Return to Istanbul

A few days before we left Atlanta on this journey, we were sitting at the computer going over our travel insurance options. One of the riders on offer was insurance against trip cancellation/interruption due to acts of terrorism. Naively believing that none of our planned destinations would be targets for terrorism, we opted to skip this coverage. Five months later, with the world being what it is, crazy and unpredictable, we sat in our hotel room in Tel Aviv and watched the horrid events of the Mumbai terror attacks unfold. We were due to arrive in India three days later and were clearly concerned about venturing to a country rocked by terrorism. On the one hand, it was unstable, but on the other, India was the country we wanted to visit the most. A quandary indeed.

Traveling is, more than anything, an up and down affair. You go to bed with the memory of a gorgeous sunset in your head and wake up vomiting due to a stomach bug. You get robbed one day and the next you're surfing a gentle wave on a beautiful blue sky day. It sure makes you tougher, as your heart and mind become trained to handle the elasticity of each day. Such was the case with our India travel situation. Disappointed by the crimp in our plans, we nevertheless saw the silver lining. As fate would have it, our flight from Tel Aviv to Delhi had a stopover in Istanbul. This allowed us to put our India plans on hold, while spending our holding pattern in an amazing city. We contacted the airlines, who allowed us to extend our layover in Istanbul indefinitely, and headed for the airport. Yet again, we were the victim of tough flight scheduling. Our flight was due to leave Tel Aviv for Istanbul at 6:15am. Because of the tight security in Israel, they advise you to be at the airport 3 hours ahead of time. With the airport 30 minutes from our hotel, that left us with a wake-up call of 2:10am. Man, we were a mess that morning.

In the cab on the way to our same hostel, Neverland, in Istanbul, I expressed to Lauren that I was afraid that our return to Istanbul would knock down the pedestal on which I had placed the city, that it couldn't possibly be as great as I remembered. Sitting here in Delhi (yep, we headed to India after all, although I am currently recovering from a bout of Delhi belly), I can safely say that our second trip to Istanbul reinforced and even strengthened my love for the jewel of the Turkish nation: Istanbul, formerly Constantinople, formerly Byzantium.

It was a fantastic 18 days in Istanbul. We revisited old favorite haunts and discovered new ones, while dealing with the administrative details and soul searching inherent in planning for our travels after Istanbul. We spent a lot of time with our hairdresser friends, Ismail and Murat, and were introduced to their friend, Huseyin, a DJ. Unfortunately, on one of the first nights that we were back in Istanbul, Murat went out to get some kebap and was arrested by one of the ubiquitous police patrols conducting security checks. It turned out that he had failed to pay a rather considerable fine stemming from a previous arrest for fighting and was sentenced to 36 days in jail. He was missed for sure, but we also enjoyed getting to know Huseyin, whose easy laugh and excellent English made him a great pal. We will never forget Istanbul and can't wait to go back, but until then, these pictures will suffice:

Ortaköy is a cool little district on the European side of the Bosphorus, with lots of great cafés, galleries, and a Sunday flea market. Here I am in Ortaköy, with the beautiful Ortaköy Mosque in the background and the Bosphorus Bridge in the far background. The Bosphorus Bridge is one of two bridges in Istanbul that connect the European side to the Asian side.
Sunset over Istanbul, as seen from the shore of Ortaköy.
The burning sun cast such a cool glow around the numerous mosques and other landmarks in Istanbul.
After spending a great Sunday in Ortaköy, we elected to take a long stroll home along the Bosphorus. Along the way, we passed this entrance to the magnificent Dolmabahçe Palace.
One day we took a ferry from the district of Eminönü, on the European side, to the little village of Çengelköy, on the Asian side of Istanbul.
On the way, we passed a bunch of landmarks, making the ferry ride more like a really cheap (1.4YTL=$1) Bosphorus cruise. Here is the view of the Istanbul Modern, an excellent contemporary art museum that we frequented on our first trip to Istanbul.
The shorefront and ferry station at Çengelköy.
Plane trees (sycamores) can be found all over Istanbul. Tons of restaurants and cafés bear the name "Çinaralti," which means "under the plane tree" in Turkish. Here is Lauren under one of the plane trees along the Bosphorus in Çengelköy.Lauren with a feline friend in Çengelköy.
Sun setting behind the Bosphorus Bridge.
Closer view.
Lauren blending in with the locals and keeping her ears warm in the cool air of a fall evening in Istanbul.
On our second Saturday night in Istanbul, we planned to go to a club with our friends Huseyin (left) and Izmo (right). Before we headed out, Izmo told Lauren (through Huseyin, his interpreter), that he wanted to style her hair. Here she is at the intermediate stage of her curly hair experiment.
Izmo and Lauren with her spicy new hairdo.
Right before heading out to Line, a really fun club in the hip Beyoğlu district in which we stayed. After dancing until late in the night, Izmo and Huseyin took us to a restaurant for soup. Apparently, eating soup after a big night of partying is the thing to do. In particular, the most popular late night soup is İşkembe çorbası. It tasted pretty good, but the next day we discovered that it is a soup comprised mostly of tripe, also known as sheep stomach. Yuck!!!
Lauren practicing her dance moves.
The day after our late night adventures, Lauren's hair was still curly, but in a more relaxed way.
Lauren really likes cats. That is a massive understatement. On Yeni Çarsi, the road from our hostel to the main thoroughfare of Istiklal Caddesi, there are several crazy cat ladies who maintain a small army of cats. Needless to say, Lauren was delighted by Cat Alley. Here is Lauren with Dark Phillip, a cat that looks almost the same as her cat from home, but a smidge darker.
The boys hanging out at Izmo's apartment. This is the day that I decided to grow a mustache to freak out Lauren.
The whole crew.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was the founder of the modern Turkish state and the first president of the Turkish Republic, sort of like a Turkish George Washington. Atatürk is a cult figure in Turkey and there are tons of statues and other monuments to him around Istanbul. Many of these statues do not list his date of death, so as to show that he is still "living" in Turkey. It's a little weird, but he was a pretty fascinating man, so I can dig it. Here I am with a portrait of Atatürk, which can be found in almost every home and business.
Lauren dancing at the club at which Huseyin was DJing, before the crowd showed up. As with most countries, with the conspicuous exception of America, the party in Istanbul doesn't really even get started until 12:30am. However, we hung out at the club before that time to take advantage of the free drinks.
Lauren on the turntables at Club Radio. This was during the Muslim holiday of Kurban Bayramı, which is a massive celebration in Turkey during which they sacrifice goats and cows. It was pretty crazy to see the local news, which showed sacrifices happening on the streets. The animal slaughter notwithstanding, it was a very warm and festive holiday, with everyone in cheerful spirits, probably mostly because nobody worked for an entire week.
Izmo and Lauren getting down.
Even though Turkey is a Muslim country, they still celebrate Christmas, albeit in a lesser fashion than at home. We saw this Christmas tree in the ritzy Nişantaşı quarter of Istanbul.
Lauren hanging off the side of the old-fashioned trolley that runs the length of Istiklal Caddesi.
Huseyin was a hilarious guy and we really treasured our time with him. We look forward to his eventual visit to America.

Israel>Egypt>Israel>Jordan>Israel: An Extended Middle East Jam

From Istanbul, he headed to Tel Aviv, Israel, arriving on Halloween day. Contrary to many of the reports we had heard about aggressive Israeli security, we breezed through customs and were soon on the train into the city, accompanied by many young Israelis heading home for the weekend from their various army postings. It is quite strange to see so many young adults wielding fierce machine guns in the midst of a city, but I suppose that is what keeps Israel safe.

We explored Tel Aviv for a bit and then contacted Evan Wertheim, an old family friend from Atlanta who moved to Tel Aviv about a year ago. We made plans to rendezvous with Evan for dinner and then accompany him to a Halloween party at the rooftop of one of his friends' apartment. We were psyched to be able to celebrate Halloween, as it is one of our favorite holidays. We had purchased some costumes while in Istanbul, so we were all ready to go. The following is a pictorial journey of our ramble through the Middle East (at least the sections that woudn't get us killed on the spot for being American):

Dracula (Evan) with Bunnie and Clyde.
The outlaws getting ready to head to the party. We were pleased to be able to keep up our Halloween tradition of couple costumes even though we were so far from home.Lauren in full bunny regalia in the stairwell of our Tel Aviv hotel, the Gordon Inn.
We rented a car in Tel Aviv and set out to explore a couple of places in Israel by road before we headed to Egypt to meet up with Dane. Our first stop was Jerusalem, where we rendezvoused with my cousin Michael, who is spending a year studying in that magnificent city. We had a great time hanging out with him and he really showed us some cool sights.
In front of the very holy Western Wall in Jerusalem. The prayer spaces for the wall are divided by sex, with a much larger portion alloted to the men.

A brief interlude from the pictures to tell a crazy story. We left Jerusalem in our rental car, intending to head north to the Sea of Galilee. Armed with a rental agency map, we made our way in that direction. As we approached a massive checkpoint leading into Palestinian territory, we had the frightening realization that our map was not accurate. With huge machine guns trained on our car, we had no choice but to proceed forward. We pulled up to the checkpoint and rolled down our window to speak with the guard, who was wielding a large automatic rifle. He asked us just two questions: "Where are you from?" and "Are you Jewish?" Satisfied by our answers of "American" and an emphatic and hurried "NO!" he politely lowered his gun and wished us well in our trip to Jericho and the West Bank. Yikes. We had no idea that we were driving directly through the heart of the Palestinian-controlled West Bank. With our crappy map, we ended up getting lost and finally had to stop and ask for directions. The store proprietor who helped us was very nice and also wished us well. Finally, we were on our way out of the West Bank, but not before having the scare of being tailed at high speed by a nondescript white car with Palestinian plates and occupied by four young Palestinian men. The faster we drove, the faster they drove, even over very rough roads, so we were pretty sure that we were done for. In the end, we made it across to the Israeli side, where the Palestinian car had to turn back. Phew!!!! It's always an adventure with us.

Now, back to the pictures:

One day, we headed up to the very holy and surprisingly artsy town of Tsfat, situated up on a mountain overlooking the Sea of Galilee. This picture was taken at the citadel in Tsfat, the highest place in the city and the site of many battles over the centuries.
The Sea of Galilee and its environs are really beautiful. We stayed for a couple of nights in Tiberias, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Here is Lauren at dusk, with the Sea behind her.
Still next to the Sea of Galilee as the sun sets.
From Israel, we flew to Cairo, where we spent two days before picking Dane up at the airport. Egypt was incredible in sum, but the experience of seeing the Pyramids at Giza was a transcendent one. We had such a cool day there.
We elected to get a tour guide for the Pyramids, since we wanted to make sure to optimize our experience after a not-so-illuminating trip to the Egyptian Museum. Our guide recommended a camel ride to the Pyramids, which we decided was a cool idea. Here we are aboard George Bush (T.J.), Mickey Mouse (Lauren), and Michael Jackson (Dane). Yes, it was slightly cheesy and touristy, but it was also awesome.
As you can see, Dane agreed with our assessment about the awesomeness of the camel ride.
Lauren catching huge air on account of her excitement.
Lauren in front of the Sphinx, her favorite Egyptian landmark.
Another view of the Sphinx, with the Middle Pyramid in the background.
A view of the main pyramid at Saqqarah, the first pyramid ever built.
From Cairo, we took a long bus ride across the Sinai Peninsula to Dahab, Egypt, on the Red Sea. Here are T.J. and Dane relaxing one night after dinner on the seafront.
T.J. turned 28 on the second day we were in Dahab. He woke up to a table laden with birthday surprises, including candy, presents, and some cards from home. It was a great birthday, even if most days on this trip feel like my birthday.
Sunset over Dahab on November 14, T.J.'s birthday.
We had an excellent birthday meal at a very tasty Thai restaurant in Dahab called Blue House, which was a fitting locale for someone who is obsessed with the color blue.
After the Thai food, we relaxed at the Bedouin Lodge with a sheesha (tobacco water pipe).
Dane taking a turn at the sheesha.
Lauren exhaling a large cloud of apple-flavored tobacco smoke.
We did six dives on the reefs in and around Dahab. Unfortunately, we don't have great pictures of those dives. However, on one of our rest days, we went on a 1.5 hour hike to the Bedouin village of Ras Abu Galoum. We hung out with the locals, went snorkeling, and generally enjoyed the peace and quiet of the remote location. Here is Lauren with Ras Abu Galoum in the background.
On the hike back from Ras Abu Galoum, we reached a promontory with a view of Saudi Arabia across the Red Sea. Here Dane and T.J. are "saluting" our Saudi Arabian "friends."
After an eight day sojourn in Dahab, the three of us took a trouble-filled journey north along the Red Sea, crossed into Israel at the Taba border, and then reunited with the Voboril parents in the Israeli seaside resort town of Eilat. The next day, we were back on the road, with the five of us journeying into Jordan for a visit to the ancient city of Petra. Here we are in front of a site used for animal sacrifices.
T.J. and his Pops close to Petra's Treasury, which is barely visible in the crack in the background.
Family shot close to the Treasury.
You might recognize the Treasury from the final scenes of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."
We again decided to ride some camels, as we had so much fun the first time.
T.J.'s Mom on her first-ever camel ride, in Petra, Jordan.
The now-extended Voboril clan. Lauren wants to make it clear that her camel was a baby and she is not that much shorter than everybody else. She also says that her camel was the softest, sweetest, and least-smelly. That is probably true.
Another spectacular building carved into the rocks of Petra.
T.J. in an ancient archway.
Mom and the daughter she never had on the cobbled pathway between the cliffs of Petra.
After crossing back into Israel from Jordan and enduring the bureaucratic tedium entailed in border crossings, we went to bed excited for a day of diving off of Eilat. As it happened, even though the dive shop was in Israel, our dive site was actually in Egypt. So, we headed to the Taba border again for our third border crossing in three days. Even though it was a hassle, we were glad that we made the trip, as we had a fabulous day aboard a dive boat on the Red Sea. Here's the crew gearing up for our first dive.
Suited up and ready to dive. Note that our fins were made circa 1975. We felt that our equipment was sort of suspect and our suspicions were confirmed when T.J.'s regulator stopped working on the second dive. Although his primary regulator was not supplying air (which scared the crap out of him), he managed to get his emergency regulator in his mouth and continue with the dive, which was markedly shortened because he went through air at a prodigious rate due to his rapidly beating heart.
Dane exiting the water after one of his dives. He was getting practice for his impending voyage to Roatan, Honduras for several months to get certified as a Divemaster and work in a dive shop.
While aboard the dive boat, we scoped out this castle/fort, which was occupied by Richard the Lionheart during the Crusades.
Mom and Pops Voboril in front of the rented wheels, on our trip to Tel Aviv from Eilat.
On our way to Tel Aviv, we stopped off for a dip in the Dead Sea. The floatiness of the water has to be experienced to be believed.
Pops relaxing after a hard day at the wheel.
The Voboril men. "Look Ma, no hands!"
Preparing for our time in India...
Coated in mineral-rich Dead Sea mud, which actually makes your skin incredibly smooth.
Back in Tel Aviv, we met back up with Evan Wertheim, who joined the five of us for dinner at a great seafood restaurant in Tel Aviv's port district.
We took a day trip to Jerusalem, where we saw a ton of sights including the Dome of the Rock in the Temple Mount area.
For the first time in our lives, we did not have turkey for Thanksgiving. Instead, the five of us, along with our cousin Michael, had Thanksgiving dinner at an Argentinian steakhouse in Tel Aviv. Here is Lauren giving thanks to the Thanksgiving cow for a wonderful and special meal shared with family.
Mom and Pops among the ruins of the ancient port city of Yafo/Jaffa, just south of Tel Aviv.
We walked around the chill atmosphere of Yafo, checking out the many art galleries, including this eponymous one.
Lauren on our last day in Israel, giving it a high kick of approval.