I'm with my last family

I've been with my last family in Istanbul for a week now, and all is going well.  They do not need me quite as much as agreed, but prefer I stick around on the weekends and travel during the week.  The 8 year old boy leaves early morning for school and returns around 4:30, so there isn't much time after homework and dinner and relaxing to spend much time on English.  Both parents are pretty fluent as she is an English teacher and he studied for his masters and phd in Albany New York for nine years. 

I was sick with a cold my first days here, and then occupied with focusing on getting my visa for Moscow for another couple of days.  But this last week, I've been able to get out and saw the Dohmabachce Palace, the Istanbul Modern Art Museum, and a special Exhibit on the art of Ebru, as well as walking around through the Galata Tower district and the area around where I am staying, which is called Kadikoy. 

I've booked my plane ticket to Moscow for the 16th of November and then on to Berlin (!) on the 25th of November.  I will be able to stop and see the Berlin wall, etc., and visit Laura who was in Ecuador and Peru with me.  Then I will make my way by train down into Italy to visit Teresa from Haines/Tenkaee and Giulia, the gal who was our Rotary exchange student!

I've also booked for next week to go to Bursa here in Turkey.  I will go on Tuesday and Wednesday.  There are two big things of interest to me there.  First, is the puppet theater museum which I read about before I came and then I also found out that this is where the silk is grown/harvested/whatever for the most expensive of the Turkish carpets. 

My last week here will be during a Beyram (Holiday), and I am still trying to decide what to do.  I am thinking of going to Ederne, but my family from Izmir will also be here, and I would love to spend time with them and go to the aquarium with them also.  So will need to make a decision soon.

The weather has definately changed to fall.  The clouds breeze through the sky all day and there is a wind.  Being so much water around Istanbul, it is humid, so with the cooler temps, you really feel the dampness in the air. 

Love the 'cafeteria' food here!

Ok, so it's not an open fire, but the chestnuts are roasting everywhere!

An organized march protesting the unrest in the south of Turkey.

Galata Tower area - narrow winding streets -- this one was all music stores and a few tourist things.

Love the old buildings.

A tulip painted on Ebru paper.

Back in Istanbul

Had a six hour bus ride today from Canakkale on the Asian continent to Istanbul's European side.  I had planned to tour Troy and the Gallipoli Peninnsuala, so stayed in Canakkale for two nights.  But the weather was so bad: cold, rain and wind, that I pretty much stayed in my hotel room for the day!  I didn't even take any pictures.  So today as we made our way up the peninsula and then through Thrace, we hit more cold, rain, wind and SNOW!  It wasn't sticking, but it sure was coming down!

The only clothes I had to wear were 3/4 length pants, tennis shoes and two shirts with a black 3/4 length sleeve sweater-type thingy.  So I added a scarf to top off the outfit and try to stay not warm, but at least not freezing.  On the bus, I added a shawl on my shoulder against the window.  (I bet whoever is reading this right now is thinking -- man, I sure am glad I wasn't with her!  I'd have been so embarrassed!)   Tonight I went to the mall (dressed like this) and found a store, bought two pair of long pants and a lightweight fleece jacket.  Aw, so much better!

As I was on the bus, there was a woman with a young daughter, maybe 5 years old, that was sitting across the aisle.  Whenever the seat next to me was empty, the little girl would sit there.  The woman was friendly, but didn't speak English and my Turkish is limited to please, thank you, hello, etc.  When we stopped for a 20 minute break along the way, she made sure to let me know that it was a toilet break.  When I went to get off at the main bus station in Istanbul, she indicated she wanted to see my notecard (I had it in my hand -- I always write the name, address and phone number of where I am going so I can give it to the cab driver if needed), so I showed it to her and she confirmed I needed to get off here.  She also called out to another woman getting off and said something about me.  When I went to get my bag from the attendant, this second woman said something to the attendant and he looked around and said something to a man that was standing there.  By this time I had figured out there was continued shuttle service into the different areas of the city and I was to get on this man's van.  As I tried to make sure my bag was steady where I set it on the van floor, another man sitting there asked me in English if he could help me.  I told him I thought I was doing ok, and confirmed in English that the van was going to the area I needed to go.  As we approached the area, the driver called something out, and the man obviously answered for me and then asked me if I was going to take the metro the rest of the way.  I replied I was going to find a taxi, as I didn't want to take the tram with my big suitcase.  When we got off a few blocks later, the man said he would help me get a taxi and waved one down for me and then told the taxi driver where I needed to go and showed him my card!  All of this was done, from one person to the next, without my approaching them for help, rather each of them stepping up to help me on their own.  I have found this to be the case throughout my travels: everyone is very friendly and eager to help.

My hotel this time is again in the Sultanhament area of old Istanbul, but just a little off from the biggest tourist area. The neighborhood has a lot of the old wooden houses, some in pretty poor repair.  Looking forward to walking through this area tomorrow to get a better feel for it.

I will meet my family on Wednesday mid-day.  One of the people from the organization will pick me up and take me across by ferry to the area where the family lives.   So, tomorrow I will get my tram pass, and maybe just hangout one more day!  It is good to have time off from being someone's guest!

Covered women and more

Yesterday Derya and I went to the old Konak area of the city where I was when I first arrived and went to the old bazaar.  This is a permanent bazaar, not like the one we went to on Sunday which is just once a week for veggies and maybe a few other things.  We had a good time walking around and then had lunch at a place she likes there.  I got a few gifts and finally found a real pie pan.

I've mentioned that some women wear scarves and some wear long light-weight over coats as well.  These are fundamentalist Muslims and this is becoming more and more common.  It has increased over the last 10 years with the current president.  Attaturk, the "father of the Turks" who lead the movement for the republic of Turkey, established freedom of religion along with many other things upon the establishment of the country.  But now there is a movement away from this freedom towards conservatism and not all people are very happy about this. 

At the Bazaar, there were many shops that sold wedding apparel.  I say apparel, because there is not just the white wedding dress.  First, there is a big family engagement party, with the couple being pinned with money on sashes that they wear and they exchange engagement rings in front of the guests.  This is a semi-formal affair.  Then, the night before the wedding, the bride's hands are "henna'd" and this is a big to-do with her female relatives and girlfriends.  The maid of honor equivalent is this night, with her carrying a tray and the henna and leading the way for the coloring of  the hands.  Then, on the wedding day, the bride wears a white gown and the bride and groom sit together and sign the legal papers and then there is a party.  I've seen the photos for both Derya and her second sister and it looks like they enjoy the party as much as we do with dancing, etc.  (Their dad loves to dance.)

So, anyway, at the bazaar, I took photos of the fancy scarves that the women who are covered wear for their engagement and wedding parties.   Besides the bridal/engagement gown stores, there are also stores that sell only scarves for all occasions/daily use!  

To give you an idea of what I mean by the light weight coat, here is a pic of a store selling this clothing and also a pic of three young women wearing them with their scarves.  This way of dressing is quite different from the country women who also wear scarves and printed colored skirts.  Often, these covered women have on very stylish clothes underneath, or just plain old jeans and t-shirts.  

I have only seen a few women with the full outfit of burka, veiled face and full length black gown.  I've been told you see more of this to the east and of those I've seen in the cities, they are probably tourists from other countries. Some Turks fear their country is going more and more conservative and taking away their religious freedoms.  About 98% of the population is Islamic, but there is a wide range in how they practice their religion.  Those that are more liberal are not too happy with the way their government is heading

Good bye for now to Izmir

Today is my last full day in Izmir with the Inceisa family.  I've had a fantastic time with them, seeing how they run a small family business, learning about the way of life for a family with a young son, and of their concerns for the future for their son and for their country.  Mostly though, I have made new friends that I will have for life and I hope someday to be able to welcome them to Alaska and my home (if I every have my own again!)

This week we had a lot of rain, so I did not do much at the beginning of the week, other than hang out at the bakery with Derya and Hakan and work on my blog and take photos.  I have met many of their customers and have learned that although some say they do not speak English, they do speak enough to greet me in the morning and ask how I am.  And I am able to do this in Turkish now, too.   I've also met one current English tutor, a retired English teacher, a professor who lived in the US for three years, and a surgeon who speaks English as well.

Our daily routine includes breakfast in the "garden" - the front patio of the bakery.  Ege loves his Nutella with his "simit" or other breads, and I have come to like Nutella too!  Add a little of the homemade cherry preserves and I am off to a good start.

I brought a deck of cards with me and we've been playing cards all week.  We've moved up to crazy 8 and it serves as a good time to have an 8 year old boy sit for a few minutes and I can teach him phrases...."It's ON the table", "I am the winner", "Are you wearing a blue shirt?", etc.  The cards have "Alaska" written on them, and the rule I made is that when playing with the Alaska Cards, you must English.

Derya's mother comes quite often to help with the borak -- it is a long process and takes up a big workspace, so it really is helpful to have two people working on it.   Her sister came one day to help and I get in there too and help with little things while staying out of the way.  Hakan pretty much runs the sales end of things and keeps the tea cups full for the customers.  Also, some of the men just come by to talk to him.  Derya likes this as they have more of a profit off of the tea than off of the individual sales of borek, so if they have a couple cups, that's good!

Derya's English has also improved a lot in these last two weeks.  She's had English lessons before and used to use it in her old job in the textile business, but hasn't had much use for it with the bakery.  But, she wants to make sure Ege has at least two languages, as this is necessary any more for any of the good paying jobs.  Derya is quite a smart women and is always thinking about how they can grow the business and what steps need to be taken and which ones first.  She checks out rent on other locations that are bigger profile, knows where the profits are, knows her customers, and tests new products and watches what her customers like, and not just what she likes to make. but what they like and buy.  She is an outgoing, happy young woman, who likes to joke and be with her family.  (She is sitting here, and said to say, "and make more money".

I have found that Turkish people use their hands to speak, probably as much as the Italians!  I had no idea.  And I've enjoyed watching these same gestures used by both Abdullah, Derya, Hakan, and their families. Below are a few I captured.  But I missed taking pics of a couple of others.  The wiping of the hands together to show something is done.  And a brushing of the hand away from the body with a "tsk", meaning, "forget it".

A click of the tongue and the lifting of the chin means "no".

All the fingers together means "very good" or "Chok Guzel"

And the thumbs up means good, the same as we know.

And a picture of the happy wonderful new friend I have made.

Besides doing a lot with the bakery, Hakam is also an engineer.  In December he will be going for the month to Nigeria where a friend has a business concern and needs an Engineer to sign off on it.  He will be gone for the full month and Derya is asking me to come back to help.....anyone want to come and stay with a fantastic family for the month of December -- you know, get out of the cold Juneau weather!!!????  Walk Ege to school so Derya doesn't have to close the bakery, make dinner so she can focus only on the baking for the business, etc....

The other night Derya's mother and father and sister, Marian and her fiance' came over for dinner which we ate outside the bakery on the front patio.  There are always 2-3 "salads", i.e., side dishes, usually a soup and always a main dish with veggies and meats -- usually tomato based.  (Derya's mother wears a scarf while cooking and also when she prays.  She is still wearing the scarf in the first picture.

On my last night, we went to dinner at Hakan's parents house.  They have been in Kasadasi for the summer and just returned.  We had a nice dinner, followed by Greek Ouzo for dessert!  Yum!  Didn't know it was so good!  We ended the evening by joining Derya's sister and fiance for a cup of tea at a local place along the waterfront.  

Izmir was a great place and I am so glad I decided to stay there.  Makbule did a great job of matching me with first her father and then her friends. 

Making Borek

The main product sold at the bakery is Derya's "Bosnian Borek" which is a bit different then the Turkish borek, but very similar.  In looking at other recipes on line, I see two differences.  One, her's is much lower fat and two, she makes long "snakes" of it and then twists it into a big round pan.  She makes three kinds: spinach, aubergine and beef.  She makes 8-10 pans, 2 or 3 times per week!

I'm still trying to figure out how to load the video I took of the actual rolling of it....

Second Family

I'm enjoying my time with my second family.  I came here on Tuesday afternoon instead of Monday morning as originally scheduled, as Abdullah really wanted me to stay longer.  Since I came later, I made no plans for the weekend away and will spend this weekend with the family.

The daily routine is for Hakan to go and open the bakery around 6:30 or 7:00 (I'm not sure, since I haven't woken up!), then Derya gets up around 8:00am and gets out of here by around 8:45.  Ege and I get up when we want (which has been around 8:30-9:00): he watches tv, and I get ready, use the computer some and we might play a game of cards.  We then walk over to the bakery (about 2 1/2 city blocks) and along the way I work on vocabulary with Ege: tree, car, square, circle, fast/slow, etc.  Derya has breakfast ready for us and we all sit down together for breakfast. Derya and I will get a few minutes to chat about the day or whatever before she must get into the kitchen.  Hakan waits on the customers if any come in while Derya is busy either with Ege or in the kitchen cooking, runs errands, works does just a little of everything. 

Ege's school is from 1 to 6 pm (the older students go to school in the morning), so we have more time to play games.  I have him count everything in English and use English phrases, "your turn", "do you have", etc. A little girl from nearby comes to be taken to school with Ege, and she just stared at me the first day and then told me -- which Derya told me later -- that she wanted to learn English and speak it right now, and, and, and....just a mile a minute of which I understood nothing.  I discovered though that both of the kids had learned "head, shoulders, knees and toes" in preschool -- well, they learned the tune, but have no idea of what the words are!  Anyway, we spend time playing around, drawing, playing cards, etc. until he is off to school.  Derya said he is really enjoying my company, as he usually prefers to watch tv during this time, but he hasn't gone inside to watch it while I have been there.

Some days Derya's mother, Makbule, comes to help make the borek -- their main specialty.  I will do another post with photos about what it is and how it is made.  It is definitely a two person job though, as otherwise Derya would not have time to make anything else.

Each afternoon I have walked over to Abdullah's and had afternoon tea with him and Ayten.  We have been playing tavla each day, and he is still beating me except when I get a few good dice rolls in!  When I get back, I have time with Derya before it's time for Ege to be picked up.  We have done a lesson, made cheesecake, chocolate chip cookies and dinner in this time frame, talking all the while of course.

My first night we came home after closing the bakery around 8pm and had dinner at home.  I shared my photos, and they theirs.  The second night we went to Derya's parents house for dinner, the third night I made meatloaf and mashed potatoes and we ate at the bakery before going across the street to Abdullah's daughter's house (Makbule - the one who set up the exchange here) for tea and dessert, and then last night went to Derya's parents for dinner again.

Makbule making the dessert called kunefe from Antakya area of Turkey.

Derya explained that they go to her parents for dinner more often then not.  Her mom will call around 5 or 6 to see if they have other plans and if not tell them to come on over, she has made whatever and has plenty of it.

Last night was kind of funny.  Derya's friend/customer called her to see if she was cooking dinner and if so, what it was.  Derya told her she was making stuffed peppers and her friend asked her to make a few extra for her, and she would buy them for her families dinner.  Derya said she has a number of friends who started doing this after she opened the bakery about a year ago, and they have encouraged her to make meals as well to sell.  She said she wants to see if she can be successful with the borek and cookies, etc., first.  Anyway, Derya had the pan out front as she had just put her friend's peppers into a container for her, when another customer came in and wanted to buy the rest of them!  Derya told her no, they were her families dinner, but then ended up selling some of them, and we took the rest of them with us to her mother's house for our dinner!

Her mother must spend  her whole day cooking, as yesterday she was at the bakery helping with the borek and then served us a bean soup, fried sardines, and salad for dinner.  There is just nothing bad about the food here!  Ok, maybe too many cucumbers, but.....

More this and that

Many restaurants and some hotels give out individual packets with a hand wipe to clean before/after your meal, etc.  They are printed with the establishments name on them like an advertisement.

Lemon scented “cologne” is also used to cool, refresh and clean after a meal.  At some restaurants when you pay, the cashier will pick up the bottle and you are to hold out your hands and they pour in a couple of tablespoons and you rub it all over your hands and your neck and face if you want to!  On the buses, they pass out cups of water and then also go through and offer this cologne to everyone as well!  Guess it helps keep the odors down too!

Vendors and collectors ride bikes or push carts through the city streets calling out their wares or what they are collecting.  The vendors mostly have different types of breads – this is in the mornings – or trucks of melons or a mix of fruits.  The collectors will pick up your old newspapers, broken electronics, etc. Also, people ride through the neighborhoods on bikes with a hug canvas bag on a frame in front, and go through the garbage bins, looking for plastic, glass, cardboard and other recyclables.

There is an over abundance of cars in the city neighbor hoods.  There are blocks and blocks and blocks of apartment buildings and the streets between are made of cobblestone and are pretty much one-way. On the ground floor of the buildings are often small businesses – on Abdullah’s block, there is one other apartment on the ground level and the rest are businesses.  Every few blocks there will be a wider street with larger businesses, such as teahouses and restaurants, vegetable stands, florists, etc.  It always amazes me that a person can make a living with such specialty business, such as just selling nuts, or a little tiny (6 foot x 6 foot) shop with school supplies, or snacks, etc.  Anyway, added to these small streets are the cars.  Cars are parked along one side, and sometimes actually up on the sidewalks, and other cars just stop in the middle of the street and the driver jumps out to conduct his business with one of the small businesses along the way.  Cars behind are usually patient for a few minutes, and then start honking.  As cars approach an intersection they slow down just a bit and honk there horns and then blast through the intersection…they can’t see in either direction without pulling into the middle of the intersection because of the parked cars.  As a walker in all this, it is difficult, as the sidewalks are narrow and often either have parked cars on them, or something from one of the business on them, or trash waiting to be picked up.  So, people walk in the middle of the street, and when a car approaches, it honks and you step to the side close to the park car and wait for the car to go past.  Add delivery trucks, a few bicycles, plus the bicycle vendors, strollers, cars temporarily pulled to the side, etc., and the streets can be quite busy and full of chaos.  

Abdullah sits in a chair by a window and is able to look out on the street.  Most people who walk by are actually walking in the middle of the street, but some are on the sidewalk right up against the building.  His visitors often stop at the window to say hello and then either he or Ayten will go and ring in the visitor.  His daughter Ayşegül often stops by the window to say good morning, etc., or to say she is going to the market and asks if he needs anything.  There is one woman who walks by at the same time every morning, and sometimes Abdullah will look at the time and then comment that she is running late!  There is one elderly man that walks by who is usually singing and carries some type of a big thermos jug on his arm.  Abdullah always calls out to Ayten when he goes by, that her lover is there!  This cracks me up as it reminds me of my friends and I teasing each other by calling men we see each other’s boyfriends.  One day the man actually stopped and said something to Abdullah and looked at Ayten and I who were sitting there.  When he left, Abdullah cracked up laughing and said that the only time the man ever stops to say hi is when he sees Ayten sitting right there and this is why he calls the man her lover.  I tried to get a photo of the man one day, but was a bit late on the click!  Here are photos from outside and inside!

Cesme & Chios

Cesme is a summer resort town just 1 ½ hours by bus from Izmir and Chios is a Greek Island that is just another 1 ½ hours by ferry from Cesme.  This past weekend, October 1 & 2, I visited both. 

I took the bus on Friday evening to Cesme and found a room at a pension listed in the Lonely Planet travel Guide.  Again I had a balcony, air conditioning, wireless and breakfast included.  As a bonus, I had a fantastic view of the harbor which had two huge cargo ships, ferry boats for Greece and Italy, personal yachts and sailboats owned by Turkish and British and Russians, small local wooden fishing boats and big wooden “gullets” for day and weeklong tourist cruises.  Add clear skies, a wind, and temperatures lower than Izmir and I was in heaven! (My room was on the floor with the sign on the balcony.)

On Friday night I found a restaurant that served Italian food and I went all out: a nice big green salad with tomatoes, onions, and (unfortunately) cucumbers; penne pasta with chicken in a cream sauce; bread; and a glass of red wine.  Wonderful.  I love the Turkish cuisine, which is heavy on the veggies, little meat and tomatoes in just about every cooked dish, but it was nice to have something different!

Saturday morning I headed for the ferry around 8:30 and ended up in a long line for passport control.  Lots of people go back and forth between the island and mainland, but this means going from one country to another, so passports have to be checked both on departure and on arrival, making for long lines.  On board the ferry I met two gals; one from the US and the other from London.  Both live and work in Turkey and every three months go to Chios and get new three-month visas upon their return to Turkey.  Jennifer, from California, lives in Istanbul, works for a textile company with their British and Irish accounts, is engaged to a Turkish man from Cesme and speaks Turkish.   Louise lives in Ayden not far from Izmir, teaches English, has been married for 2 ½ years to a Turkish man, is four months pregnant, and also speaks Turkish.  It was great to meet them and visit with them and get their perspectives on a few Turkish things that I did not know.   Since they have made this trip many times, they were also skilled at getting through the line on the Greek side upon arrival.  The Game Plan: Get to the boat exit long before arrival to be the first ones off and RUN to the passport control window as everyone except EU passport holders must go to the same line.  So Jennifer took my hand and we ran to the line and were the second ones there!  What a relief as two boats came in at the same time and I’m sure it took a good hour for some people to get through the line! 

Anyway, we had lunch at a café together and then I was off to my tour.  The tour guide spoke only Turkish, which I knew when I bought the tour, but I wanted to see more than the one town on the island.  It turned out fine, as I found a gal who spoke some English and she was able to tell me the important things like how much time we had in each place and when to be back on the bus!  I also had a booklet about the island written in English, so I was able read about the places we were visiting.  A couple of things about this island: Homer lived and worked on this island for many years and may have been born here as well, although a number of other places also claim to be his birth town.  Christopher Columbus was known to have stopped here on one of his voyages.  There is a tree native to the south end of this island, called mastic, that is known for its sap or “gum” which is used for many purposes, including pharmaceutical, over which there were a number of battles as different ethnic groups wanted ownership of the island and the mastic gum industry.  The Genoese, Greeks, Turks and others all were in control at different times.  Because of this valuable commodity, towns were built within city walls and the pathways through them are like mazes.  I’m sure the tour guide explained a lot more about them, but…   We stopped first at , walked through the town and the church and then had time for lunch in the town center.  I took way to many photos, but had fun trying to get some good shots.  Also, there was free wireless, so I used my iPhone for a photo of me in the town square and uploaded it to Facebook. 

The second town was a bit different in that the streets were wider and in some areas cars could actually drive through.  Also, unique to this village are the decorations of the homes.  They whitewash the building and then scratch away to make geometric designs.  Really cool looking and I haven’t a clue why they do this!  Again, way too many photos!

We returned to the port just in time for the ferry – I think our bus was the last one to get back.  There were not nearly as many people on board on the return; many people stay a few days on the island and make it a holiday.  I visited with Jennifer and Louise again who felt quite successful with their shopping trip and said good bye when we landed back in Turkey.  I went back to the same restaurant as I had the night before, this time for the salad without cucumbers and a steak with a spinach cream sauce over it!  Heaven!  (Now back to the healthy delicious Turkish cuisine this week.)

When I got back to my room, I took a shower and then I could not get the water to turn off!  The owner had told me if I needed anything during my stay, that his father lived on the floor below and I could get him.  So, down I went to try to explain to an elderly gentleman who spoke no English that the water was stuck on.  I tried three words in Turkish: no stop water/hayer dur su, but he couldn’t understand!!!  And here I thought I was doing so good with my Turkish!  He came up, saw the problem and then called his son.  The owner ended up having to come and fix it.  The whole thing probably took about a half hour.  In the mean time, the older gentleman explained through single words and gestures that he had diabetes and has lost all his toes making walking difficult.   Also, the bathroom was one of these things that has been added to the room after the fact, so you must step up into it.  And, it is much like a head on a boat: the shower is not separate and the whole (small) bathroom gets wet when you use it!  So, the toilet paper must be kept outside of the room.

I spent Sunday morning walking through Cesme and the waterfront, visiting the castle and small museum in it, and sitting at a café on the waterfront watching the fishermen and then the tourists walking by.  Many people were wearing sweaters and windbreakers, while I sat there in my tank top thinking that the temperature and slight breeze was perfect!  There really were not many tourists in the town, most of the restaurants were empty and some didn’t even open.  The pension where I stayed was closing for the season as well. 

My bus ride back was a full bus, with a lot of confusion over who belonged in what seat.  When I got on, someone was in my seat, so I sat in the next empty one.  I think everyone on the bus had done that, and the attendant was in a tizzy trying to get everyone to move to the right seats!  The bus ride ended at the southwestern bus terminal and I had no idea had to proceed home from there.  I asked the attendant and another man jumped up and helped as he spoke English.  They told me I needed bus 3000, no, 300 and to go “over there” with a vague wave of the hand!  Two young gals also got off the bus and I approached them and one of them went and asked someone else, and again I was told bus 3 thousand, no 3 hundred and to go “over there”!  There was a huge parking lot with cars parked every which way that I am sure would take hours to untangle and I could see a huge, huge shopping bazaar over to one side.  I blindly made my way through the cars and found that there was a big local bus terminal on the other side.  I couldn’t find the stop for “3000, no 300” so I asked, someone who spoke English was found, and I was pointed in the right direction for bus number 300.  I was at the south side of the bay that the city sits on and I needed to go all the way around the bay to the north side.  I was a bit uncertain about this, as I didn’t know if I would recognize where I needed to get off.  It ended up working perfectly, with the bus following the shoreline as much as it could and I recognized first the Konak area that I stayed the first few days, and then also the way that I had traveled last weekend, and then finally, the waterfront of Kasiyaka, the area that I am staying in!  I knew exactly where I was and how to get home from there!  What luck! 

Abdullah was waiting for me and we played a few games of backgammon in which he proceeded to totally destroy me!  Only in one game was I anywhere near close to him and that was because of his help.  I have a long way to go!