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Published: April 16th 2011
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During this trip there are a few times where I would post two entries at the same this is mainly due to timing of Internet access and general scheduling. I only mention this because when I have posted two entries at once the second entry gets buried and missed,you may want to go back a few posts and check out the post title Cappadocia if you haven't already.
This is my mid east wrap up that I had planned to write on the plane to Thailand but I got caught up in reading my book on the plane,,, again. Anyways I am writing this sitting next to the pool in my hotel it is 34C and sunny out and I have sun burns from snorkeling and sea walking on Coral Island yesterday. But I will get to that in another post.
My last full day in the middle east was yet another busy day, We woke up had a decent breakfast at the hotel buffet and realized Stacey's ankle had gotten worse so instead of hitting the sights right away we were off to the hospital to get Stacey's ankle x-rayed. The hospital in Istanbul was extremely fast and
within one hour they had determined Stacey did not have any breaks, they let us know where to buy some crutches so she could get around without agitating it any worse. After 3 cab rides, an x-ray and doctor consolation, and purchase of adjustable crutches the total cost came to less than $200. As much as Americans or Canadians talk health care this would never have been dealt with as quickly in Canada and no where near as cheap in the USA. After getting Stacey back to the hotel she went for a nap and Amy, Tash and I were off to see the sights in Istanbul. Amy and Tash gave me a brief walking tour before our first stop the blue mosque this mosque is still in active use and I must admit was pretty surprised to see it turned into such a tourist attraction with most of the woman in the mosque not even bother to cover their hair. After that we were on our way to what will be the last mosque visit on my tour Hagia Sohpia Mosque this mosque is no longer in active use, which made me feel a lot better about walking through
it, taking pictures and generally being a tourist. I never felt comfortable taking pictures of mosques while people were praying or weeping in the background. This mosque was probably the most impressive mosque we saw but a picture is worth a thousand words so Ill post some of this mosque in the blog post.
With what was left of the afternoon we walked around the European side of Istanbul and visited the Basilica Cistern, this massive under ground structure was originally part of a palace in the third and fourth centuries, but after a fire and change of empires was converted into a massive water storage and filtration system. This was once again another impressive historical sight I had no idea existed and the more I think about it I come to realize that the world if filled with far ore history than I ever could have imagined, if there are this many amazing wonders throughout the world that was have found, just think of how many have been destroyed or lost through time. With the major tourist attractions closing for the day we decided to skip the grand bazaar and palace so we could relax a bit before
going too see the whirling dervishes and go for a late dinner. The dervishes were very impressive in their ability to spin for up to ten minutes straight without appearing to get the least bit disorientated. Tash and Amy really enjoyed it, I must admit I fell asleep a few times as the room was quite dark, and the music quite mellow. The whole trip I kind of expected our last night together would be a wild late night but it was not meant to be so after a late dinner I said goodbye to Gem and we went to bed by midnight.
Stacey and I met Tash early in the morning for breakfast and than we went out and explored the Palace, I was very glad to arrive right as the doors opened as there were very few tourists. It was a great chance to explore the palace at our own speed since Stacey was limping alone and there were some fantastic sights especially in the treasury where the old precious jewels were on display unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures of the jewels but one of them had a diamond the size of my fist.
The walk back from the palace was kind of sad is once again I found myself saying goodbye to a friend who I had shared such an amazing trip with. When we got back to Tash's hotel Amy was waiting and Amy and I said goodbye as Tash got into her cab for the hotel. Amy, Stacey and I decided to check out the Grand Bazaar but after the walk there we found out it was closed so we had some food,and one last drink shesha smoking session before I myself was the one saying goodbye and getting in a cab.
With the mid east wrapped up I am sitting here and reflecting on what an amazing group we had and how different the trip could have been without the people we had. Even though over the last twenty eight days people or quirks would frustrate you at times, it was expected when a group of people spend ten to twenty hours a day together for four weeks straight. What was not expected was the friendships we would form, and the amazing memories we will share I hope to see at least some of them on travels in the
future.
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