Will be adding posts on Food at Istanbul… those who asked for the same are going to be very disappointed when they read about my hunt for local food…..

Flying over the mountains of Anatolia

17th January 2009:

Its a little more than a week, actually, since we landed here. Time has flown in a kalediscope of color, sights, cold breezes hitting you and surprisingly, very little sound.
My part of the trip started badly: 10 kg excess baggage at Banglaore and Emirates said it would cost Rs1300 per Kg. My laptop was already starting to hurt my shoulders and there was no way I could carry anything else as handbaggage. Luckily a colleague came to the rescue and I checked in along with one of them who had a larger baggage allowance. And as he was caught in traffic, we checked in a few minutes before the counter closed. By the time we cleared security and emigration, boarding had been called!
Once on the flight, it was comfortable. I didnt get the window seat I wanted but it was okay as I watched movies back to back and then dozed a little.
After landing at Dubai, I walked the lenght of the Duty free, grateful to find a cart to keep my laptop and my jacket as by now it was warm and the jacket a burden. I finally my colleagues from Chennai, browsing the chocolate shops.
This is a new terminal exclusively for Emirates, and so far it is not as well stocked as the other Dubai duty free shops at the old terminal. Hopefully it will get better. There was just one shop for  electronics, and we spend some time looking at the cameras. I decided to splurge and get one. All of us participated in camera selection and finally picked a very nice Panasonic. Im still trying it out, trying to get the settings right. Some of the movies I have taken are great, except that u also get to see the floor and hands and feet as I try to switch the viedo off! I need to try and edit them before putting them up on Orkut.
I also find that there are setttings to reduce the size of the picture while taking it, so that I can mail it.. As of now the pictures are large sized and I cant email so Ive put some n Orkut.
On the flight from Dubai to Istanbul, most people were sleeping. I couldnt sleep and walked up and down a little, chatting with a colleage , checking our route, noting that we were passing  close to Baghdad. Suddenly I noticed something strage outside a window. We were somwhere near or over Syria, Damascus. Odd shaped clouds with streaks and lines. And then I realised these were mountains, covered in snow! It was an exciting sight. We started taking photographs. We also captured the sun setting  mountains. Our pictures dont show the beauty of that sight.The mountains were awe inspiring! That hour of flight was unimaginable! I wonder what the Himalayas would be like as they must be taller, more majestic!
We landed at Istanbul about 20 mins behind schedule. As we moved to pick up our baggage, I tried to pull out a trolley from the line of trolleys parked near by. It wouldnt budge, inspite of all our efforts. We then found u had to insert a coin to release a trolley. Nothing is free, it seems! As we didnt have local currency, we shouldered our bags, and someone helped with one of my suitcases and we move out.
We found two taxis and started out to our guest house.
The Istanbul airport is in the European part of the city. Istanbul straddles two contintents, the only city in the world to do so. The river Bhosporous and the Sea of Marmara, divide (or connect?) the two part of the city. They flow from the Black Sea on the North to the Mediteranean which is south of Turkey. Istanbul is not on the Mediteranean. The climate, the culture are said to be more Balkan with its proximity to Hungary and Russia. A cosmopolitan place, but very few people speak English. Getting a cup of lemon tea at the office is a feat of sign language and slow, loud requests for “leemon’ and sua and tea bag (cay, pronounced luckily as chay).
Script is English and we are managing our work by patiently translating word by word into an online Turkish dictionary that I discovered. I have listed out key words like Runway (pist) and going through technical specifications is pure torture.
Some of the pronounciation is French, some German, some Persian. U get some easy stuff like Hisaab (Calculation, Accounts) too.
Back to my story.
On the way to the guesthouse: The ride seemed neverending. It was warm enough in the taxi. There were  hundreds of multi storey buildings on the hills along the way,all packed together. We crossed the bridge over the Bhosporous and I held my breath at the thought of reaching such a historical spot. I craned my neck to see as much as possible, but as it was dark could just make out the lights of boats and ferries on the river.
Finally we reached the guest house. Got down to find it was raining (drizzling, but the water was ice cold). Grabbed hold of my bags and entered. 
 
I think this mail should stop here, though Week 1 narrative is not over…. We are planning to go out as its a bright sunny day ( but cold winds are blowing too!)
will conculde this in mail 2.