The Long and Winding Road.......

For all this mumbo-jumbo we've been talking there is only one certainty that I know of.......and that is nothing, no man, no machine, and certainly no deity could pour a gin and tonic that Wallace couldn't drink.......

At the moment I'm sitting at my new friend Vedat's house listening to my favorite turkish blues album and, as all blues does, it has put me in the finest of moods...........much like a beer and a Morrison overtime goal might....

My time on the island was well spent....it was great to have a place all to myself with a full refrigerator and quiet....the calm after the storm.....The first couple days were spent doing nothing except drinking beer, reading philosophy and writing my first hand-written letter in ages.... a trifecta recommended to anybody with a lot of time on their hands.....

On the fourth day i went into the city and bought myself a saz, a turkish folk instrument sort of like a guitar but with a long neck and a bulbous body......makes that distinctive middle-eastern sound......so to the trifecta i added rocking out some blues......

As for Vedat, he's the boyfriend of Jeff's cousin Raquel.......I went over to their house for a BBQ one of the nights and ever since Vedat has taken it upon himself to act as my tour guide/caretaker......great man...

The nightlife on the island is pretty cool......everybody sort of congregates in the main square and just hangs out....there is a club on the island but i was informed that it's a "high society" type of place......ie: $50 at the door......don't need clubbing that badly.......tomorow night Vedat is taking to me to Rena, the best club in europe says the turks.......it also happens to be my last night in turkey so here's to making my 9 am flight!

Anyway, it looks like my time has come.........I can't condense the trip down to a few sentences so I won't even try, but it has been great.......especially Jeff's family and all their help etc....

In the words of the esteemed modern poet Eminem "It's back to reality...."

The thought of going home has just overwhelmed me.....i guess that's a good thing!

ryan

When I find myself in times of trouble.....

How things change so quickly......given my present circumstances it's hard to believe that two days ago i was navigating istanbul's public transit with $6 to my name in a desparate attempt at making it to jeff's parents house (well....that may be overly dramatic....)....

I'm writing this from an island in the sea of marmara, just 30 minutes from istanbul, where jeff's parents have a summer house.....sort of a weekend summer retreat for istanbullars (that's what the guide book calls them.....and Bulgarians are Bulgars....who knew). After learning that all flights from London to Toronto are full for the next 10 days i've "resigned" myself to the fact that istanbul is my home until the 11th.....not such a bad sentence i'm sure.....also received word today that my bank card has found it's way here, so tomorrow should provide a much awaited reunion....

Ehs.....i wish i could explain my current state of mind with regard to all that's occured in just a few sentences, but after just trying its become apparent that the subject is much too dense for a half-hearted effort via website....and it seems i can't email you either....at the moment i'm frantically searching my memory for any recollection of ever having seriously pissed off Allah (i'm aware of a couple minor infractions...most involving you...) ...... suffice to say that it's not an abandonment of reason or logic, only an awareness of a deficiency......but of course that sounds (looks?) so trivial when typed, as does all pseudo-philosophy.......i have the summer house all to myself out here so solitude will provide ample time for examination, hopefully driving myself partıially insane in the process.....only to pass the time and fend off boredom of course....unfortunate it will be so long before i have a chance to tell you about it....maybe an actual hand-written letter is called for....heaven forbid....

......and strange enough it was a jeans purchase that set off the whole affair.......

ryan

woohoo

Made it to istanbul with 4 millin lira to spare......enough for a beer.....2 if i bargain really hard......

Now camped at Jeff's parents place and it's quite a relief.....though after talking to the turkish bank that snatched my card yesterday it should be about a week before i see it.....mail is slow they say......i tried to impress upon them that i'm out of funds until i get the card back but they just shrugged.......upon asking why the ATM ate my card....another shrug.....plus "It's a machine".......somehow i considered that answer satisfactory......

So ................armed with an emergency loan of $20 from the Bank of Bardavit I'm off to find the British Aırways office for a last gasp attempt at getting a flıight out of here......initial telephone attempts were fruitless but the old face-to-face might get better results......at least getting down on my knees will have more effect....

Istanbul's charm is still managing to show through though......it's taken me 2 hours to walk up the main street because i keep stopping at all of the shops......even with no money to spend.....and the beautiful ladies always get a second glance.....

Wish me luck,

ryan

uh oh...

ok...i spoke too soon....

took money out yesterday, everything worked fine.......went to take money out today and the ATM ate my bank card.....banks are closed toady so now i'm without access to my accounts....in my possesion is 10 million lira (enough for a hotel room) and one bus ticket to istanbul in 5 hours (purchased earlier).....initial plan is to make a beeline for jeff's parents house in istanbul since theres no guarentee my card will work if i stick around for a day to get it back....

unreal....

ryan