Day 6: Today we were picked up from our hostel at 810 am; it is the first time since we got here that we haven't had to walk a hill. From there we were taken to Kabatas where we boarded our boat. Our first stop was maiden's tower at the southern entrance of the bosphorus straight. It was originally built to control the entrance of Persian ships. It is now, like many historical sites, a popular restaurant. Next we headed to Ortokay which has the only mosque that looks like and Orthodox church on the outside because a Christian architect was sanctioned to build it. We had the most interesting baked potato, my words not Terri's, that was stuffed with corn, peas, peppers, black olives, sour cream, chives, and some other ingredients I did not recognize ... read more

Day 4: The Islands Today we woke up and it was a cool 40 degrees after the humidex. Wonderful, since we have arrived there has not been a single cloud in the sky and it just keeps getting hotter and hotter. I really enjoy the heat, heck, lets just make it an even 50 degrees and call it good! For those unaware, that first paragraph was once again sarcasm. On the cab ride to our hostel we were told about the Prince's Islands in the sea of Maramara so we decided to go and check them out. The trip over to the islands nearly broke the bank costing us a whole 3,50 TL each way for the 90 minute ferry ride. I decided we would go to the second largest of the nine islands which is ... read more

Day 2 This morning I got up at 630 am and for those that know me that is just unheard of so I am going to bore you with a few facts before we start to pass the time. Turkey has 81 provinces and 8 different climatic regions. Within those provinces lie 80 million people; 14 of which are found in Istanbul. On top of that Istanbul has an area that is 2000 square kilometers smaller than the city of Toronto which has 5 million people. Istanbul is also the only city in the world to be in two continents. Enough boring stuff, lets get down to the nitty gritty! This morning at sunrise, before even I got up, the prayers could be heard above the songs of the birds. It doesn't take long for the ... read more

4 July, 2011 Day one of our trip. So far so good! We got on the plane and it flew without any delays, landing gear malfunctions, or idiots working the customer service desk. I am currently sitting in Vancouver with Terri enjoying the relaxing atmosphere of the airport for approximately the next three hours. The day started out like normal with Mom driving me to the airport to meet Terri. (Thanks Mom, I love you!) We duct taped up our hiking bags and proceeded through security. Once on the other side I was starting to have some typical Corey moments. When sitting down to eat I almost fell down not once but twice because I couldn't figure out how to get out of a chair. (I think they teach that in the first grade, I must ... read more