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