A Weekend Without Internet Doesn't Mean I Don't Write!
Saturday
A pick up has been driving up and down the street today, billowing clouds of white smoke. Calm music plays and a reassuring voice repeats a simple message in Turkish which I can't understand. It might have something to do with the huge numbers of mosquitoes and other nasties that lurk around this city in the summer. I'm back and Istanbul is swinging. My first weekend back and I've already run around two malls, ridden the metro three times, and eaten Turkish fast food. Ah! Civilization!
I'm back in M.köy, no more great western expanses for me. At least not for a few more days. I'm house sitting for the ladies while they're enjoying the coasts of Italy, and I feel so lucky, they have a wonderful house that's very well situated half-way up the hill surrounded by small shops. I unwittingly repeated a shopping blunder that's probably going to get me a few more times before I learn. There are innocently marked green plastic bottles that say "Uludağ Gazoz" making me think, "Score cheep mineral water." but on the side in tiny letters it lets me know it's "Karşik Meyve Aromlı Gazoz" Which means it tastes like weak 7Up, pronounced 'zoop' here. Look at a can, you'll know what I'm saying. Mineral water almost always comes in little green glass bottles, so you'd think I would learn.
Anyway, back at the apartment things are slamming, laundry, shopping, and still no internet. Nothing quite lets me down like joining an open wireless network only to find it connected to a modem desperately in need of resetting. Laundry is progressing into those final stages of, "Well, I don't have room to take this back to the States with me." And planning my wardrobe for the next two weeks.
One of the neighborhood cats must love the ladies, because while I was hanging laundry I bumped into a very fresh kill. Looking up I saw a large tabby looking back, expectantly. I threw the rodent back, I had other dinner plans. A short walk and I was at Cevahir mall and up to the food court for a couple funky pizza things from a Turkish fast food joint. I'm hooked on these things, but they're dirt cheep so it's all good.
Earlier I went shopping in Kanyon mall, wheee this place is so fun to look at, too bad all the stores are super expensive designer merchandise. I went there for one shirt actually, at the OttomanEmpire.
Gotta give it up for that.
Kanyon has impressive and pleasing architecture. While Cevahir feels like being in a huge air-conditioned aqua-blue box with shiny gold pillars everywhere, Kanyon feels like you're in well, a canyon, but a neat industrial vibe. Or like some scene out of Star Wars...
Sunday
Hot and humid are good words to describe mid-July in Istanbul and I'm spending as much of the day as I can inside. I have lots of packing to do since I need to move around a few more times before my departure in two weeks. It's wild just to think of leaving this place. I've become so accustomed to Istanbul and Turkey, what's it going to be like going to a country where everyone is speaking English? Egads. Well today when I muster up the drive, I'm heading down to Haci Baba's, my old yemek-ing spot, for lunch.
I'd take the computer to an internet cafe and hook up for a minute, but I'm determined to finish encoding this DVD of the Wedding in Batman. If anyone wants a copy, I'll provide at cost of materials and shipping, email me and we can work out details. Over 100 minutes of sheep butchery, dancing, and people getting hitched!
A pick up has been driving up and down the street today, billowing clouds of white smoke. Calm music plays and a reassuring voice repeats a simple message in Turkish which I can't understand. It might have something to do with the huge numbers of mosquitoes and other nasties that lurk around this city in the summer. I'm back and Istanbul is swinging. My first weekend back and I've already run around two malls, ridden the metro three times, and eaten Turkish fast food. Ah! Civilization!
I'm back in M.köy, no more great western expanses for me. At least not for a few more days. I'm house sitting for the ladies while they're enjoying the coasts of Italy, and I feel so lucky, they have a wonderful house that's very well situated half-way up the hill surrounded by small shops. I unwittingly repeated a shopping blunder that's probably going to get me a few more times before I learn. There are innocently marked green plastic bottles that say "Uludağ Gazoz" making me think, "Score cheep mineral water." but on the side in tiny letters it lets me know it's "Karşik Meyve Aromlı Gazoz" Which means it tastes like weak 7Up, pronounced 'zoop' here. Look at a can, you'll know what I'm saying. Mineral water almost always comes in little green glass bottles, so you'd think I would learn.
Anyway, back at the apartment things are slamming, laundry, shopping, and still no internet. Nothing quite lets me down like joining an open wireless network only to find it connected to a modem desperately in need of resetting. Laundry is progressing into those final stages of, "Well, I don't have room to take this back to the States with me." And planning my wardrobe for the next two weeks.
One of the neighborhood cats must love the ladies, because while I was hanging laundry I bumped into a very fresh kill. Looking up I saw a large tabby looking back, expectantly. I threw the rodent back, I had other dinner plans. A short walk and I was at Cevahir mall and up to the food court for a couple funky pizza things from a Turkish fast food joint. I'm hooked on these things, but they're dirt cheep so it's all good.
Earlier I went shopping in Kanyon mall, wheee this place is so fun to look at, too bad all the stores are super expensive designer merchandise. I went there for one shirt actually, at the OttomanEmpire.
Gotta give it up for that.
Kanyon has impressive and pleasing architecture. While Cevahir feels like being in a huge air-conditioned aqua-blue box with shiny gold pillars everywhere, Kanyon feels like you're in well, a canyon, but a neat industrial vibe. Or like some scene out of Star Wars...
Sunday
Hot and humid are good words to describe mid-July in Istanbul and I'm spending as much of the day as I can inside. I have lots of packing to do since I need to move around a few more times before my departure in two weeks. It's wild just to think of leaving this place. I've become so accustomed to Istanbul and Turkey, what's it going to be like going to a country where everyone is speaking English? Egads. Well today when I muster up the drive, I'm heading down to Haci Baba's, my old yemek-ing spot, for lunch.
I'd take the computer to an internet cafe and hook up for a minute, but I'm determined to finish encoding this DVD of the Wedding in Batman. If anyone wants a copy, I'll provide at cost of materials and shipping, email me and we can work out details. Over 100 minutes of sheep butchery, dancing, and people getting hitched!
posted by Alex Gray at 07:14
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