We made it! safe and sound in Istanbul, and we've had a wonderful first day of our honeymoon. This internet connection (purloined from some unsuspecting Istanbullus) is a little shaky, so no big upload today.
Hopefully we'll have a chance at a real internet cafe tomorrow.
Everything is going great (better than great) so far, and we're heading off to Goreme on the night bus tomorrow night. Next stop, fairy chimneys!
Well then.
At the airport, eating Caeser salads while waiting to board...
And so exited we could pop!
But then it would be a messy pile dusted with romaine lettuce... so we won't actually pop :-)
But then it would be a messy pile dusted with romaine lettuce... so we won't actually pop :-)
AAAGHGHHGH!!!!
Let's see... in two hours we will be at the airport. In five hours, we will be on our plane! In five hours and ten minutes we will be taxi-ing down the runway!!!
...AAAAAAGHGHHHHH!!!!
It's finally here, and it doesn't quite seem real yet. Hopefully it will get real-er as time goes on (at least by the time we hit the hotel in some 20 hours).
Look for posts every week or so -- at least whenever we get internet access.
We'll be a few days in Istanbul, then in Goreme for three days, then Guzelyurt, Konya, Antalya and Cirali for four days. From Cirali, we'll spend two nights in Fethiye, then up to Selcuk and environs for four or five days. In our last week, we'll be a few nights in Pammukale and then the night train back to Istanbul, where we'll be for another three or four nights before flying home first thing in the morning November 5. Whew!
I've never carried around my home on my back for a month before... well, I've never done anything like this before. Steve is all saying that this is new for him too, since he's never travelled with someone for a month straight. Yeah, but you've at least travelled for that long before! We're very excited. Steve is laughing at me for putting each electronic device and it's associated cords in a separate ziploc bag... but I don't care! It makes me happy. And, judging from the giggling, it makes Steve happy too.
We've had several honeymoon gifts so far: when we told the waitress at the On Loc last night that we were going on our honeymoon, she brought us complimentary pop! And VanCity just made life much easier about a term deposit we cashed in -- the fellow said it was our wedding present :-)
I love people :-)
Anyway, take good care at home and we'll see you all soon.
...AAAAAAGHGHHHHH!!!!
It's finally here, and it doesn't quite seem real yet. Hopefully it will get real-er as time goes on (at least by the time we hit the hotel in some 20 hours).
Look for posts every week or so -- at least whenever we get internet access.
We'll be a few days in Istanbul, then in Goreme for three days, then Guzelyurt, Konya, Antalya and Cirali for four days. From Cirali, we'll spend two nights in Fethiye, then up to Selcuk and environs for four or five days. In our last week, we'll be a few nights in Pammukale and then the night train back to Istanbul, where we'll be for another three or four nights before flying home first thing in the morning November 5. Whew!
I've never carried around my home on my back for a month before... well, I've never done anything like this before. Steve is all saying that this is new for him too, since he's never travelled with someone for a month straight. Yeah, but you've at least travelled for that long before! We're very excited. Steve is laughing at me for putting each electronic device and it's associated cords in a separate ziploc bag... but I don't care! It makes me happy. And, judging from the giggling, it makes Steve happy too.
We've had several honeymoon gifts so far: when we told the waitress at the On Loc last night that we were going on our honeymoon, she brought us complimentary pop! And VanCity just made life much easier about a term deposit we cashed in -- the fellow said it was our wedding present :-)
I love people :-)
Anyway, take good care at home and we'll see you all soon.
All packed up!
So. We leave in a week. Less, in fact -- this time next week, we'll be dragging our jet-lagged selves into a comfy bed in Istanbul, hoping to catch enough sleep before the drums signalling the dawn fast of Ramazan begin.
I'll be blogging on our trip on this handydandy little computer which we're taking with.
I'm so excited I could just about pop. No, really!
I've not been on a holiday since I was, what? fourteen? Since the last time I went with my parents to the UK. Now, I've been camping a ton, and taken weeks to camp at Clinton, and gone home for Christmas -- but not a HOLIDAY in the 'get on a plane and fly somewhere' kinda way. Now, not only am I going on a holiday, but I'm going on a plane, I'm going with my husband and I'm going to TURKEY! And we're going for a month!
Yes, a month -- I've squeaked out some extra days by working Saturdays we ended up with the Wednesday before our scheduled trip and the Monday after off... at that point it seemed worthwhile to leave Wednesday... or Tuesday night... or get Tuesday off and leave Sunday instead! Which is what we did :-)
Orbitz already jerked us around and rescheduled our other flights, so we knew raising a stink and cancelling was an option. We knew there were better flights -- better in terms of timing and, well -- timing. When Air Canada cancelled a flight on our way home from Turkey, we found that our entire trip with three different airlines were all booked by Orbitz through Luftansa. That wouldn't have been the problem, except that Luftansa weren't willing to accomodate us given that it was an Air Canada flight that caused the problem -- so their Great Big Concession was to fly us out of Isanbul at 5:30 am. Given that option, it was worth it to cancel and give ourselves up to the mercies of the airplane gods.
After finally cancelling the Orbitz flight (having spent a grand total of some 8 hours on the phone (mostly on hold) trying to resolve the first issue and then the cancellation), I spoke to the local travel agent, who found an AMAZING flight. Now we leave Sunday afternoon and get into Istanbul on Monday afternoon -- thanks John & Gayle for your help!
We ended up getting the sticky end of the currency exchange stick when we cancelled, but them's the breaks, I guess.
I learned several important things in booking the flights. First of all, don't book eight month in advance, no matter how excited you are! Things will always change in the interim. Secondly, when you book online -- you get what you pay for, in term of customer service and the English skills of the call centre. I'm not sure it's entirely worth it, especially if you think you might ever change part of your itinerary. Thirdly, related to number two, try your local agent. Their rates are not so bad. When we looked online, the prices available were within $50 for the flights we wanted. Last, unless you're travelling to somewhere remote or at a peak time, I don't think you need to book more than a few weeks in advance. Admittedly, we ended up with tickets -- this morning -- a little last-minute!
Ah well, it all adds to the excitement. And We're Excited!!
AAAAAAAAhHHH!!! A month! We're going to Turkey for a month! In a week!
Did I mention AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!?
I'll be blogging on our trip on this handydandy little computer which we're taking with.
I'm so excited I could just about pop. No, really!
I've not been on a holiday since I was, what? fourteen? Since the last time I went with my parents to the UK. Now, I've been camping a ton, and taken weeks to camp at Clinton, and gone home for Christmas -- but not a HOLIDAY in the 'get on a plane and fly somewhere' kinda way. Now, not only am I going on a holiday, but I'm going on a plane, I'm going with my husband and I'm going to TURKEY! And we're going for a month!
Yes, a month -- I've squeaked out some extra days by working Saturdays we ended up with the Wednesday before our scheduled trip and the Monday after off... at that point it seemed worthwhile to leave Wednesday... or Tuesday night... or get Tuesday off and leave Sunday instead! Which is what we did :-)
Orbitz already jerked us around and rescheduled our other flights, so we knew raising a stink and cancelling was an option. We knew there were better flights -- better in terms of timing and, well -- timing. When Air Canada cancelled a flight on our way home from Turkey, we found that our entire trip with three different airlines were all booked by Orbitz through Luftansa. That wouldn't have been the problem, except that Luftansa weren't willing to accomodate us given that it was an Air Canada flight that caused the problem -- so their Great Big Concession was to fly us out of Isanbul at 5:30 am. Given that option, it was worth it to cancel and give ourselves up to the mercies of the airplane gods.
After finally cancelling the Orbitz flight (having spent a grand total of some 8 hours on the phone (mostly on hold) trying to resolve the first issue and then the cancellation), I spoke to the local travel agent, who found an AMAZING flight. Now we leave Sunday afternoon and get into Istanbul on Monday afternoon -- thanks John & Gayle for your help!
We ended up getting the sticky end of the currency exchange stick when we cancelled, but them's the breaks, I guess.
I learned several important things in booking the flights. First of all, don't book eight month in advance, no matter how excited you are! Things will always change in the interim. Secondly, when you book online -- you get what you pay for, in term of customer service and the English skills of the call centre. I'm not sure it's entirely worth it, especially if you think you might ever change part of your itinerary. Thirdly, related to number two, try your local agent. Their rates are not so bad. When we looked online, the prices available were within $50 for the flights we wanted. Last, unless you're travelling to somewhere remote or at a peak time, I don't think you need to book more than a few weeks in advance. Admittedly, we ended up with tickets -- this morning -- a little last-minute!
Ah well, it all adds to the excitement. And We're Excited!!
AAAAAAAAhHHH!!! A month! We're going to Turkey for a month! In a week!
Did I mention AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!?
Carbon
I've never been religious. I'd like to think I'm spiritual -- I feel that there is more to life than just the carbon-based temporal existance (though I live like an existentialist). There are elements of religions that I like very much, such as the Quakers and some pagan things, and hell, the Catholics have beautiful art. I like ritual, I like ceremony -- I got married, after all -- but really, the non-demoninational sort suits me better.
That said, I find I'm craving an afterlife. I don't want Milton's Heaven (or his Hell, thankyouverymuch) or St. Augustine's, or that crazy Margery Kempe's, or Jerry Fallwell's or anyone elses'. I don't need white wings or fluffly clouds, or even a Divine Being other than the daily divinity I enjoy living on the Sunshine Coast. I actually think I'd prefer more of a Divine Democracy than any of the 'God' I have seen described.
What I do want, however, is to know that love continues on. I look at my husband and I feel as though I cannot bear it if something this special, this precious -- this divine -- ends when our carbon finally burns out of its oxygen-fueled fire.
This love is too much to be contained by our bodies. It has to continue.
It just has to.
That said, I find I'm craving an afterlife. I don't want Milton's Heaven (or his Hell, thankyouverymuch) or St. Augustine's, or that crazy Margery Kempe's, or Jerry Fallwell's or anyone elses'. I don't need white wings or fluffly clouds, or even a Divine Being other than the daily divinity I enjoy living on the Sunshine Coast. I actually think I'd prefer more of a Divine Democracy than any of the 'God' I have seen described.
What I do want, however, is to know that love continues on. I look at my husband and I feel as though I cannot bear it if something this special, this precious -- this divine -- ends when our carbon finally burns out of its oxygen-fueled fire.
This love is too much to be contained by our bodies. It has to continue.
It just has to.
Friday Night
at Di's listening to music... it's been so long. So long since we've been here, with the warm lights overhead and rich carpets below creating a bright space surrounded by a warm and fragrant dark.
That said, it's been a while since the dark was warm and fragrant, given the dire overcast-yness of the summer so far. We haven't been hiking much, and we haven't been at Di's much, and mostly we've been working hard and playing music all over the place. Ok, Steve's been playing and I've been working. We've done several lightning trips into town, Alex has visited for a week and we've been enjoying our first summer as newlyweds. If you haven't guessed, I'm excuse-ing madly for my lack of blogging!
We're gearing up (literally, given our MEC shopping list) for our upcoming trip to Turkey and planning wildly. I realized (having worked five days so far this week and looking forward to going into the office tomorrow. And maybe Sunday. Gah!) that it has been a very long time since I've had a holiday.
Doing the West Coast Trail last year was nice for the first few days... not so much for the last week. It was hardly relaxing, in any case. The wedding was lovely, but not relaxing either; our mini-moon was wracked with coughing so was less restful than it might have been. But that's ok because YAY we're going to Turkey!
Di, Steve, Blaine and Mick were playing the 'camel suite' -- Andro and Dromedary, which Steve wrote -- and it inspired thoughts of Persian spice and dark nomadic tents on the Selcuk road.
The moon is rising over the ocean and the banter and dropping notes are underwritten by waves on the beach. What a magical place. What a magical time in my life: full of music and planning for our trip, planning for our life. I'm so lucky.
That said, it's been a while since the dark was warm and fragrant, given the dire overcast-yness of the summer so far. We haven't been hiking much, and we haven't been at Di's much, and mostly we've been working hard and playing music all over the place. Ok, Steve's been playing and I've been working. We've done several lightning trips into town, Alex has visited for a week and we've been enjoying our first summer as newlyweds. If you haven't guessed, I'm excuse-ing madly for my lack of blogging!
We're gearing up (literally, given our MEC shopping list) for our upcoming trip to Turkey and planning wildly. I realized (having worked five days so far this week and looking forward to going into the office tomorrow. And maybe Sunday. Gah!) that it has been a very long time since I've had a holiday.
Doing the West Coast Trail last year was nice for the first few days... not so much for the last week. It was hardly relaxing, in any case. The wedding was lovely, but not relaxing either; our mini-moon was wracked with coughing so was less restful than it might have been. But that's ok because YAY we're going to Turkey!
Di, Steve, Blaine and Mick were playing the 'camel suite' -- Andro and Dromedary, which Steve wrote -- and it inspired thoughts of Persian spice and dark nomadic tents on the Selcuk road.
The moon is rising over the ocean and the banter and dropping notes are underwritten by waves on the beach. What a magical place. What a magical time in my life: full of music and planning for our trip, planning for our life. I'm so lucky.
Requiem for a moth.
We're having a plague of moths this year. They are huge, fuzzy and leave their powder all over me. Yes me -- apparently I am magnetite to moths. They fly into the bathroom when I am getting ready for bed and, instead of sensibly swan-songing all over the light fixture, they fly into me at great speeds, leaving little plumes of moth-dust in the air as they hit and bounce off me. Gah!
I used to think moths were rather wonderful: they were mysterious and beautiful night creatures, always geting the short end of the beauty stick compared to butterflies. That was before I developed a moth-gravity. Before they flew onto my toothbrush, strafed me on the toilet and fluttered on the back of my neck while I was carefully removing a contact lens.
Gah! They ping-pong between my computer screen and me, bang-bang. The pinball wizard has nothing on these moths. I bat frantically at the air with National Geographic, my novel, my keyboard and very occasionally I connect. The *thwack* of moth being hit into the stratosphere is very satisfying... until they return, and seek me for comfort, clinging groggily to my pyjamas and hair, recriminating.
I trapped one under the base of my stand-mirror in the bathroom. It was huge, and particularily persistent, and having screeched and batted and waved and magazined it into submission, I couldn't quite bear to thwack it flat. Or I couldn't get a good angle with the MEC catalogue, I'm not sure. In any case, I covered it up and left it there.
The next night, I called upon my husband, who has no fear of any bugs and mocks me heartily for mine. "Please dispose of a moth" I said. "You've got to be kidding me" he said. "Nope."
I gave him directions and a magazine, and retreated to the other side of the bathroom door. I was pleased to hear some of the same screeching and waving and thwacking and crashing that usually accompanied my moth-attacks. I couldn't resist poking my head in to watch the fray, though I suffered at least one moth-bounce to the face for my curiousity.
Finally, it was done. Over. Finite. Requiem for a moth.
Poor Steve: "it was beautiful. Beautiful. It was beautiful and I killed it."
"Oh well."
*flush*
I love my husband, first for killing the moth, then lamenting it.
But I hate the moths.
I used to think moths were rather wonderful: they were mysterious and beautiful night creatures, always geting the short end of the beauty stick compared to butterflies. That was before I developed a moth-gravity. Before they flew onto my toothbrush, strafed me on the toilet and fluttered on the back of my neck while I was carefully removing a contact lens.
Gah! They ping-pong between my computer screen and me, bang-bang. The pinball wizard has nothing on these moths. I bat frantically at the air with National Geographic, my novel, my keyboard and very occasionally I connect. The *thwack* of moth being hit into the stratosphere is very satisfying... until they return, and seek me for comfort, clinging groggily to my pyjamas and hair, recriminating.
I trapped one under the base of my stand-mirror in the bathroom. It was huge, and particularily persistent, and having screeched and batted and waved and magazined it into submission, I couldn't quite bear to thwack it flat. Or I couldn't get a good angle with the MEC catalogue, I'm not sure. In any case, I covered it up and left it there.
The next night, I called upon my husband, who has no fear of any bugs and mocks me heartily for mine. "Please dispose of a moth" I said. "You've got to be kidding me" he said. "Nope."
I gave him directions and a magazine, and retreated to the other side of the bathroom door. I was pleased to hear some of the same screeching and waving and thwacking and crashing that usually accompanied my moth-attacks. I couldn't resist poking my head in to watch the fray, though I suffered at least one moth-bounce to the face for my curiousity.
Finally, it was done. Over. Finite. Requiem for a moth.
Poor Steve: "it was beautiful. Beautiful. It was beautiful and I killed it."
"Oh well."
*flush*
I love my husband, first for killing the moth, then lamenting it.
But I hate the moths.
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