I’m currently in Bodrum, Turkey, staying in Rauf’s grandparent’s house and waking up to this view every morning:

(Bodrum view)

Staying in a house by ourselves has plenty of advantages; multiple bedrooms, multiple bathrooms, and space to workout. But the main one being that we have a full kitchen and grill. As much fun as it is eating out every meal, the pattern gets old and, Egypt’s food poisoning aside, it gets pretty unhealthy. Waking up, making my own cup of coffee, and fixing breakfast is a routine I didn’t know I missed until now. I can’t count the amount of bad cups of coffee I’ve had over the past three months and it’s nice to finally break the streak. We’ve also spent the past few nights grilling lamb, chicken, steak, fish, and an assortment of fresh vegetables and they’ve been some of the most enjoyable meals I’ve had of late. Sitting out on the terrace eating a steak, drinking some wine or whiskey, and finishing the night with Season 2 of Arrested Development has been a sublime change of pace. Anyone who thinks they can keep up the rate of travel we’ve been lately and not long for some sort of break from it is sorely mistaken.

Besides Bodrum, the other obvious highlight of Turkey has been Istanbul. Istanbul is the first city we’ve hit on this trip that is technically (partially) in Europe and it’s a refreshing change. I’m not saying I didn’t immensely enjoy South East Asia, India, and Egypt but it is just so much easier to travel in European cities. Tons of cafes, tons of restaurants, fresh fruits and vegetables that don’t carry the veiled threat of food borne illness, lots of English speaking locals ready to woo you into their stores and restaurants…. However, you tend to pay for these luxuries. Outside of Australia, Istanbul has probably been the most expensive place we’ve traveled yet. But it’s worth it, I assure you.

(Inside the Hagia Sophia)

The city is divided by the snaking Bosphorus River; one side in Europe and the other in Asia. We stayed mostly in the European side where the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and dozen other famous attractions were only a leisurely two minute walk away. The city is beautiful and has that common narrow cobblestone street charm you often hope to find. The skyline with it's minarets and mosques freckled throughout is amazing. All of the sites we went to were likewise amazing. It boils down to the city was pretty amazing. It’s a city that I could see recommending to every person I know, unless of course I hate you and then I’d just assume a late night arrival to New Delhi or some fresh cucumbers in Cairo. But Istanbul has everything you could want in a city as a travel destination; historic culture, nightlife, restaurants, shopping, sites, strong coffee, baklava, and most importantly the people can speak at least enough English for you to not have to resort to gesturing like an idiot for a glass of juice. Its interesting what makes a city enjoyable at this point.

So what’s next… we’ll be in Bodrum for another week it seems, travel further south to a few cities, fly back to Istanbul for a bit, then into mainland Europe for the final leg of the trip. I’ve got another three months left before I return and the months just seem to be blazing by at this point. Before long it’ll be back to family and friends and whatever remnants of the “real world” still exist for me.

But until then I press on…