Bird Flu

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Wasn't really happy when the alarm went off at 9. I rang Chriso but my phone went dead in the process. This led to us not getting up for another hour. When we did get up we had the continental breakfast which wasn't too bad, but the owner/manager (?) was saying that we owed him for another room because our friends didn't turn up. I said "uh er", and that he obviously didn't understand what I was saying during our conversation the previous evening. He gave up almost straight away, so I don't know whether it was a legitimate mistake, or whether he was being dodgy - his English seemed fine.
Not long after the boys were down for their breakfast, which was a bit different, as it consisted of Bloody Mary's. While the boys had a prolonged breakfast I went and sorted out how we were getting to Gallipoli. The plan had been to hire a car, but instead the best option seems to be getting a one-way ticket on a bus, and then making our own way back to Istanbul via public transport for our flight home.
We all made our way upstairs to the roof of the backpackers and it was quite a spectacular view of Istanbul. The camera is busted it seems though, so we'll have to rely on the boys for their shots.
It was pretty much lunch time by now so we headed out to see the sights of Istanbul. Chocolate jumped up on Razi's shoulders mucking around as we were walking the streets, and then went to get down by sliding down a pole and managed to rip a huge hole out of his crotch. So now Chocolate was walking around Istanbul, which was very busy and crowded, with the biggest hole out of his crotch.
Choc's way of dealing with the situation was to buy a t-shirt and wear it as an apron. At the same time I bought a disposable camera for 20 Lira after haggling the guy down from 35 Lira, it still wasn't that cheap though.
After taking a few photos around the main square we kept moving and Az led us into a shop that sold carpets among other things. Haleem was the guy who ran the shop, and he told us all to sit down, while he organised apple tea for all of us. At this point Chocolate disappeared with one of the workers who was going to try and fit him into a pair of leather pants. Chriso had earlier offered 100 Lira to Chocolate if he could manage to swap pants with someone. The apple tea was really nice, and I was waiting in anticipation to see Chocolate in his leather pants. When Chocolate didn't appear after a while, Razi voiced our concerns by asking the guy where our mate had gone. We didn't really get a response, but after a while longer Chocolate re-appeared, but still in his ripped pants. We had finished our apple teas a while back, but one of the workers went and got one for Chocolate. Haleem had been entertaining us by doing tricks with Razi's spinning top toy while we were waiting, but Razi's tricks were just as good!
Haleem was very friendly and we talked to him about everything, and he seemed to enjoy the banter and conversation. Meanwhile Chocolate and his new friend were getting along like a house on fire. All of a sudden Chocolate looked at his new mate and said, "I'll give you some Lira for your pants". They haggled over the price and then duly swapped. It was hilarious, we were all rolling around in stitches. Choccy's mate was laughing along with us. The guy did put on Chocolate's ripped pants, but then reverted to his long johns, before putting on a pair of old jeans he must have had with him. The funniest part was that the pants fitted Chocolate perfectly, and Choccy was insisting that Chriso pay up his part of the bet.
Chocolate's new mate offered to guide us to the Turkish Baths, so he either genuinely liked us, or he was really happy with the deal he got for the pants! Before we left, Haleem tried to sell rugs and wares to the newly married couple, but we found it surprisingly expensive. So off we went with our guide towards the 300 year old baths. He was very helpful telling us where we had to be careful in Istanbul, and to be wary of pick-pockets.
The front of the Turkish baths proudly advertised the fact they were in the book, 'One Thousand Things To Do Before You Die'. So the baths looked promising to say the least. Once we were inside we said goodbye to Beck as they separate males from females. After getting changed into just a towel and some funky sandals, everyone was disappointed to find that the masseuse would be an old man.
I was the last one to get my massage, so I got to see the boys get poked, prodded, bent, etc before it was my go. Chocolate's masseuse made heaps of noise while he was working on Chocolate which was a bit weird. The massage wasn't as vicious as a Myotherapy treatment (!), but it was still fairly vigourous. At times it felt like my skin was tearing, and that was from the massage, not the exfoliating!
After we'd had our massages we sat in a hot room for a bit before having a shower (a running tap you splash yourself down with), and then getting fresh towels. We had our photo taken with all of the old Turkish guys, and I think they actually liked the fact we were from Australia. They boys (read Chocolate) were very inquisitive about Beck's massage, even though it sounded much like ours.
We felt nice and refreshed after the massage and we all agreed it was time for lunch. We were going to head back to Haleem's, because they had recommended a place to eat for us, but we didn't make it back. The reason being that a little family restaurant had people out the front talking up their place, and they persuaded us to stay. Our table was out on the street and we all ordered chicken kebabs and beers. While we were waiting we couldn't help but notice how many people were crammed into each car. They obviously don't follow the one seatbelt per person rule.
When our chicken kebabs were brought out the waiter made a joke about bird flu, which he found hysterical, and in hindsight I can appreciate the humour, but at the time I must admit I raised my eyebrows. The kebabs were nice, and after scoffing them down we headed back to the hostel so the boys could book their transport down to Gallipoli. On the way back there were hawkers trying to polish our shoes, and sell us their wares, etc.
The boys went into the place that Beck and I booked our trip to Gallipoli with. The main guy was asleep at the back, and the boys gave him a hard time (in jest), but it shows just how busy the locals are at this time of the year both at work and partying. The boys couldn't decide what they would do at first, because Az had to be back in Istanbul by the 28th and the others not until the 30th. The main guy who had been asleep was a good bloke, but there was another guy in there trying to get the boys to go on one of his cruises who was a bit of a loser. The fact he resembled Meatloaf didn't help! Funnily enough I thought he had a hint of an Australian accent when he spoke English.
In the end the boys settled on a return trip from Gallipoli. Once this was settled we decided to walk towards the beach looking for a bar which had a good view. As soon as we left the main street many of the buildings were decrepit, and had fallen into disrepair. Many of them looked like they were about to fall down.
There were kids who were pestering us into buying things, or just asking for money. Razi ended up giving one of them some coin, but only after he had put one over his shoulder and pretended to carry him off into the sunset. We walked around for a while as we couldn't settle on a place that suited. The main road that runs along the water is used as a speedway by every car with all of their passengers piled in. Az braved the traffic by crossing the road and went and spoke to some fisherman, and checked out their daily catch. Az stops and talks to anyone and everyone and loves it.
We finally settled on a bar that overlooked the water. Our waitress was a bit bizarre, she didn't really speak English, but she made up for this by communicating through body language, although it was a bit graphic at times, particularly when she demonstrated where the toilet was! Walking inside to the toilet you had to watch your step so that you didn't fall through the floor.
It was really good sitting back having a few beers and a laugh, sharing stories of our travels. If you know the boys you'll have to ask Az about his time in Prague, and Razi's story from Austria is hilarious as well. I think Razi is also currently winning the tube competition where the winner is the person who wakes up on the train furthest from Brixton after a big night out.
While we were busy laughing and story telling we noticed a pod of dolphins jumping out of the water, but I don't think the disposable camera will do it justice.
After our round of beers we headed back towards the backpackers, and we looked for somewhere to get a bite to eat, but there was nothing happening. By the time we got back to the hostel I had a headache, but one of the girls gave me an equivalent of a Panadol which helped. We made a quick decision on getting back that we would go on a ferry cruise, so we went across the road and bought tickets. We have been more social on this travel adventure, when normally we would be more focused on the sights, but it has still been good. We were hoping on the cruise we'll get to see more of Istanbul.
It took a while for the bus to come to take us to the ferry, and i think the ferry may have had to wait for us. No one on board seemed to care though as it was one big party. There was some really cool buildings and bridges to see, but I didn't know what any of them were called, or what the history behind them was.
Inside the party was really pumping, and the boys were starting to fire up. Razi and Az were happy to pose for photos. There were heaps of other Aussies on the ferry and I spoke to a couple of them outside. Az (who by now I'm referring to as Azerbaijan) and I had a deep and meaningful out on the deck, and Beck and I are planning to meet up with him later on in the year in Galway.
There was a big queue for the one toilet on the ferry when we docked so I jumped off and found another one nearby. On my way back I over heard two girls saying, "Did you see that guy fall off the ferry into the water!?" Straight away I had this picture in my head of Chocolate being man overboard, and sure enough when I got back to the boat he was the man in question. Chocolate hadn't fallen completely in, but he had a huge bruise on his leg from where it got stuck between the boat and the dock. Luckily there was plenty of pain killers in his blood stream already to dull the pain.
Once again there was a toilet you had to pay for. It was only girls in the queue, as the guys just walked off and found a tree. I personally think it's a rort. If it was a machine you paid to go then maybe I would understand, but to have a person sitting on a chair collecting money? It isn't right making money off people needing to go to the toilet. The upkeep of the toilets doesn't match the money that comes in, and it just encourages people to go to the toilet in public.
Anyway, we weren't sure what bus we were catching back to the hostel, so we managed to sneak on a tour bus. Everyone on this tour bus had to get up at 6 a.m to head to Gallipoli, but many of them were still partying pretty hard. One of the guys was giving out free cans of beer so we definitely got on the right bus! I sat near the tour leader who didn't seem too impressed we were on the bus (understandably), but after talking to her for a bit she seemed pretty cool.
The bus dropped us off at the bottom end of our street, Beck and I headed for a kebab before heading back to the hostel. The boys still had plenty of hours left in them, but Beck and I had an early start so we bid them goodnight and then crashed out.

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