Yet more little stories and pictures I’ve collected over the
last year. But first, coffee.
Soon after I started travelling, I turned on a function of
Google Maps that tracked my movements over 2023. The results were eye-opening.
I was finishing up my meal in a restaurant in Türkiye. I went to pay with my card and the guy told
me the card reader was down and they could only accept cash. I panicked since I didn’t have enough. I left all my stuff there and told them I’d
have to find an ATM and that I would be right back. I raced to the closest available machine; my
mind filled with thoughts of angry Turks cutting off my hand for stealing (have
I mentioned that I have a bit of an imagination?).
I ran back and quickly brandished my cash. The guy just casually took the money then
offered me a cup of tea on the house.
Huh? You mean you weren’t
anxiously awaiting my return, angry that it took so long? Nope.
I initially wanted to turn down the tea because it felt weird. Dude said have a seat and I’ll bring the cup
to you. Okay. I do love Turkish hospitality (and the tea).
I will always love some beautiful coffee art, though.
While on Phuket, it was a struggle to find the post
office. I had acquired WAY too much
stuff in Thailand and wanted to ship it back to the U.S. Using the GPS on my phone, I wended my way
through Patong Beach until I reached my destination.
Yeah. That wasn’t it.
I probably could have used a massage after that frustration, but I still needed to find a post office. I eventually did and was able to successfully make my shipment. While I didn’t have a massage, I did treat myself to a nice cuppa.
Out of all the Hard Rock Cafes I’ve visited this past year, Lisbon has been my favorite. I love the atmosphere of the place, even during my last visit when I was near a large party of rowdy kids. All the cafes have rock music blaring through the speakers along with video screens all over the place. The Porto location took this to a whole new level by having a video screen embedded in the mirror in the bathroom. I had never seen this before so I had to take a picture.
Also, beware the dryer on the left there; that thing is LOUD and so powerful it will blow you into the next room.
And we’re back in Türkiye.
I’ve mentioned once or twice that the cabbies there are insane. Let me tell you about the worst. This was during my second visit to the
city. I’d grabbed a cab from Balat to go
to Zaza’s shop. Now, I already knew from
past rides that none of the cabbies recognized the name of the shop, so I’d
learned to give them the address of a nearby hotel. This particular cabbie said he understood
before speeding off.
As we are running though intersections and narrowly avoiding
pedestrians, he mentions how he and his wife have a rental property in
Balat. Then, as he’s barely looking at
the road, he grabs his phone to pull up pictures of the place. I glanced at the phone, while holding on for
dear life, nodding in appreciation before wincing again as we veer into
traffic. He tells me in broken English
to relax, everything’s fine. Then I
notice that we’re getting onto the freeway.
Dude, Zaza’s shop is in walking distance from my neighborhood – no
freeway travel is required.
I got him turned around, telling him to take me instead to
the Blue Mosque. We ended up on a side
road that was clogged with traffic. Well
past my limit and actually recognizing where we were, I asked him to let me out
on the side of the road. I was ready to
give him whatever he wanted just to get out of that car.
Man, I could have used some … yeah.
A few months ago, I mentioned a certain song (the name of which I dare not mention before I start singing it again) that was stuck in my head. Yeah, well, it took several months, but it’s mostly died down. Now it’s been replaced by another one from the Barbie soundtrack. I saw the movie on a plane and fell in love with both the song and the movie (so many memories of playing dolls in my youth).
Dua Lipa - Dance The Night
(From Barbie The Album) [Official Music Video] (youtube.com)
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