We've just returned from a trip unlike anything we've taken before, during the trip I did make notes and journal entries along the way to make sure I didn't forget things. We shared some of the photos along the way on Facebook, but I really wanted to document the trip and share some other pictures that tells the story.
First stop of this trip is the discount parking garage at Pearson Airport, finding a spot to store the truck and a ride on the ol’ Ghoster Coaster later we arrived at Terminal One. After a non-eventful check in, we had three hours to kill. So we decided to take a seat at the only place that would put on the Jays game for us. A fancy grilled sandwich and a couple Jack and Cokes later, it was time to board and start this adventure.
Oh the heat, it hits you like entering a Sauna, it would appear that Turkish Airlines imports the hot Turkish Air for the flights. Thankfully that went away, but that was a seriously long 20 minutes on a plane. The longest flight I’d been on up until this point in my life was 7 hours to England, so with this almost 10 hour over nighter, I was really hoping for some sleep. To cut this part of the story short, it didn’t happen. 20 minutes here and 20 minutes there was the most I saw. But before take-off, there was a baby about 3 or 4 rows behind me that was screaming all sorts of noises I’ve never heard in my life. Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was possessed, I wasn’t sure. All I know was they called for a doctor and then it went silent. I don’t ask questions, I just share tales of my travel.
Obviously I’ve never flown with Turkish Airlines before, but this was on the nicest experiences of flight I’ve ever had. Free slippers, wash kit with sleep mask, this free, that free. I would have enjoyed a bit more comfort in my sitting area, but we can’t have everything. I don’t travel much, so maybe other Airlines treat you this way, I don’t know. But in my trips to Florida, Mexico and California, this certainly wasn’t the case. It was a nice change.
Exhausted after the long flight with little sleep, we arrive at the airport in Istanbul, we make our way to the Customs area and we snake our way through the Turkish Customs line in what seems like it’s 20 minutes. I step up to the Customs Agent, whose got no id, no badge and no pieces of anything that I can note in case I might want to make a complaint. But then I start thinking, I’m guessing not too many people around here make complaints about Customs. Forget the customer experience; these are the guys in charge around here. We make eye contact and he kind of tosses my Visa aside, a Visa I might add as a Canadian isn’t cheap. So do you just care that I’ve got one and nothing else. What’s the deal?? We make eye contact 4 or 5 more times. Is he looking for me to break? Is this his strategy? Well, I must have passed because he’s handing my passport and Visa back and I get a, “Bye” I guess I’m on to the next stage of the Customs games.
The good thing about it taking so long to “talk” to a Customs agent is that your bags are waiting for you once you get through. A quick first visit to a European bathroom, oh boy. We’re on our way to the door for the second thrilling round of Customs. The line is just pushing through like cattle and I can’t quite figure out what’s happening here, but I do see the end. Where are the agents? I see two guys who must be them as they're looking at someone’s passport. They look up and scan the crowd, say nothing, perform the eyeball test, who looks guilty, apparently we're good and they continue to look at the passport. No words are spoken and we’re through the door. We’re here!
Next up, something we were kind of dreading, Taxis.
The outside of the airport was madness, taxis ripping in and ripping out at a speed unlike anything I’ve seen at Pearson. One man managing the chaos and the flow and he’s got it all under control. Our driver gets our bags somehow in the trunk like a tricky puzzle and that’s no small feat because we don’t pack light and it's a small European car. Off we go and we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt here and because it was like 4:30 – 5:00 in the afternoon, we take the scenic route. We hope now it was because of rush hour and not because he was trying to rip us off. Katie has the GPS app up and running and see’s exactly what’s going on. While we might have taken the long way, it was a great trip along the Golden Horn and the views were stunning. We arrive at what appears to be a new Hilton, with full security. Steel pillars block the entrance to the hotel and don’t lower until the guard has checked the taxi. Where the heck are we staying I wonder. We then proceed to enter the hotel through an X-Ray machine and metal detector. Again I ask, what is up with this. We get the” welcome to our new hotel and we want you back upgrade that we’re giving everyone, but we want you to feel special upgrade.” A 30th floor executive suite with stunning views of the city through floor to ceiling windows. We’ll take it thank you very much.
Let's look at some views from our room.
In desperate need a shower, we both needed to try out the rain shower. I don’t know if it’s because I was so tired and so needed a shower or what, but it was one of the greatest showers of my life. After getting cleaned up and refreshed we head up a few floors to the happy hour. After not eating breakfast on the plane, read: The eggs were gross looking and didn't seem like real food. We need a few nibbles to get us going. Some of those and a whiskey later, it was time to move on and do some exploring. A walk around and we quickly discovered that this was one of the nicest places we’ve stayed and people here be fancy huh. I know it’s fancy because they’ve got a phone next to the toilet. That’s fancy right?
Exhausted and in desperate need of something to eat, we hit the lower level of the hotel that overlooked the court yard for a bite to eat. Katie tried her first Kebob sampler and I had a fantastic burger from Scottish beef that just crumbled as you bit into it and was perfectly cooked. It’s during dinner I notice that the American Businessman beside us (I’m pretty sure anyway) is dining with a prostitute.
It’s 7:00 PM and that’s when things get real crazy and by crazy I mean, I’m out and asleep by 7:30, Katie not long after. She wakes up just after midnight, me just after 2:00. Had to fight to get back to sleep, because this trip has a full day ahead of us tomorrow with a lot of walking and a lot to see.
Fade out day one.
No comments:
Post a Comment