2.25.2015

Turkey Trotting 2015

I was recently in Turkey, for a few reasons. Here they are: Istanbul, Gaziantep, Antalya...



the cats of Istanbul


on a walkabout to Moda for some cold beverages

kitty kat capsule hostels

Gaziantep

Ada sunshine

in the old quarter of Gaziantep

Chalet Settar








mating season

Nano Nano...

gallery hopping for the free booze



Antalya Archaeology



















with Jamila Jordan ELF :)



2.16.2015

Wassup?

Wassup?



Well, let me tell you all wassup right now with me.  March is marching right around the corner and the heat is slowly stepping up here in the Middle East.  I'm thinking that in 2 weeks I won't be able to drive with the windows down any longer and that air con will rule once again.  Perhaps the same for my interior living environment, but maybe can hold off the air con a wee-little bit longer...

I'm looking forward to a fast, effortless semester at the university to close down my Middle East experience.  I have made this place homey, yet it doesn't exactly feel like home.  That's fine because I am homeless :)  It doesn't really feel all that bad honestly.

I am already beginning to feel the 'disconnect' in knowing that I will be leaving Bahrain in summer.  I look at my 'homey' apartment and think, "what can I get rid of" before the move?  With every clothes-washing experience, I see more holes in my t-shirts. This makes me smile as I know its more to leave behind, and that those t-shirts served me well over the years.

There will be no lost love over dropping off my car upon departure... I have mostly gotten used to the reckless attitudes of the majority of drivers here, but some days my blood boils.  Yesterday coming home from the university at 4 pm (not a time I'm usually leaving the uni) there was more traffic- which means more shitty drivers... Two cars nearly slammed into me because they were in such a hurry to rid themselves of 'slow' drivers in front of them.  I've never experiences so many assholes on the road- I mean it. I should record myself driving. It would be a fun memory of a lot of my time here in Bahrain... In fact, I'm looking forward to simply walking and taking public transportation at my next location :)

What do I want to stock up on before I leave?  Well, Arabian perfume for one... No where better int the world to smell good as the ouds you can get in the souks here.  Also, Frankincense- from Oman.  Loads of it in fact.  Again, no better quality than in the region (that I've experienced so far anyway). I suppose I'll have to purchase a rug before I leave... I'm going to try really hard to NOT purchase any more books...Last, but certainly not least, I'm sure I'll purchase another pair of bejeweled sandals- my guilty pleasure. "I cling to bling" is my sandal motto now.

Well, this is wassup right now for me.  The impending move is still a ways away so I'll stop thinking about it now and get outta bed and get on with my day- which means I'll binge-watch Homeland Season 3 today...