat...
I look at my blog..... my first time in Vietnam was in October 2015.....OMG....that was 7.5 years ago .... and I get tears in my eyes...... and realize how fucking lucky I was .... that despite puking 4 times within a week or 10 days, I persevered and pushed it through.....
7:45
I put too much turkey on the piece of bread..... might as well check.....YES, there is a different cat in front of my balcony .....and it gets fed ;-)
8:00
On Sunday, Migros Jet doesn't open until 9:00 .... Google seems to be conflicted whether the entrance to Galata tower is TL 175 or 350 .....
Zulema replied....I send a Happy Birthday message to Taskin ....
nap
9:15
Fuck....the numbness in my right foot has spread to my big toe joint .....
Taskin replies with a sweet message ;-)
armpit wash.... and start sink laundry.....
9:45
I walk up the hill all the way to Galata Tower.... no puff pastry there either......and Migros Jet doesn't have any fresh bread..... or maybe it was fresh, but I leave without bread and without wine.....STUPID ! And the Kiosk up on that road is closed too.....DAMN Sundays ....but at least I got some exercise ....
I walk back down to Tool Street ....Halic Market is JUST opening..... I buy the 4 remaining Marlboro Touch he has...36TL = CAD 2.50/pack.... so far not a lucky day.... on the way back I feel a sharp pain in my big toe joint...
Sink laundry is drying
I feel very full, but research restaurants nearby anyway...
The big wrinkles/welts under my eyes are gone today...... what happened?
11:30 time for a nap?
nap
12:30
my foot is really worrying me....it's sunny outside and I'm afraid to go out ....
My foot is worrying me, in particular the fact that now the big toe is affected.
13:15
Should I go to the Koefte fast food restaurant? Or walk back up the hill to Galata? Taksim is out for today with my foot....I'm going to take it easy .....
I want wine and bread anyway....
14:00
Looking at Istanbul gay escorts (I have to use VPN, of course ;-) gets me off for the second time today.....
14:30
Tipsy and Tired
nap
15:30
Smoking on the balcony I finally realize why people stare....it's not the sandals or the socks....it's the shorts..... ONLY children wear shorts....NEVER grown men....I remember Karl commenting on that years ago.....it's the same in Germany !
clouds are rolling in ....time to head up the hill (for the 2nd time today) if I want to go shopping and want some warm food.....
baguette and wine from Migros Jet
And then I eat a Kebab with thick rice on that street...It's yummy.... the menu said 185, the bill comes to 205, I pay 225....I listen to Taskin.... of course I should have just had a tomato soup...because I don't want to get fat AND I don't want to miss tomorrow's flight because of a colic.....SHIT...I am a slow learner....
16:30
back in the room ...... and all that walking seems to have done wonders for my big toe....the issue seems to be gone....for now at least ...
bored.....still have to reply to Uwe....now he wants to know 'when and where'
All went swimmingly.... Uwe will be at my hotel around 18:30 tomorrow.
it's started to drizzle outside
18:30
nap
19:30
The road is WET ....
20:30
finally shave and shower....
Nothing from Phap :-(
21:30
OMG....I have to go to sleep soon..... my Istanbul retreat is at an end .....
sleep
