Breezing Through the Balkans

After two metro rides and a pair of buses, I made it to Istanbul's main bus terminal on the European side with a little time to spare before my departure. I had my last doner kebab and bid farewell to a fascinating city.

Boarding the bus, I was delighted to find my seat in the front row of the upper deck, where I was sure to find a beautiful view of the Turkish and Bulgarian countrysides as we wound north farther into Europe. And, at least for the first part of my journey, that was the case. However, pulling into our first rest stop some three hours into the ten hour journey, my seat mate and I were surprised by a cascading shower of water leaking through the roof of the bus and straight onto our seats. We hopped up quickly, but not until my seat mate had been properly soaked. Fortunately we had just stopped and coordinated some new seats, but unfortunately, my new seat was at the very back of the bus. As we continued, however, I found my new seat mate to be a pleasant Swiss fellow who had also spent the last few months traveling around the world. He had been in Vietnam, and spent the last few months traveling through India. We swapped stories, but our itineraries had not overlapped much, so mostly we discussed our experiences with Indian culture, food and the like. During our two and a half hour border checks (out of Turkey and into Bulgaria) he inquired as to my current travel plans. I informed him of my intention to head straight through to Budapest without stopping, except in Sofia to catch another bus. He was stunned. How could I skip the Balkans, he asked?! Over the next few hours he convinced me to travel through the Balkans en route to Italy, and after he departed the bus at his stop in Bulgaria, I spent the rest of the ride planning a new route in between serenades by a lovely group of young people apparently in some type of Glee Club--or just REALLY good friends who practiced a cappella singing in their spare time. Their rendition of Mama Mia was particularly pleasing, I must admit. After arriving in Sofia late at night, I took a cab ride to my hostel and fell fast asleep dreaming of the new adventures to be had.

The next morning, after a hearty hostel breakfast, I walked a few blocks to the Hall of Justice in Sofia, to be arraigned on charges of... just kidding, to meet up with the free walking tour of the city. We started just after ten in the morning, and walked through the city learning about the different eras of history represented in Sofia. The city is unique for having preserved history from different societies, most notably Roman and Ottoman, because throughout history, the society that replaced its predecessor built on top of the previous without destroying it. We saw the headquarters of the old Communist Party, which must have been rather lavish in its time, and learned how the main Communist shopping center was a symbol of the greatest era in Bulgaria; an opinion I believe my cute medical student/tour guide shared. Throughout the tour, I chatted with a pair of nice American college students at the start of their tour of Eastern Europe tour. The pair was to part in Sweden at the end of the summer as one was studying the Swedish language and Viking history, while the other headed back to school. The tour concluded, and I bid goodbye to my new acquaintances and set out to procure a ticket onward to Kosovo, via Skopje, Macedonia. After some hand gestures, writing of bus times on a piece of paper, and plenty of laughter and confusion, I successfully acquired my ticket and headed off for some lunch. The rest of the day I spent wandering, including visiting the most impressive monuments of Sofia that the tour did not have time to properly see, like the Hagia Sofia church, and discovered some new ones like the stadium in the south of the city. At the stadium, I discovered that Bon Jovi was playing that evening and thoroughly enjoyed the local Bulgarians decked out in Bon Jovi attire and getting ready to give love a bad name. In the evening, I headed to the bus station for my next journey.

The bus headed to Skopje turned out to be a large van, with eight of us packed into the seats and ready to go just after midnight. About three hours into the ride, we had to pass the border from Bulgaria (and the EU) to Macedonia. And it was probably the most cumbersome border crossing I have experienced. At three in the morning, we were herded out of the van and all of our luggage was searched. We had to stand over our bags, open them up and let the border guard examine each piece. I was excited to get through it and onward to Skopje, just another hour away. After arrival, I awaited my ride to my final destination: Prizren, Kosovo. Through couchsurfing I had arranged a ride from a Macedonian who worked just on the other side of the border from where I could get one final bus to Prizren. Zoran showed up just after seven and we departed through Macedonia to Kosovo and he and his coworker dropped me at the bus station. It was quite interesting to learn the perspectives of peacekeepers from Macedonia working in Kosovo, and how the situation has improved since Kosovo declared independence in 2008. A fascinating short ride, and hopefully my host's and my paths will cross again. I finally reached Prizren in the late morning, where I had a much needed shower and set out to explore the city. After some great recommendations from my hostel owner, I headed to the see the castle situated atop a hill overlooking the town. Though not much remained of the castle ruins, the location made for a beautiful view of the countryside to the north and the hills leading to Albania and Macedonia in the south. After exploring away the afternoon, I wandered back toward my hostel, but on my way I passed a bar playing a soccer match and decided to stop. I had totally forgot that the Europa League final, the final of the second tier Europe-wide club soccer competition, was being played between Benfica and Chelsea. I grabbed a beer and took a seat next to the locals, including the proprietor. After exchanging some broken English declaring our allegiances, I found myself to be in the minority rooting for Benfica. Unbeknownst to my fellow fans, I was rooting for Benfica for the sole purpose of spiting Chelsea, the nemesis of my favorite club, Manchester United. All the same, we cheered, booed and threw up our hands in disgust as Benfica succumbed to Chelsea's last-minute stoppage-time winner. In the end, we all shrugged, smiled and parted ways, having watched a thrilling match in good company. No riots, no overturned cars. After the game, I called it a night, as, in my mad dash to Italy, I was due to be on a bus early the next morning bound for Montenegro.

One bus turned into three as I made my way to Kotor, Montenegro. The first bus passed through the beautiful scenery of Albania en route to Ulcinj, Montenegro, before I had to catch a bus to Bar, and then finally on to Kotor. Luckily, I enjoy the motion of traveling as the comraderie of a shared objective to get to the next destination is particularly conducive to good conversations. And this trip was quite fruitful. I met a Finnish gal who was on holiday from her job at the Finnish embassy in Prishtina, Kosovo and, during our layover in Bar, we went on a quick exploration of the city, chatting about life in Kosovo, favorite travel experiences and future plans while stumbling upon a beautiful church near the bus station. Upon arrival in Kotor, after some beautiful coastline views that reminded me of the Oregon coast, my new friend enquired as to my plans for accommodation, of which I informed her I had none, and we headed to her recommended hostel inside the Old City. There we discovered that not only was our hostel serving free dinner about an hour after our arrival, but one of our dorm mates was a superb English fellow from London who joined us on a brief tour of the Old City before dinner. After a scrumptous dinner coupled with a healthy amount of chatting, we headed off to bed and vowed to swap stories of our respective next day's adventures the next evening.

As my new friends were off to other destinations and with only one day in Montenegro, I decided to go check out the town of Kotor and see its sights. First, after a breakfast of scrumptious cheese borek, I went down to the harbor and wandered around the bay of Kotor, walking a few miles out of town despite the drizzle. On my way back, I failed in my attempt to hitchhike back into the town. This was not terribly surprising as I was looking like a particularly haggard traveler at the time; I don't think I would have picked me up. Nonetheless, I made it back in time for a quick grocery store lunch before heading up to St. John's Fortress behind the Old City. The fortress is a group of reclaimed ruins with a flagpole flying a remarkably large Montenegrin flag and home to incredible views of the bay and surrounding townships. On my way down I followed my English friend's advice and wandered behind the fortress walls to some additional church ruins and further views of the hills and bay. In the evening, over another free hostel dinner, we regrouped and discussed our day's adventures while meeting some new people, including a couple from Portland who were moving to Seattle, a pair of gentlemen from Greenlake, a fellow from New York and one from San Francisco. This was easily the most Americans in one place I have seen since leaving home. During the course of our chat, the Portland couple informed us that Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid were playing a domestic league cup final on television, and that they were heading to a bar to watch it, before inviting us to join. So, we packed up the crowd and went to search for a bar playing the match. Luckily enough, we found one on the first try. We settled in for a fierce battle which ended in overtime with a beautiful goal by Atletico Madrid clinching an upset over heavily favored Real Madrid in the local rivalry. We bid farewell, as a few of us were off early the next morning, and packed it in for the night.

Early the next morning, I headed to the bus station to catch a ride to Split, Croatia; my last stop before Italy. After a few border checkpoints and a whole lot of kilometers, we made it to Split in the early afternoon and I wandered to the hostel I had found online. Unfortunately, no one was home so I found a sign advertising another place and located it just a few blocks away. Luckily, they had a bed for cheap and I settled in and showered before walking the streets of Split for the rest of the day. I headed into the park at the west end of Split and wound up the trails to watch the sun set and kiss the islands goodnight. The next morning I headed out on a wander to find a beach to relax on for the early afternoon, and found a nice quiet one on the west side of the park. Though a bit rocky, and with icily cold water, it was a peaceful place to read a book in the early summer sun. After another wander through the park, I went back to the hostel and showered before my evening ferry across the Adriatic to Italy.

Chilling in Croatia was a nice, relaxed way to end my hustle through the Balkans. Next stop: Italy, and a family reunion!

A Tale of Two Continents

Landing in Istanbul, you immediately feel the culture. And it is a feeling that is hard to express. On the one hand, coming from India and Dubai, it feels just like Europe. The architecture and fashion appear distinctly European, but the people and the customs feel more Arabic. And the landscape only reinforces the feeling: modern and classical European-style buildings stretch as far as the eye can see, except for the multitude of minarets littering the skyline. The blend of cultures was something I would like to have explored more, but I was hit hard by the flu just as I landed in this truly multi-cultural city.

After touchdown, I headed, along with the rest of the herd from my flight, straight to the visa line. There I discovered that the visa fee was fifteen euros. After confirming with some cheerful Australians (who maintained their cheer even after I mistook them for Kiwis), there were no ATM's and the visa officers only accepted cash. Luckily, I had a few euros stashed away for just such an occasion, and quickly dug them out of my bag. Had I checked my bag, I may have been forced to drop my hat, fashion a song and dance, and hope for some donations so I wasn't deported... glad I carried on. I headed into the city and into a new adventure: couch surfing. I had been emailing two hosts from Istanbul, and was about to meet the first. Bora was the name, and we met--after some slight confusion--at the Sultanahmet metro station on the European side of Istanbul. And what a great host he turned out to be. He lived on the Asian side of the city, so we took off for the ferry across the Bosphorus, a beautiful ride where both sides of Istanbul were in view and Bora showed me the main sights seen from the river: Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, as well as the riverside attractions of Maiden's Tower and Dolmabache Palace and in the distance the Prince Islands. We headed to his place in Umraniye, grabbing a quick bite of authentic Turkish food on the way. Dolma, a set of small wraps, some beef stew and baklava for dessert. A nice first meal in Istanbul! Back at Bora's nice apartment, his friend Ozgur joined us for some brief conversation and a promise to join us on our Istanbul adventures before I had to crash after a long day traveling.

Sleep did not come easy, but the night passed and I woke up to an enthusiastic host hoping to show me around the city. I foolishly obliged and we set off for the day. We started with breakfast at a local eatery where we sampled borek, a tasty pastry filled with different accompaniments. I chose potato, and it was fantastic. The pastry has a light and flaky texture, similar to a croissant and the potato made for an excellent filling. Unfortunately, that was the peak of the day. From there we headed to see some amazing sights, none of which I could properly enjoy in my state. First, we took a bus back across the Bosphorus to the Besiktas neighborhood, home to the soccer club of the same name; one of Istanbul's three major rivals. Then, we took in the nearby Dolmabache Palace, former home to the Ottoman rulers and then the first Turkish president Ataturk. Dolmabache is one of the most well-preserved palaces I have ever been to. It is exquisite on the inside, and admission includes a tour guide with all of the answers to all of your questions. It was a beautiful place, but unfortunately I was not in the proper frame of mind. We started off for Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque, but I was deteriorating quickly. So, we breezed through these two far too quickly, and before we could hit the Basilica Cistern, I could go no farther. So we headed back to the other side of the river, and back to Bora's place where I headed to bed after some brief chatting. An unfortunately disappointing day.

The next proved to be a bit better, however. I got a bit more sleep than the first night and awoke feeling as though the worst had passed. First, we met with Ozgur and went for more borek. Cheese was on the menu, and it was even better than the potato! The two considerate gentlemen, aware of my pain, helped relieve it with two aspirin dissolved in a can of coke, to be chugged I was informed. And, despite the odd mixture of ingredients, it definitely helped. So, off we headed back down to Sultanahmet to the see the eery, yet majestic Basilica Cistern, took a stroll through the bustling Grand Bazaar, where we had a cup of that tasty turkish coffee, and then went up the Galata Tower. The tower was my favorite attraction due to the fantastic views of the city which provided more examination of the fascinating mixture of cultures as expressed through the varied architectural styles and buildings. Finally, we headed to Taksim Square, the heart of Istanbul. Here we browsed the main street, including the shopping area, before going to a bar where Bora's English conversation group meets every week for a fine cup of tea. On the top floor of a building just down from Taksim, this place had another great view of the city, but predominantly the European side. After that, we headed back for some more rest and another early night.

The last day with Bora was fun. We met up with our old pal Ozgur again for some more sight seeing. After some breakfast, and a quick trip to procure me a bus ticket, we headed down to the Kadikoy area in Istanbul and walked along the Bosphorus admiring the view before we headed just up the hill for some Turkish tea and an even better view. On our way back we had a fantastic local kebab for lunch before I parted company my new friends and met with my second host, Ugur. Ugur was such an easy going fellow. After meeting in Kadikoy, we joined up with two of his friends for a drink at a nearby pub and spent the night chatting. However, I spent most of the night listening--secondhand through Ugur's interpretation--to their discussion on the current state of affairs in Turkey and specifically the unhappiness within the younger population. After the drink...or two...Ugur and I headed back to his place a few metro stops away to crash for the evening. HIs big, comfortable apartment was fantastic and homey. The most (or least, depending on your perspective) comforting part was knowing that Tyler Deurden and Che Guevara were watching over me while I slept.

The next morning we awoke lazily and had a traditional Turkish breakfast of peppers, tomato, cheese, bread and jam with some coffee and headed out for the day. Our first stop was the main shopping street on the Asian side of the Bosphorus en route to the waterfront. There we sat down for a while and read, people watched and lazed in the sun before an impromptu interview by one of the contestants on an upcoming cooking show. However, it was all in Turkish, so I just smiled and nodded. After a lazy afternoon in the park, we headed for some coffee and lounged around for the rest of the afternoon. In the evening, we headed to Taksim square for a few beers with his friends before going to a meet-up for the local couchsurfing community in Istanbul. There, I met people from all over the world including Iran, Sweden and a fellow from England who I spent a good deal of the evening discussing recent events and speculation within the English soccer community. We capped the night off with doner kebab on our way back to Ugur's.

Most of Sunday was pretty lazy. That is, until evening time. In the evening, we met up with Ugur's friends to watch Galatasaray face Fenebrache at Fenerbache's stadium; one of the fiercest rivalries in the intense world of Turkish soccer. And what a match it was! Galatasaray took the lead with a converted penalty as the result of a clear handball in the area committed by Fenerbache's defender. However, just after halftime, Fenerbache scored two goals to make the scoreline 2-1 to the home side. Unfortunately, despite a valiant effort, and in spite of some ethically questionable actions by the home team, Galatasaray (the team which our entire group was supporting) was unable to recover and lost the match. The consolation was that Galatasaray, despite the scoreline, still won the entire league due to the mathematical impossibility of any other team scoring more points than them; and thus, the league championship was secured before the game was played. Although a disappointing match, it was fun to get immersed in another soccer culture and witness the passion of fans which is unlike any other sport in the world.

On Monday morning, I bid adieu to Ugur and headed for the bus station to catch the bus to my next destination: Sofia, Bulgaria en route to Budapest!

Du-Buy

The opulence of the emirate of Dubai was quite a change of pace from the chaos of India. From the superior infrastructure, the grandiosity of places like the Dubai Mall and the Burj Khalifa, and even the (slightly) more orderly driving customs, Dubai was a significant deviation from my past few months of travel, and a slow weaning back into Western culture. Forty-eight hours was the right amount of time; enough to hit most of the sights and see what the town had to offer.

On the morning of May 5th, I departed the sub-continent en route to a quick stopover in the Middle East. The flight was uneventful, aside from the stressful three minutes I spent holding a broken cup slowly leaking piping hot coffee while the flight attendant fetched another, and I landed in the desert in the late morning. After a long wait in an unmotivated Customs Officer's immigration line, I wound through the baggage claim area in one of the nicest airports I have passed through. Then, I set off for my four star hotel; a gift to myself after four dollar per night rooms in India.

After check-in, I headed out for a walk around the hotel, which ended quickly in the scorching afternoon sun. But not before I became acquainted with the nearby restaurants and orientation of the metro. After the mini exploration I headed back to the hotel and decided to get in a quick swim in the pool; a luxury that seemed so unrealizable throughout India. Needless to say, I was rather excited. And an hour of swimming and laying poolside did not disappoint. Especially since I had the pool to myself and was graced by the presence of the newest Daft Punk single on the radio. Continuing with the theme of "Things I Am Jonesin' to Do But Couldn't in India," I ordered a room service cheeseburger, french fries and a Pepsi. Unfortunately, on this count, I was sorely disappointed. The burger, supposedly "beef," was severely overcooked and tasted a bit like cardboard. However, the french fries were fabulous and I lounged in the air conditioned room and savored my slice of Americana abroad for a while before my next adventure. That next adventure took the form of a visit to downtown Dubai and a first sighting of my top tourist priority on the visit: the Burj Khalifa. I hopped on the convenient metro and headed about ten stops to the Dubai Mall/Burj Khalifa stop and proceeded to follow the mile-long walkway to the mall where I was greeted with a very impressive collection of shops. I wandered through the shops admiring the displays stopping only to consume some gelato and use the facilities which, courtesy of my parting gift from India, was unfortunately frequent. Next, I wandered outside the mall and towering impressively above me was the surrealistically imposing structure of the Burj Khalifa, with its many lit balconies leading to the 800 meter top. I strolled around the Burj, got lost on my way back to the metro, and finally headed back to my hotel for a good night's sleep.

The next morning, with the first appointment on my docket a visit to the Burj Khalifa at 11:30, I headed out for some morning coffee, only to discover that--much to my dismay--that the city did not wake until late. Even the local Starbucks did not open until 9am! Luckily, one cafe was open, so I stopped for a breakfast sandwich, some coffee and some much needed internet to catch up with the gossip back home. Then it was back to downtown and straight to the Burj Khalifa. And boy was it impressive. After queuing in the lobby reading about the story behind this truly awesome architectural feat, the 11:30 crowd headed up the tallest single-stop elevator in the world at 124 stories, which, moving at 10 meters per second, covered the distance in under sixty seconds. There was much yawning and jaw-adjusting as the entire elevator popped their ears in unison. With mine properly popped as I departed the elevator, I headed straight for the outside viewing deck, and was stunned by what I saw. The city below, with several sizable buildings, looked like a toy set. And this was only halfway to the top! I can't imagine the view from the penthouse suite, whoever occupies that. Just thinking about it makes my palms sweat. After atmospheric re-entry, I met up with an old buddy who studied at the same university in France with me, Hector. A Dubai resident, Hector showed me around in top class fashion. First, we headed for a light lunch in the mall overlooking the Burj and caught up on the last four years since our studies together. Then, we headed out to Old Dubai where we saw the spice market and even tested some of the candies and smelled the delicious local teas. Before crossing the river to see the gold market, we headed for a proper meal at a local Emirati restaurant. A fantastic meal of lamb, rice and some homemade bread similar to naan, and of course more good conversation, followed before we set sail on the three minute ferry ride across the Dubai Creek. We checked out the gold market, much larger than the quaint spice market, and then ventured through Old Dubai. One fantastic discovery: air conditioned bus stops. And not main stops, just a roadside stop closed off with air conditioning inside. Amazing! Almost ready to concede defeat on our quest to find the Dubai Fort, we stumbled upon it just before making our way out of Old Dubai. The next stop was Emirates Airlines headquarters, where I got the quick tour from Hector, who just so happens to be an Emirates crew member. We finished the evening with a couple of beers at the Irish Village before, both exhausted, we decided to call it a night. Such a solid day in Dubai!

The next morning I took off for the airport to officially end my short, but terrific trip through Dubai en route to Istanbul. On the way, I could feel a storm brewing. Not just the intestinal storm I had been battling since India, but one of a far more sinister kind: the old nemesis Influenza.