Fake Plastic Earth

This past week has been crazy busy and emotional. It’s been stressful wondering where my rent money was/is going to come from, interjected with moments of totally bliss from all the wonderful things I was lucky enough to experience.

Quick recap:

Interviews, bank account checking, slow emotional breakdown, more interviews, new friends, Birthday BBQ, World Cup football watching by default, trains, cars, buses, planes, boats, VENICE, photos, tons of walking[!!], sooo much wine, wedding, crying, blissing out, more interviews, BBQ, more wine and finally sleep.

This is what it looked like in slow motion:

I met up with Nick, the birthday boy, on the train from London to Whitchurch. It was above 30c and, apparently, I chose THE hottest train car available. We bonded by reading dirty jokes off Nick’s iphone and profusely sweating for the hour long journey. Good times!

Mel was the perfect hostess, while Aric manned the BBQ, Nick drank beer [as the birthday boy should] and I tried to make myself useful.

The weather was perfect and the BBQ was really fun. I stuffed myself as one should at such events, content to fall asleep smelling like a campfire.

Note: Aric has magical powers. He was asked to photograph his friend’s wedding in Venice and somehow got me invited as well. Not only was this completely spontaneous, but didn’t cost this poor girl a cent. I’m telling you magical powers.

Before we jumped on a bus to London, to catch our flight at exactly stupid o’clock, we took a stroll through Winchester with Nick and Mel.

Next stop, Venice! I think it deserves it’s own post, don’t you?

~Josie

Before I left Vancouver, I had an amazing job, but decided to travel at the tipping point of my career. Shame on me? Since moving to London, I’ve been relentlessly trying to break into the Marketing / PR Industry to no avail. Today, after a giant slice of humble pie, I dried my tears and hit the street to hand out cvs to local clothing boutiques. I think it actually paid off. I have some leads and finished my job hunting day with a really decent conversation with a vintage store manager. I guess a clothing shop is going to have to do until the Queen calls.

I decided to celebrate my mini victory by buying a tiny bit of ‘extra’ groceries-fresh basil, eggs and avocados [these are luxuries to me now]. As I made my way home, passing pub after pub heaving with world cup football fans, I realized that I haven’t given myself a minute to enjoy the beautiful weather. As soon as I got home, I changed into shorts[!], for the first time since Thailand, and headed for Victoria Park.

I can’t believe how close it is to my flat. I’m so silly. Why has it taken me two months to wander over? Work and crappy English weather-that’s right. None the less, I lied in the baking sun for a couple hours, listened to my ipod on shuffle, and re-introduced my skin to vitamin D.

~Josie

After what was most likely the worst bus ride on this trip, we arrived in Selçuk. Not only are overnight buses uncomfortable, claustrophobic, soul stealing modes of transportation, but they drop you off at such an awkward time, making it frustrating when checking into the next humble abode. It was very early morning and our hostel (Boomerang Guesthouse) wouldn’t let us check in until 11:00am. We had to, literally, sleep on the roof and wait for our room. Ok, so the roof was a killer hang out lounge, but still.

We checked in, got a few hours of sleep, then headed ‘downtown’ for some food. Once again, we followed our guide book and decided to eat at Ejder Restaurant. Selçuk is a very small town so it was incredibly easy to find.

Efes On Ice

It was great! All the seating was outside and situated right next to the Byzantine Aqueducts.

Stork’s nest on top of the Aqueducts

We ordered our Turkish favourites; veggie kebabs, lentil soup and ice cold beer. Mehmet Ejder served us himself. He was so friendly it made us feel right at home. After finding out how we ended up at his restaurant he asked for our book and excitedly ran to show his wife the review. We made sure to go back.

Always a kitty friend near by

Our whole reason to visit tiny Selcuk was to see Ephesus. Most people just do day trips on huge tour buses, but that’s not our style. We had all the time in the world so we decided to stay a couple days; it gave us time to take in the local culture. However, I wasn’t quite ready for a whole day of walking and site seeing in 35c heat so we decided to hit up Pamucak Beach instead.

Simply stunning. The sand was powder soft. The water was crystal clear and most importantly, there was (almost) NO ONE ON THE BEACH! Heaven. We camped out under one of the many available palm trees and spent the whole day there.

The next day, we did a mini site seeing tour. Right near our hostel was the Isa Bey Mosque (built by the Seljuk Turks) and the Ottoman castle.

Boo!

Puppy!

Pomegranate Tree!

Fig Tree!

We could see the Temple of Artemis from castle so we decided to walk. It was farther than we thought….

Serious Business

After many wrong turns and sweaty pounds shed, we made it! At first, dozens of huge tour buses blocked our view. Then we realized almost no one was actually going down to see it. Most people just stepped one foot off their air conditioned bus, snapped a photo and left. Unbelievable! I admit it wasn’t that impressive looking, but the history behind it was captivating. It’s one of the Seven Wonders of the World; I had to give it a touch.

So much history in such a small town. Tomorrow Ephesus!

~Josie

One of our last days exploring Istanbul, it rained, but it was so excruciatingly hot every other day, it was a pleasant change.

However, it called for a change of plans. Originally we planned to visit the Topkapi Palace, but it’s mostly outside. So, we opted for the Archaeology Museums. Honestly, it wasn’t on our ‘must see’ list, but we figured why not.

This place was fantastic. I couldn’t believe that we almost didn’t go. We spent half a day there, just wandering around in awe until the point of starvation. There was simply too much stuff to see.

There were three buildings:

1. Archaeological Museum (Main Building)
2. Museum of the Ancient Orient
3. Museum of Islamic Art (Tiled Kiosk)
(We spent the majority of our time in the first two buildings)

These artifacts were old. Not just old, but bloody old. Ancient. Some pieces were from 1200 BCE. I was impressed how preserved everything was. Living in Canada, the closest I’ve been to a piece of ancient history was in Drumheller when I was 10yrs/old. Ok, so dinosaurs are pretty old, too.

We took it all very seriously

The Garden

We made a friend

The rest of the day(s) were spent eating, not sleeping (hostel life), shopping, smoking shisha…

THE cheapest kebab in Istanbul (1.50 Lira/$1)

KILLER POTATO

Last Night

Unfortunately, the last day in Istanbul I was ILL! ILL! ILL! Seriously sick. We already checked out of our room and had hours(!) to kill before taking a 12 hour over night bus to Selcuk. Not fun. Besides me laying in a public park in 35c heat shaking and experiencing cold sweats, I really enjoyed everything about Istanbul. Hands down one of my most favorite cities in the world. I will most definitely go back.

On to our next adventure, Selcuk!

~Josie

The rest of the week was packed with excitement and FOOD. Most days we busied ourselves by wandering popular walking streets, guided by our stomachs or whatever shiny thing caught our attention. Turkey wasn’t the cheapest place we’ve been to, but it was affordable enough for us to indulge in a few luxuries.

One of my favorite things to do in Istanbul was lounge at one of the many cafes. It was mostly because they were perfectly set up for exactly that, lounging. Carpets, low tables and tons of pillows were thrown together in the comfiest of ways.

Turkish people, especially the men, drink gallons of tea. So, we ended up drinking unhealthy amounts of black tea (1 lira/$.70) while laying around playing cards and smoking flavoured shisha (10 lira/$8).

They served all tea in these cute little glasses

One afternoon, after our first and only visit to the baths, Neil and I spent, literally, hours at our favorite place, sampling everything off the menu.

The baths, you ask? Well, there’s a first for everything. I understood the general idea, but going through the motions of having someone else wash your ENTIRE body, is another thing completely. When in Rome….

First off, men and women had separate bathing areas. So right from the start I was on my own. I was guided upstairs to a dressing room and told to take off my clothes, replacing them with a spa like robe. I read previously that most girls keep their underwear on, so I did, erring on the side of caution. After leaving my belongings in a locker, I wrapped the white cotton robe around myself and headed to the “bathing room”.

The Bathing Room was incredible. Simply stunning. This particular bath house (Cemberlitas Hamami) was a touch pricey (95 lira) based on the history and most definitely because of this room. In the middle of the room stood a gigantic grey marble table for the bathers to lay on. The ceilings were vaulted 30feet high with mini stars carved out to let natural light shine through.

(I couldn’t take any of my own photos)

The air was warm, almost hot, with the light scent of soap. I was greeted by an older Turkish lady who motioned for me to take my place on the marble table.

There were only a few other girls in the ancient room, most of whom were in the process of being washed so I had only one girl to take a cue from. She was topless laying face down. I mimicked her position. As I laid half naked and vulnerable the minutes started to pass and I became quite curious. I noticed that the room was almost full compared to when I arrived. Some girls had there bras on and were told to remove them so they wouldn’t be in the way. Some girls pranced around naked and were told to lay down and put their underwear back on. I thought that was pretty funny.

My turn! A middle aged lady wearing only a bra and underwear (like most of the Turkish bathers) flipped me over and started washing. Feet, legs, belly, breasts(!) neck, back, bum, it was all on the program. First soap, then a rinse with warm water. There was no messing around and definitely no modesty from the lady scrubbing me down. A short couple steps to a chrome faucet and she began to wash my hair. It was really quite nice. Almost loving.

Once it was over she directed me to another room with a heated marble pool where I could stay as long as I liked. Because Neil and I are total brats, we opted for the ‘luxury’ package which included a half hour oil massage. It was very nice indeed.

After the whole treatment I met Neil in the lobby. He described pretty much the same experience except that the men didn’t have a pool (Ha Ha!). It was just bliss for the rest of the day. (see above)

If you have the opportunity to have a Turkish bath. Do it! My only regret is that we only did it the once.

~Josie

Day one in Istanbul was unexpectedly busy. I must admit I was feeling under the weather, but everything was so interesting that I wanted more. The sights were incredible, but when you feel like you’re under water the whole time, it’s kind of hard to tell.

Sick Face

After what was most likely a lousy sleep (blasted snorers!) in our umpteenth hostel, we were ready to face a new day. Istanbul was one of those places that, even at its dullest time, remained endlessly entertaining. There was always some sort of buzz around us (this was partially due to Ramadan).

Because we went on a spontaneous site seeing bonanza the first day, it was kind of hard to absorb the true culture. By day two it started to sink in.

Right out of the gate vendors were trying to sell you things; a room for the night, baklava, dinner at their restaurant, handmade rugs…It was really quite cool. Neil and I are pretty patient with these things so we found it entertaining.

Our mission for the day-The Grand Bazaar! It was near by, so we decided to walk. The action seemed to continue down the street. It was a cocktail for the senses; wafts of grilling meat combined with mosque incense filled our nostrils, vendors shouted in attempt to lure customers, traffic streamed from both sides with no sign of slowing, sleepy kitties sat on stairways welcoming all friendly pets AND people, people, people.

I loved all of it! It was an amusement park for adults. This is why people travel!

We stopped to refresh ourselves with $1 freshly squeezed orange juice before we entered the rat race.

“Lady! Lady! Where you from?!” “Buy my lamp/rug/mirror/scarf!” “I have best price!”

Why yes, maybe I will buy something…

This one?

Or, this one?

We got totally lost in the maze that is the Grand Bazaar. Horaay! Unfortunately that left us in the mercy of the food vendors inside.

Note to self: Do not eat INSIDE the Grand Bazaar. It’s literally 3 times the price.

We found ourselves unexpectedly at the Spice Bazaar. Fantastic!

We couldn’t have planned it better, if we tried. Such an overpowering smell; curry, cinnamon, paprika, cumin, pepper….you name it. Along with delicious Turkish Delights available to sample for FREE. How could one resist?

Once we were through the Spice Bazaar, we entered a huge pedestrian square that lead right to the water.

NEW SCARF!

Neil was pretty stoked on getting a grilled fish sandwich straight off a fishing boat.

A few tomato, onions and lettuce tossed in a pita and BADA BING, fish sandwich!

Apparently, it was amazing, but holy cow did it ever give Neil bad breath. No kisses for a week!

Not a big fish eater myself, I opted for a doner.

Hot Damn! That thing was intense; French fries, pickles, lamb, random sauce…I think I even licked my fingers.

After a day like that there’s nothing to do but lie down and rub my belly.

~Josie

After the beautiful, yet highly stressful train into Turkey, we arrived in Istanbul. We did the usual find the hostel song and dance then headed straight to find something to eat. I’ve been ridiculously excited to eat a real Turkish Kebab for weeks. Our hostel happened to be right in the heart of the backpackers area (Sultanahmet). Perfect if you’re lazy and want to overspend. However, we had enough energy to get just far enough to have a cheap and seriously tasty lunch. Our meal started off with a giant warm fresh piece of bread topped with sesame seeds. YUM! (The bread in Romania was never very good) This was a nice change. We decided to share a chicken kebab plate. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Fresh veggies, creamy Tahini dipping sauce and spit roasted chicken. I must have been starving because I didn’t stop to take a picture, but I remember it vividly. The friendly waitress at the restaurant informed us that we arrived right in the middle of Ramadan. Because it’s a month focused so heavily on fasting, we were worried that it would mean that most restaurants were going to be closed, but fortunately it turned out to be quite the opposite. We had the best table where ever we went and people were more than happy that we were eating at their restaurants. It was fantastic!

After filling our bellies, we walked to see some of Istanbul’s major landmarks.

The Hippodrome of Constantinople; including, the Column of Constantine Porphyrogenitus

With such a busy first day we hit the sack early excited for a whole day at the Grand Bazaar.

As always check out our flickr for tons of photos.

~Josie

One of my favorite pass times, while traveling, is perusing through the aisles of the local grocery store. Neil and I aren’t really big on junk food, but it’s impossible to resist taking pictures of these hilarious products. I’ve highlighted a few of my fav’s here.

Bucharest, Romania-Fruity Balls Cereal

Bucharest, Romania-Krax Bacon Chips

Bucharest, Romania-Burger Beer

Bucharest, Romania-Ice Crap

Bucharest, Romania-Lady Milk

Bangkok, Thailand-Dr. Taco Chips

Bangkok, Thailand-Pirate Ship Dark Chocolate (these are just rad!)

Bangkok, Thailand-Doll Hair Dye (so you can look like a doll?)

Bangkok, Thailand-Pringles (possibly the worst flavoured chips ever)

Bangkok, Thailand-UFC Canned Fruit

Ko Tao, Thailand-Spicky Potato Snacks

Ko Samui, Thailand-Burger King Chips?

TBC

~Josie