He Lives! Also, Preperations

BOO! Scared you, didn't I? It's been, what, ten months or so since I last wrote to you? It seems that I only remember to post here when I'm going on long trips of some kind. Take a guess why I'm posting now.

What's that, Timmy? I'm going to be visiting Ecuador and Panama over the next few weeks? GET OUT OF MY HEAD. You were supposed to guess, not cheat with psychic powers. You're not Professor X, Timmy. Only he gets to do that.

Nevertheless, you are correct. Over the course of the next three weeks I shall be traveling through Ecuador and Panama, with a brief tour of the Galapagos Islands along the way. The purpose of this adventure is primarily to visit two friends of mine, each of them in the Peace Corps conducting a project in one of the aforementioned countries. Joining me shall be my friend and trusty sidekick, Chris. Chris is an Actual Human, and is In No Way A Robot Of My Own Design. He shall not fail his mission, and if the TSA stops him for being made of metal I can't be held accountable for my super-villainous actions.

Ahem.

As I was saying, I shall be visiting two Peace Corps friends while touring these wonderful countries with a friend. I have been preparing some time for this trip, with everything from purchasing tickets well in advance to injecting terrible diseases into my delta muscles, so that I can outlive them and become invincible. I have even moved my possessions out from my current apartment, as I change over to a new lease while I am away. Even my job description may change while I am on vacation! These next three weeks shall truly be transformational, no matter what I do. Thus, why not do everything?

As Friday morning approaches, I largely focus on finishing as much work as I can before I pack the last of my stuff and head out for good. The A/C unit shall be the last thing to go, as it alone holds back the oppressive New England mugginess which plagues our fair summers. Second to last shall be this laptop, I am sure, since who knows how often I shall have reliable internet access. Rest assured though, dear reader, that I shall be writing of my journey and taking a ludicrous amount of pictures for the days that I will be able to upload them. I shall do this for you. I promise.

One last fun fact before I begin the trip: I speak absolutely no Spanish! Each of my friends understands at least a little, but being the terrible American that I am, I only understand French and a smattering of Mandarin. We shall see how many hilarious hijinks unfold from this. I expect to be swindled out of cash, mostly, but you never know! I have never been more excited about the prospect of not understanding what's going on around me.

He Lives Again,

Hyde

Welcome to Porter

It is raining in Somerville. This is a good thing. The rains mean I have an excuse to make myself a pot of tea and read lazily in a corner.

Actually, that is a lie. I rarely have the time to read for the sake of reading these days. I shall likely instead be forcing myself to write shorthand, or checking my upcoming calendar for opportunities to meet up with friends, or perhaps updating my long list of Things I Want To Create Some Day. It has acquired about thirty or so items on it since I started writing down things a year ago, and it grows by the month. It's become rather intimidating, to be frank (though who wants to be Frank? He's a bit of a jerk).

Sorry, that was not a tangent I should subject you to. No one aside from me would truly care about my designs to build and operate a flying cafe and bakery. No, you would much rather see some pictures of things. Perhaps this blog shall give me an excuse to get out in Boston with my camera more; we shall see.

While I consider that further, your image for the day is the most terrifying set of stairs known to the Red Line: Porter Square.

Halfway down the Eternal Escalator

The subway station at Porter Square is buried deep beneath the surface of the earth, for some reason only a failed civil engineer could think was a good idea. As a result, you get to and from the trains via two long escalators. You have two choices in dealing with these sinister beasts. One, you simply get on and wait for death as you descend into the bowels of the earth. Two, you walk down the escalators and shave off a minute or two, at the expense of feeling like you walked up or down a mountain.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no third option. Those stairs on the sides are for decoration only. My sister once tried them when she came to visit me. Poor soul.

I love how the hanging posters mock you as you travel. Pictures of the trains you'll miss as you descend. Pictures of the birds you won't see in the sky as you ascend.

At some point I'll post further on travel through Boston. The T is a mystical, marvelous thing, and only Hong Kong's MTR system has bested it from my personal travels.

-Hyde

The Last Leg

This post comes to you after flying back to the states and sleeping for a year and a day. Or maybe it was just a really good few days. It's hard for me to tell. In any case I PROMISE I AM NOT DEAD. I'll probably try to update this every week, given my insatiable need to occupy all hours of my waking life with some form of activity (I am rather terrible at this, and so often feel antsy when I'm, say, sitting down to write a blog, or reading about cats on the internet).

We now resume our story.

Last Tuesday (not tomorrow) was my last full day in Istanbul. Jeremy was out to work in the morning again, and Sonia and I had made plans to see another palace before meeting up with one of Jeremy's friends at 1PM. Little did we know both of us would have a terrible nights sleep, resulting in an extremely slow wakeup routine.

We got the the palace around 1 and met up with Safya. The palace was written off as a failure. Instead we traveled for the first time north of the gigantic bridge, to Bebek (stopping in a cafe for some much-needed caffeination along the way). It was gorgeous.

HI NEW FRIEND

Reach, man! You can do it!

We saw this tower thing in the distance and decided to hike up a huge hill to climb it. Turns out it is a museum thing, and you aren't allowed inside. We climbed hills for about twenty minutes, all for naught. Sadface.

Also during this time the roads decided to get crazy weird. No dividing lines, no pedestrian access, all deadly cars. It was like playing a really poor rendition of Frogger.

TAKE THAT, WALL!

This is my riding-the-bus face. I have no idea why people keep calling the cops on me.

After the failed attempt to climb The Unattainable Tower, we went back to Kadikoy and found a minibus to some kind of huge bazaar.

Inside the Deathrap of Terror.

Hooray, crap! Lots and lots of crap!

I used this opportunity to buy some useless baubles for family members upon my return. This decision conflicted so greatly with my normal frugality and poor ability to make shopping decisions that we wound up wandering the bazaar for something like two hours. It was ridiculous, and I would apologize to my companions if I still had the remnants of a heart beating within my star-forged body. Alas, I do not. It was taken away from me when I obtained my engineering degree.

Taking down tents looks way more fun in a bazaar setting than a middle-of-nowhere-camping setting.

By the way, this is what traffic looks like in Istanbul ALL THE TIME. I am really not kidding when I say it is terrible.

The night ended with a meal at a fish restaurant. Jeremy joined us, we had a good meal, and Safya retired to the European side as Jeremy, Sonia and I took to some bars for a few last drinks. We returned home, I convinced Jeremy to finally crack open one of the beers I brought for him, and we ended the night on a lager-y note (other notes included a faint hint of honey, hops, and what almost seemed like a caramel tone. I'll have to try that lager again, I honestly forget). Also, Coupling. Jeremy has addicted me to the UK version of Coupling. Curse you, Jeremy.

After that, I had a difficult time sleeping at all, was up around 5AM to finish packing up, was seen off to the docks around 6, and headed back to the airport.

Goodbye, Turkey!

I slept some on the plane, read through most of If on a Winter's Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino, and crashed for an extended period of time.

Boston is beautiful right now. The weather is just cool enough to warrant a light jacket, the sun is out, and my work seems to have forgiven my extended absence by not doing anything with the projects I'm assigned to.

More to come when I have a better idea what to write about, and how!

-Hyde

VIRUS DATABASE HAS BEEN UPDATED

I promise I am not dead. I am nearly back into normal life in Boston, and will post the last leg of the trip soon.

In the meantime, I have been having a video call with Jeremy and Sonia.

Sonia's virus database has been updated.

I thought you should know.

-Hyde

Several days later...

Woke up quite early to what was either some very opinionated birds or a group of dejected alarms, judging by how the calls faded towards the end. I am aware that I have not posted as I usually do, and the last post was (adorable) filler. I have one more day in Istanbul before I fly out, and I have had threats made upon my person that I shall not sleep well the night prior. I believe they also mentioned alcohol, music, and friends. We'll see if I miss my flight.

While the rain kept us inside most of yesterday, with only an excursion in the evening to replenish supplies and eat the most delicious not-pizza pizzas known to man, the day before was interesting for one point. I actually went to a sports game.

(Well, two. The sugariest bread-syrup snack I have laid eyes on)

SUGAR RUSH AAAAGHHHHH

Oh, and the game itself wasn't bad, either. Beshiktash versus Ankorah, I believe. 4-0, we won, hooray. The football match interested me somewhat, but more so the crowd. I have never encountered, nor heard of, a game where every fan of a team stands on their chairs and remains standing for the entire game. We had about ten, twenty minutes to rest during the halftime break, and then it was back to standing on seats for the rest of the 90 minutes. Truly amazing (and the cheering when we scored was deafening, even though this is apparently a more minor game). I am not surprised that the Beshiktash stadium has apparently broken the record for the loudest game (blame Jeremy if this is wrong).

I also learned how to eat sunflower seeds properly, without ever putting the shell in the mouth. By crimping down on the vertical ridge of the seed while holding it in one hand, you can split it slightly. Then you use your fingers to pinch down the ridge and it spreads out thusly:

Like the most useless fan.

Then, eat the seed in the middle.

This is an even less useful fan. Take back that other caption!

After trying for a few minutes I had this down fairly well.

The other great part of the game was, once it was finished, they turned on the Basketball game Turkey was competing in (the one the USA won recently in the finals). We left as everyone, including the staff on the field, were enraptured (I had to lend Jeremy my headphones so he could tune to a radio and listen as we watched). We were several hundred meters away when the final shot scored and the time ended at the same time, and the sound from the stadium still nearly bowled me over. It was amazing, the entire city had entirely lost it. Cars were honking constantly, people shouting and running in the streets, and it lasted the entire time we walked from the stadium to Taksim (we met up with friends there). Unbelievable.

Jeremy is unnaturally fond of football. He is seen here in his native habitat.

Still eating those seeds.

Alright, next day. was rainy and we all did boring things. The rain let up in the evening, however, and we were able to eat the most delicious not-pizza pizzas known to man (pide). See the bottom of the post for pictures.

Today, Jeremy started his job teaching English to little kids, and had to run out early. Sonia and I wound up going to the Topkapi palace. Of course, our first stop was the Harems.

Welcome to Sultanland!

Sonia has been considering brushing up her resume and applying.

TERRIBLE SHOT OF INFINITE MIRRORS HECK YEAH SON

You know, for all the sexism about it, concubines didn't have it all too bad for the times.

Don't look so stony, face!

All through this trip, I had the 'Makeover' song from Clone High stuck in my head, substituting the word 'concubine' for 'makeover'. And now you will too, presuming you've ever seen that show.

All the cabinets in this place are inlaid mother-of-pearl and some other classy, sparkly material.

Anyone want to split rent for this little place? Only infinity dollars a month!

The palace also has a drop-dead gorgeous view of the city, looking over the place where the Sea of Marmara, the Golden Horn, and the Bosporus meet.

Domes are the classiest architectural work in the world.

After this was over, we didn't really have a plan. We just decided to tour the rest of the palace, for closure. Most of those places didn't allow pictures, but that was fine, because I'll tell you right now the most important part: the gutters themselves were plated with gold, on the inside and outside.

Later, we met up with Jeremy, took a boat back to Asia, and took pretty pictures of a lighthouse.

HI JEREMY

This is roughly translated as 'girl tower' or 'maiden's tower'. Jeremy calls it 'the motherf*ing maidens tower'. I don't think he knows what a maiden is.

A brief interlude to sing to the moon. It was a crescent. It felt appropriate at the time.

Left to right: guitarist, singer, crazy-eyed keyboardist.

I did a slow exposure of the lighthouse for detail and playing with light.

We also grew extraordinarily hungry and tired, and walked FOREVER. Then we came upon some more of the delicious not-pizza pizza and a delicious variety of flatbread-like not-pizza pizza. I apologize for not taking a picture of it. I had eaten my camera. Instead, here is a picture of the delicious not-pizza pizzas from the night before this one:

Bread, a clay pot-baked thing, and a turkish thin kinda pizza.

Instead of pepperoni, they have sucuk (c's are j's here). It is a kind of garlic sausage. It is a new regret I shall have once I resume pescetarianism.

One more day is up ahead, and it's looking busy already. If you don't see me post before my flight back, I'm sorry, but you'll just have to wait until Thursday sometime.

Later, saps!

-Hyde

The Cats of Istanbul

A light rain falls today, turning the otherwise vibrant streets a subdued set of pastels. I am unsure what our course of action will be for this situation.

Yesterday our group did some awesome things, such as visiting a strange, canyon-like mall, having the most sugary bread known to mortals, and going to a football game. But instead of describing all of that boring stuff, I shall dedicate this post to pictures of cats during my travels.

Biker cats. Badass.

We took refuge behind bars of iron in an attempt to evade the creature, but I suspected they would not be an adequate deterrent...

Day by day, the cat drained the tank, until at last the fish were within its grasp.

Neither cat is in that hat. I feel so disillusioned.

Dude, that cat is onto you. Watch out, pal.

The best way to fall asleep is through reading poetry on top of your book collection.

WHO IS MASTER NOW, PUNY HUMANS?

Given how many cats there are in this city, I am quite surprised so few dig through the trash.

A can of food, a jug of water, and sleeping off the hangover from last night.

Cat. Hey, cat. You're supposed to be beneath the umbrella. Not sitting on it staring creepily at me.

These are just three of about seven hanging out by the corner of a building between Beshiktash and Ortakoy. Cats are everywhere.

Perhaps these ones technically don't count.

Perhaps next time I'll actually update you on what's been going on. Or perhaps I'll devote another entry entirely to pictures of graffiti. Who can say?

-Hyde

Beshiktash and Ortakoy

It is about eleven in the morning this Saturday and I am listening to Sonia look up translations on intimacy. Never let it be said my mornings aren't interesting here.

This was breakfast yesterday. It was fish, greens, and bread. A fish sandwich, as it were. Delicious.

HE'S STILL SINGLE, LADIES!

Delicious baked goods that needed to be consumed. Everything in these stores, from the cookies to the breads, are absolutely amazing.

The train station is the old building across the water. Notice how acclimated all of the passersby are to this scene. How could you get used to this? It's beautiful!

Live performers by the docks were playing Turkish music. I have no idea if it was traditional or a more modern piece, as I have yet to train my ear to the differences (except for a phat techno beat in the songs. I know for a fact that's an ancient tradition)

Smile at the daystar!

This is the ferry we would board for the day's adventure.

Last afternoon our group set out to Beshiktash (I apologize for not having a Turkish keyboard - just pretend the sh are an s with a squiggle from here on out). The ferry was extremely windy, and I stayed looking out over the railings the entire time. The other two were wimps and hid inside for most of the trip over. Why would you not want to be buffeted by wind and sea spray for half an hour? It is beyond my understanding.

I have been threatened by this one that, should I ever post an unflattering image of her upon the face of the internet, I should be destroyed upon the spot. I like testing hypotheses! Let's see if I'm still posting tomorrow, folks.

We pass by these immense loading cranes often during our ferry rides. They're bent at the bottom in that fashion to allow cargo trains to pass under them.

You can see the whitecaps along the Bosporus. That spray of water you see was thrown up as I was taking pictures, and immediately barraged my person and lens with salt spray. Worth it!

The end of the line. The stations look so cool, don't they?

Artsy shot!

Upon arrival in Beshiktash, we set out on foot for Ortakoy, an area with an absolutely gorgeous mosque and an amazing view of the bridge.

This was on the way. I have no idea what it was, but it certainly looks cool.

Jeremy told me the place was "like something out of a tourist brochure". I don't see it.

(Seriously, though, this place is gorgeous)

The entrance to the mosque.

I keep trying to create a caption for this image involving the words "cute" and "sexism", but every time I do it seems worse and worse to say. Let's just move on, shall we?

Photography is not allowed during prayers in these mosques. These people aren't worshiping during the prayers, however, so I felt almost no guilt taking this shot.

I want to congratulate whoever designed this mosque. The light in the afternoon fills the room with such a subtle, dappled effect. It is a place glowing with peace and quiet introspection.

Oh, yeah. This place is also huge. (Honestly, though, what place isn't in this city?)

The back of the mosque. Note all the people taking shelter from the sun in its shadow. Vampires, or mere tourists?

A bit better angle of the place in this shot.

This bridge is over 1.5km long. It spans the Bosporos.

Notice this gigantic cargo ship? See the clearance it has from its tower to the bottom of the bridge? This bridge is scary big.

It was super windy still, and the water was churning against the edge of the docks below the mosque.

WATCH OUT SOMEONE IS BEHIND YOU

I trusted a complete stranger with my camera for this photo. I am glad he took a picture instead of laughing and flying away on a magical unicorn made of stolen consumer items. I think about these things quite often.

I FOUND IT AGAIN

This is the delicious dill bread that I have no clue how to make. I shall discover this secret, and shall inflict it upon all who know me upon my mastery of its alchemy.

We did not go to this shop. I was intrigued by the method of cooking the flatbread, though. There are stalls like this around many of the areas we've been to.

True love.

After browsing the nearby market stalls for a time, our group had an evening at Taksim. Some of Sonia's friends where in the city, and we met up with them for a time.

Dawwww!

Eventually, as with any good night at the bar, the chess board was pulled out and things got serious. I mercilessly destroyed Sonia right out of the gate, but soon found myself flagging under an onslaught from the combined forces of Sonia and Jeremy. 1-2 overall. Next time, Chapman! Next time!

-Hyde