Greetings from Transjordan

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17 March 2012 8:42 local time



Final thoughts on Istanbul:
Minarets are much broader than I imagined. They look skinny only because the mosques they are next to are so huge. Tigger and Lilly are really heavy compared to Istanbul cats.I explored pretty far afield in this city, and saw none of what I would call abject poverty. I woke up Friday at 2:30, packed, and met my shuttle ride down stairs. I had to check out first. When I was quoted my price, I had to explain and show documents what the right price was. Then I was told the previous price had been quoted in lira not euros. Uh huh. The hotel does every thing in euros. Whatever it got straightened out. The shuttle to the airport was quicker than I was told, but had to wait over an hour for the checking gate to open. We rode to the plane in a bus and entered from outside. The flight was wonderful and included a breakfast. Upon landing, I was cleared at passport control. More questions than usual, but fewer than there could have been. I then caught my train right when it was leaving. I wasn't positive it was the right train, but it was. A taxi took me to the bus station from which I caught the early bus to Eilat (which I had been pronouncing wrong) the bus was long but not. Driving through Israel is a lot like driving through central California as Fresno gives way to the Mohave. Crossing the boarder had a lot of stops, but I was the only one doing it so it was relatively quick. The hotel is really fancy. The bed was soft and it was quiet (very unlike Istanbul). I fell asleep easily with half an hour of arriving. I woke about 3:30, called Melly and my parents and then went back asleep until 8. I'm now at breakfast- the red peppers are amazing, very sweet and yummy. Today is a day at the beach.

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