Jen's Blog

Mmmm....ya might be noticing that this entry is the same day as the last one. I'm kinda behind 'cause...I'M OUT DOING STUFF! Also, I have to actually go to an internet cafe here for access.

I am currently in Syria...what I'm doing this week you'll probably hear about next week. SO, this is the story of my journey to Aleppo from Istanbul.

Somehow got up early enough to eat Turkish breakfast and sip tea at the port (believe it.). Ferry across the Bosphorous early in the morning to the train station. On the train...

I got moved into a cabin with a girl from Colorado named Jennifer. We had a sleeping berth...the train is overnight - 9am Sun to 2pm Mon per schedule. We actually arrived a little late - 9pm (partly our fault). So, 36 hours on the train. It's cool though, 'cause I dig watching scenery from trains. I'm not describing it. I have photos, but no way to upload. Maybe I'll make everyone look at them when I get home. : D

SO, Jennifer was excellent company...very funny and unstressable. We were each thinking of putting 'sunshine spreader' under 'occupation' on the Syrian entry forms. I suspect we might as well have. We were on one of two sleeper cars filled mostly with western tourists as well as a handful of Turks. We were the only Americns. There was no food or water available so we stocked up (which is very easy here since there are thousands of dried fruit and nut stands). North of the border, our sleeper cars were removed from the Turkish train and added to a Syrian engine. So, for the duration of the trip, we had exhaust billowing through the windows. Most of the passengers on our car didn't seem to notice...probably because of the extent of their smoking habits. This trip is not for the faint of lung.

So, we get to the border and everyone gets off the train to go through the usual border processing. We all have our stamped passports and are boarding the train when Jen and I are called back by the border patrol and taken into a room for more questioning. As we are answering, our train leaves. Fun. No, actually, we thought it was kinda funny. So, we make it through more questioning and are now just hanging out at the station with some border patrol guys who want to practice their English. One of the guys went and picked mint for us to chew...they were very cool. The train came back and we boarded. We flop into our cabin. Ten minutes later, the border partol is searching our stuff. I felt like kind of a hypochondriac as they went through my med kit. They couldn't believe all the meds were just for me. It's all just-in-case stuff like antibiotics, re-hydration salts, Tums. The ususal mystery food backup stuff....five months worth. So, they took some back to the station for analysis (?). A while later, they returned with what was left and let us go on our way.

We had apologies from the border guards for our trouble, visits from the other passengers to see if we were ok, and free Turkish coffee from the train stewards....mmmmmmm.....

All in all....welcomed to Syria

For my friends who mentioned meeting up with me here in June, I know you'll love it. I think any type of traveller would love it there. It's easy enough to stay in the tourist area...which is spectacular. Photos can't really capture it because the other senses are so important to the atmosphere.

There is just a park that separates Aya Sophia from the Blue Mosque. So, I could stand in the middle of the park and look at the Blue Mosque, then turn 180 degrees and look at Aya Sophia, then turn 180 degrees again and look at the Blue Mosqe, then turn 180 degrees....

Oh, and then I had to do it again at sunrise and again at sunset. The Blue Mosque has this luminous glow even though it's made of grey stone.

Then there are the smells of the Spice Bazaar...coffee, cardamom, henna...

And the call to prayer echoing amongst the buildings:

Beyond the tourist area, the city is crazy dynamic. There are over 11 million people and I think they are all out and moving.

I mostly just bopped around the tourist area. I did a tour of Aya Sophia and met a guy from Peru who's been living in the US and we hit the Taksim district which is the hip party street....it's packed with people for miles every night. But, I'll be back later to check out more. So, if you were thinking of coming out...

Sorry, no photos right now due to technical difficulties.

Um. Apparently I was supposed to have a person that I check ın wıth every week. Whoever you are, just want to let you know that I've arrıved safely...

And now thıs same sectıon typed on a Turkısh keyboard:

<<umç Apparently <ı was supposed to have a person that ı check ın wıth every weekç Whoever you areö just want to let you know thaıt <ıive arrıved safelyççç

There was a "securıty ıncıdent" that caused a bıt of a flıght delay...ın LONDON. Those dang Western countrıes are SO dangerous. But other than thıs (and the hell that ıs economy aır travel), the flıght was entırely decent. I sat next to a Canadıan couple who were on theır way to Iran and Indıa. They had already traveled ın Lebanon, Syrıa, and Turkey but wanted to go to the next cool place. After that I ran ınto a couple more Amerıcan gırls who had done the solo Syrıa & Lebanon thıng. I am SO on the beaten path.

Oooo....thıs one's for my co-workers. At Heathrow aırport. Please forward to Facılıtıes:

Totally effectıve.

OK...for those of you who are all worried that it might be dangerous where I'm going...as of this week I now have what appears to be a drug house next door. Either that or a clump of homeless folk discovered it was vacant. Seriously. I'm calling the RE management company in the morning.

Also...booking ahead my first night in Istanbul (I'm getting soft - to be fair, I arrive late at night so am not enamoured of the idea of schlepping around in the dark looking for a place to stay).

Preview....I booked a bunk on their rooftop terrace:

Kinda cute, isn't it?

Packing is....a million little things.

At this point I'm removing my refrigerator magnets. I have that magnetic poetry kit up there - the one with all the miscellaneous words one can arrange. Over the years friends and family have messed with it, creating masterpieces and gibberish. I don't know who's responsible for what, but on many I have a good guess. So, for posterity....

I that would die
Night is over
Wake me

Translucent lips
Bleed deep red in porcelain
Perfume breath blue
Voice

We know God
But
Eat

Kiss men who dazzle their women

Cat boy
Broken and growling
by the smoky and webbish picture window
Cloudless dirt day
He is crank's prisoner

Life is a good as
Peace
Present here

Bring me champagne

With an almost brilliant blush
Ferocious
My desire

Pierced velvet morning
like some soft needle
Color melts away

Sexy naked women lingering for coffee