okay y'all...

you can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl.

[okayyall]

There are a lot of "wild" cats and dogs in Turkey, and Tara's animal loving heart is breaking almost every twenty minutes when a cat runs under our feet. That said, we never dine alone, and the animals all look healthy and happy to make a new friend.

[okayyall]

Friday: We left the Hagia Sophia and walked across the street to a small house, where we traveled underground to find the Basilica Cisterns, with 336 columns to support the underground water collection. We also found an old timey photo studio in the Cistern site, so we had to go for it...

[okayyall]

Friday: We woke up early, and headed to the Hagia Sophia, a basilica turned mosque turned museum, in the old part of Istanbul.

[okayyall]

Tonight, a pre-wedding cruise on the Bosphorous that could've been the wedding itself.

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First dinner in Istanbul, with Megan, Scott, Sean, Taylor and Tara.

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W Istanbul

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We arrived in Istanbul yesterday, and waited (separately) in one of the most insane "passport control" lines I've ever seen. There were at least 500 people waiting at once. Some times, they'd try breaking down the ropes that control the lines, and storm ahead. Fights ensued. I made it out, despite the body odor. :)

[okayyall]

Top 10 Reasons to get Tara to Istanbul, by Rachael

This is an email that I sent my sister, Tara (42 in September, newly divorced with two children under 10), to try and convince her to join me on an upcoming trip to Istanbul.  I liked it enough to post it here.

    Also known as, "Eat Pray Love Abridged by an NYC Ad Executive"

We will never have another, better excuse to go to Istanbul, Turkey. 

You have never been to Europe.

You are single, and while you're single, you're supposed to go do things that remind you of your freedom and what you want to do.  This is very important, given that you mostly dedicate the rest of your life to two young children.

You are single, you have never left North America, and frankly, it's time to reconnect with your natural sense of adventure.  It's there.  It used to jump out of airplanes and eat at exotic restaurants.  This is the best part of our mother that we both share and should be taking full advantage of, at every possible, appropriate moment.

The WESTERN hotels are pre-booked and are paid for.  Did I mention the W Marvelous Room that I am working on with the little cabanas and stuff?!?  See pics below.  This is the kind of shit that I live for these days.  (I will also thank our mother for showing me this hobby.)  

It's your birthday, and you deserve to TREAT YO'SELF.   

I need the company, and it will be good for both of us to be together.  Two months later, it will be MY birthday, and in lieu of going to Vegas with all of my sisters, THIS IS OUR CHANCE TO LEAVE [THE OTHERS] AT HOME.

Flights, while not cheap, per se, are not prohibitively expensive. Once you arrive in Turkey, not only is a lot of good stuff already planned with people you've met before (Tyrus!), the taxis and souvenirs are cheap, and international shopping is one of the best chaotic thrills ever.  You'll find cool presents to take home. 

International travel will give you a deeper, spiritual appreciation for other cultures, and what they value as "important."   You will return home appreciating your family, and maybe thinking that Muslims get a bad wrap, and that kind of thing can exist in the universe in a very peaceful, family loving way -- much like your own. 

When I went to India, I kept thinking, "these people are totally disorganized, there is no plan," but after a week, I learned that's just how they roll -- in business and on the highways with their little cars and motorbikes -- ALWAYS by the seat of their pants, chaotic, but end the end, it all works out okay.  

And when I verbalized that -- "in the end, it all works out the way it's supposed to," they basically reminded me that's a large part of their spiritual belief.  And I think that makes a lot of sense, right?

[okayyall]

Austin, TX - February 2013

Eager to get out of the city for a break, I booked a last minute flight to San Antonio, TX.   I rented a car near the airport, and drove an hour or so in the Texas sun to Austin.   

There is no better feeling than being in a good car with a good stereo, your favorite music, the sun out and the windows down.   I stopped at some outlet malls on the way ("American Airlines lost my luggage" is a reality and an excuse), and landed at the Driskill hotel. 

The Driskill is gorgeous, old school.   It's ornate - oil paintings, dark woods, cattle heads on the wall, but so clean and gorgeous rooms.   I'm glad I stayed here;  definitely once in a lifetime kind of a visit.  (I'd come back though!)

I also spent a lot of time sitting outside, drinking, eating tex-mex and enjoying weather that is not snow and smog of New York City. 

[okayyall]

A street corner, Bangalore.

[okayyall]

The Leela Palace, my hotel in Bangalore.

[okayyall]

After a day of visiting the Taj, we drove back to our hotel, passing a big fat Indian wedding along the way.  Our leads thought it might be fun to check out, so I hopped out of the car with two other visitors, and two guides. 

We walked through the wedding, which was in the stages of the groom's blessings.  We were greeted by the family, and walked around to see the colors and the sights.  Of course, very soon we became the colors and sights for the guests, and were quickly swarmed by about 25-30 Indian boys.  

What, you ain't never seen a big white before? 

Have no fear, our guide became quickly uncomfortable with the crowd, and we made a beeline for the cabs to head home. 

[okayyall]

Agra to Noida to Delhi to Bangalore: Yesterday was a travel day.  I woke up in Agra after a day at the Taj, and drove three hours to Noida, to say goodbye to my office friends.  We had lunch, took pictures, and then I hopped in a car to drive to the Delhi Airport.  We boarded a three-hour flight to Bangalore, and then drove an hour to the hotel downtown. 

Of course, we're staying at the five-star Hotel Leela in Bangalore, so I had a very comfortable night last night.  

[okayyall]

the taj mahal "is wow."   (that is what everyone here says -- blah blah blah "is wow!")

[okayyall]

Noida to Agra:  Today we took a taxi on the new interstate to travel to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal.  It was about a 2-3 hour ride, and I was joined by other customers of the development company, so I'm not a lone tourist anymore.

[okayyall]

day 4: new friends

Today Puneet was busy tending to other clients, and instead I had two new city guides:   Shipra and Omit.  I've worked with Omit from NYC, but I was surprised to meet Shipra, who is the only girl on the team, working as a software engineer.   I was looking forward to her perspective on life as a 25 year-old working woman. 

We started at the National Museum of India, and they explained all of the various Hindu Gods and traditions to me.   History of India is pretty ancient, so there were art and artifacts from something like 800 BC on exhibit in the museum. 

From the museum, we drove to the home of the Prime Minister and parliament grounds to "snap photos".  From there, we had a huge upscale Indian lunch, and moved on to Dilli Haat for shopping. 

One of my favorite things about international travel is the opportunity to haggle with vendors about prices, and pretend to be disinterested to get the prices down.   Today, I got schooled.   I picked out the goods, and let Shipra do the talking.   I might have spent a $100 dollars, but the entertainment watching her literally fight with merchants was worth twice that. 

Of course, they also presented me a gift from Dilli Haat at the end of our trip.  I've found the folks taking care of me to be extraordinarily gracious in their hospitality;  the experiences alone were a gift. 

[okayyall]

day 3: in delhi

On Day 3, my trusty guide, Puneet, picked me up at the hotel, and we visited two tourist sites in Delhi, which is about 40 minutes from my home base in NOIDA.   The first was a Bahá'í Lotus temple.   From what I learned, the Bahá'í believes in all faiths, and ultimately peace and well-being for all.  

The temple was nice, and as the India village ladies poured in, they stared at me like they had never seen a big white girl before.   We waved and smiled at each other as they stared. 

Our next stop was Qutub Minar, a redstone pillar/mosque complex created in 1192.    After walking through, we sat in insane Delhi traffic and stopped at the Khan Market to eat lunch and look in some of the shops.   Puneet has been a shy yet dutiful man to haul me around Delhi this week!

After a quick nap and shower, Puneet picked me up to visit the home of our project lead, Moonesh.   Moonesh's family (mom, dad, aunt, wife, two children, nieces) all welcomed me for a Kashmiri-style dinner, and left me with a large wooden box with golden flowers engraved on top, filled with classic little Indian gifts.  I hugged them all goodbye, thinking that having dinner in their home was pretty special.