Sitting in my new favorit cafe which is a 15 minute walk from my house and 5 minutes from David I thought to myself, I should really say more about my experience in Turkey than just tell you about Akay. My new favorite cafe is called Barjees. On our second trip here we met the owner whose name is Leith. Leith in Arabic meas son of the liar, when pushing Leith for why his father named him this David and I couldn't get an answer. Leith is a 15 year old business marketing major at Jordan University. The night we met him we spoke Arabic for an hour and then started playing cards. After teaching our new friend Leith and his buddies who worked at the cafe the game of bull sh!t we moved on to the haram game of poker. Leith is the first Muslim we have met to prupose playing such a game, and get this, we played for money (ya harammmm!). As we played me pushed us to only speak in English so no one around us would be privy to what was going on. He divulged to us all of his travels to ritzy resorts in the Gulf States and it seemed like he was very well to do. At the end of the night he drove us home in his brand new BMW SUV. Leith was very kind and generous and a great guy. Both David and I are hoping to spend more time with him and his friend Saif soon. enough on that...
turkey was amazing! I fell in love with Istanbul during the tram ride from the airport to the hostel and continued to be in awe the whole week. Although turkey is a 98% Muslim country you wouldn't be able to tell it from Istanbul. Although I may have a biased view since I've been in Jordan for 3 months. the neighborhood our hostel (Sumo Cat) was in was trendy and beautiful. the small European like streets and houses were covered in stencils and graphite by local taggers and artists. I snapped photos of my favorite artwork and will post them after I write this inshallah. Unfortunately our time in Turkey was plagued by rain and cold weather, however, being the outgoing people we are, I and my travel partners made the best of it. We made it to the normal touristy sites (Aya Sofia, Blue Mosque, etc) but we found that it was extremely hard to keep a rigid schedule there. everywhere you go there are distractions whether it be garages advertising tiny walkways to art exhibits, or dress shops with 15 day old kittens playing on the couches. We spent most of our time allowing ourselves to get lost in the culture and people. While perusing an art shop by a local artist we interrupted a birthday party and were offered delicious chocolate cake while looking at fantastic art. Everything about Istanbul screamed "modernity" "European-style" and "trendiness." this was best exemplified by our out-of-the-way trendy hostel with painted mural walls and comfortable basement in which we had a dance party with a local Turkish DJ one night.
Walking down Istaklaal St. we were pulled into small cafes with photos of Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix. Here we enjoyed pints of Turky's (kind of nasty but cheap) local beer Efes, while listening to local artists performing Turkish folk music. I am in love (if you haven't figured it out yet). Sorry Mom and Dad but I know where I'm moving after graduation, and it isn't 2 hours from home. Istaklaal was crowded with foreigners and locals alike out to see the shops, nightlife, and random passer-bys. One of my favorite experiences was wandering the Grand Bazaar, a huge flee-market situated entirely indoors. It was here that I purchased a new guitar (much better than the one from Amman) and a new "shebab" leather jacket (finally I can fit in in Jordan). I got a really nice deal because the shop owner was Syrian and appreciated the fact that my travelers and I could communicate in Arabic (language skills paying off already!). After our 4th day in Istanbul we hopped on an over night bus to Cappadocia where new adventures ensued!
Once again my travelers and I fell in love with Turkey. Capadoccia also spelled Kapadokya (i think) is in the middle of Turkey. It is the land of "fairy castles." These are naturally formed rock mounds of sandstone that were dug out into caves for locals to dwell in. Our hotel was literally a cave...in fact it was called Cave Life Pension. We arrived early in the morning and went straight to our hotel where my companions went to sleep. I was restless so I grabed my new guitar and headed up to the patio to serenade my new surroundings. As I started singing the hotel staff filed out onto the patio below to listen and observe there surroundings. I thought this was because of my music, but I found out that they actually do this everyday. they sit and watch their beautiful down breath in white clouds and blue skies (talk about living the life). After playing the manager of the hotel (Moustafa) approached me with a very tempting offer. He told me that he liked my voice and that he had a friend who owned a cafe in town who wanted music this summer. He said that I would be hired for the month of July (maybe June) and would have free room and board as well as being paid. I'll keep you all updated on this offer. It's very tempting and I think my music could stand to improve significantly if I took this opportunity. since being abroad I hadn't written a single song until that first day in Cappadocia. As soon as I sat on that patio words started spilling out of my head. I'm not always one for impulsive decisions, but who knows maybe this time?
The rest of our days in Cappadocia were spent hiking over hills that looked over flowering trees and bushes spotting the landscape around giant rock pillars. Every now and then you would see a doorway or window cut out and I would laugh to myself at the thought of living in one this summer. I wonder if they have wifi? While in cappadocia I was also offered a job as a bar tender at the local bar called "Fat Boys." Pretty much the entire time there felt like it was too good to be real.
My entire spring break was a huge success. I am so thankful to have gotten to go to Turkey and I hope to return one day soon. For those of you looking to go to a country with Eastern influence but safety and Western facilities turkey is the place for you (although local bathrooms do not yet have toilets, still holes in the ground). I'll post some pictures now and stop neglecting David. Since we have to find new ways to entertain ourselves we have taught ourselves the card game of Gin Rumy and can't stop playing! Of course I always win so maybe I can find some better opponents when I return home.

Yours trully,

Wylie of Arabia