Istanbul At Last!

This morning around 2 o’clock, we were awakened by the Turkish boarder guards, telling us to get up and have our passports checked at the office outside.  Then, we like sheep, scrambled out to the cold boarder with all the other stressed tourists.  After we had endured the cold passport line outside, the official at the counter told us we needed to go to a different line and purchase a visa.  Once we had our visas, we gave another effort at the long line of insanity.  We finally left the boarder around 4 or 5 in the morning.  We all caught a couple more zzzzs and that, dear reader, began the story of my somnolent day.


I was soon aroused by my mother telling me to get up and pack my bag.  I eventually mustered up the strength to crawl out of my pitifully skinny bunk.  At approximately 9 o’clock, we had made it to the outskirts of Istanbul.  I quickly finished packing up my bag and then took some quick shots of the city from the train.  After thirty-five hours of travel, we had made it all in one piece to Istanbul.  When we had checked into our, thankfully air-conditioned, Hostel, we got ready to meet mom’s friends.  We had made it to Istanbul!


We spent the rest of the day with mom's friends, going from coffee shop to coffee shop talking about their early friendship. Ulrika, Huseyin, and Mom met as foreign students in Geneva, Switzerland in ninth grade.  This was a very meaningful time for all three of them, and they have not seen each other in 35 years.  Tonight, Dad and I decided to return to the hotel while mom and her friends continued their night life.  Dad and I are going to finish last night's movie.  I am excited to be healthy and able to take on the many days that come on this endless world trip. 

Thank you for reading Rohan Geographic.