Well folks, I'm in Istanbul! After what felt like a year of my life spent in airports and on planes, I made it here at 10:00 am local time (that's 3:00 am Atlanta time). The plane portion of the trip was pretty interesting. First, on my flight from Atlanta to New York I sat next to this huge guy (not fat, just insanely muscular) with scorpion tattoos all over his hands and everything. He was from South Africa, and it turns out he works as a military contractor who basically organizes and recruits mercenaries to fight in wars. He's sent soldiers from all over the world to fight in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Zambia, and more. Needless to say he was pretty jaded about war. After he said that he spends three days a week on international flights, I don't feel as bad.
When I was getting my ticket scanned to get on the plane at JFK airport to go to Istanbul, the lady who scanned my ticket said I had to go to the information desk. I was struck with the fear that my ticket wasn't valid, they had lost my information, or I was mistaken with someone else who couldn't leave the country. However, they printed me off a new ticket, and it turned out to be in first class! Somehow I was randomly selected to get an upgrade to first class, which on a 9 1/2 hour flight is pretty awesome. So, I had a huge comfy seat that almost reclined all the way back, had a footrest, my own personal tv with a huge selection of movies and tv shows (needless to say I watched three of my favorite shows, Friends, Two and a Half Men, and The Tudors!), an amazing dinner selection (filet mignon in a bernaise sauce with potato gratin and broccolini with an ice cream sundae for dessert? My kind of traveling.) So that was a nice surprise.
After a cab ride that nearly cost me my life (lane assignments are more like guidelines than actual rules here) with a cab driver who made his thoughts about American politicans perfectly clear in broken English (don't get me wrong, he was really nice!), I got to the hotel, which is pretty nice in a nice neighborhood. Guys, this city is INCREDIBLE. It's nothing like I've ever seen before. It's a mix between what you would typically imagine a Mediterranean/big Middle Eastern city would look like mixed with modern skyscrapers, advertisements, condos, etc. Plus the mosques are absolutely breathtaking. And there's a body of water everywhere I look. It's beautiful. I can't wait to actually get to walk around in it.
Sorry that was long; the rest of them probably won't be as long. But I just wanted to let you know that I got here safely (and in style, apparently).
Love you all, and thanks for reading this thing!
Arleta
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ahhh! That is SO cool! I hope they randomly choose me for an upgrade when I fly to Europe! jealous. It sounds like you've had a fantastic time so far. I am so happy for you! Can't wait to hear about your experiences in the city! And hopefully we can meet up while you're there!
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