Again, hot air balloon wake up call. This time a balloon had landed in the space below our hotel, so it was right in front of me and I really got a sense of the size. Passengers got off, others got on and then it took off. It is really a magnificent site to see in the morning.
After breakfast I was picked up by the shuttle to take me to the airport. It is a quick trip to Istanbul, about 1 hour 20 minutes. I was talking to a couple on the shuttle who have a shuttle booked the other end to take them into central Istanbul from the airport. Hoping to be able to access it too, instead of a bus and taxi – cheaper and more direct. I shared my hand cream with a Turkish woman beside me on the plane. She then proceeded to snort and cough (as if coughing up a fur ball!) the whole trip – pleasant!!
Back in crazy Istanbul, I felt as if I was coming home as all the staff in the hotel had smiles on their faces when they saw me. What to do next in Istanbul – I have very little time left in this city. After a shower I decided to head off and tackle the Grand Bazaar but on the way I bumped into a friend from the carpet shop who said he had time to take me out site seeing – I decided what I really wanted to do was play backgammon (a traditional Turkish board game) and smoke nargileh (water pipe), so that is what we did for the next few hours. I really enjoy the game but am not good at concentrating on it...need to keep practicing. Would love to buy a backgammon board here but would weight too much (buying a decent one that is). I then went to the Grand Bazaar for a wander around and to purchase some drawings of whirling dervishes – my reminder of my time in this beautiful country.
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| Soccer supporters celebrating their teams win with flares, music and cheering |
Dinner was at a local restaurant, followed by more backgammon and a couple of drinks. It was great having company and being taken to places I didn’t even know existed.
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| Blue Mosque at night |
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