Monday--very rainy day--making plans to leave Istanbul

Monday--January 24--Istanbul

Not a bad nights sleep for once.  I can tell it’s not a very nice day out and there isn’t much open today because it’s Monday.  All the museums or places I’m interested in visiting are closed and I’m sure it’s raining which means no boat cruise either.  Oh well.  I’m very low energy anyway.  

Although I would love to go downstairs to have breakfast in my p.j.’s I think otherwise and put some pants on.  It’s a very comfortable hotel and I feel like we’re kind of family but o.k. I guess I need to draw the line somewhere.

I go downstairs and I’m the only one for breakfast.  The Greek girls have left, the midwife interns leave early and who knows where Maria is.  While I’m eating the usual boring breakfast I see it’s raining outside.  

Koray comes downstairs and I ask him what there is to do in the rain on a Monday.  He suggests the Aquarium.  Um, now that sounds interesting.  Only thing is he tells me it’s about 1/2 hour out of town and I would need to take two or three metros to get there.  Not sounding so exciting now in this weather.  So what to do.  I need to pack because I’m leaving tomorrow , I need to catch up on the blog and I need to confirm with Ferit my arrangements for Kusadasi.  All very exciting tasks. 

A little after 11:00 I spend some time with Ferit discussing what I will do and how I will get to Kusadasi.  It’s decided that I will fly to Izmir via Atlas Jet for, are you ready for this, 64 TL about yep $40.00. I make the reservation on my computer while I’m sitting with Ferit and here’s the best part, Atlas Jet offers a FREE shuttle from Izmir to Kusadasi ( a nearly one hour ride).  Where in the world does this happen?  Can this be for real?  We’ll see.

Ferit is working with a woman at another travel agency in Kusadasi who says she will arrange for someone to get me from the shuttle bus and take me to the Palm Hotel.  I’m a bit skeptical about this Palm Hotel, based on Trip Advisor and ask Ferit three times to ask this woman why she is pushing the Palm Hotel.  I don’t get much of an answer other than, I can choose the Hotel Antic if I want for the same price.  I don’t know and go with the Palm.  I also arrange through this woman that I will stay in Kusadasi 4 nights, go on two tours, one to Ephesus and one to Pamukkale, some hot springs not far from Kusadasi and have an off day doing nothing.  Done.

I go upstairs and organize my stuff.  I hate this task.  I decide that I must use the backpack and the electronics bag.  The LeSport Sac didn’t work and I’ve got to hope they’ll let me take the backpack on the plane or i’ll just check it.

It’s late afternoon and the rain has stopped.  I decide I’ll go to a movie.  There is a movie theater very close by so even though it’s freezing out I think I can handle the short distance.  Earlier Koray helped me find a movie in English and the only one was “Love and Other Drugs”, of course a movie I’ve already seen, but I decide I can stand seeing it again.

At 6:00 I walk to the theater.  Just like in Israel when you purchase a movie ticket you are assigned a seat.  Although here the girl asked me where I wanted to sit.  I said on the aisle in the middle of the theater.  The movie cost 11 TL (about $8.00) and popcorn and a drink cost 11TL (I did not but the popcorn and drink).  I know popcorn is expensive but at least in the U.S. they make it cheaper than the movie.

Actually the movie was a bit crowded and it was a small theater so it was good I got this seat.   I didn’t bring my camera and now I wanted it.  I’m waiting for the movie to start and a door is open in front of me where they are rewinding the actual film from the showing before.  It would have been nice to add that photo.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen this done in the U.S.  It’s a 3 level metal unit that holds the film and is turning around.  

I forgot how sad this movie was.  I remembered there were many sex scenes and how hot Jake Gyllenhall was but I guess that was what I was left with.  It’s a very sad movie and it made me very sad to watch someone taking care of someone who is sick.  But of course it’s a movie and has a happy ending.  Real life don’t happen that way.

I’m kind of hungry when the movie is over and walk back to the hotel.  I return to the restaurant around the corner and have the same chard vegetable and rice for dinner.  Boring but what ya gonna do.  Not every night can be exciting.  Yah.  To bed to bed.