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8/5/02
Woke up
this morning to find that guy still sleeping on the couch, and Miray
sleeping on the other couch. What a life. I think Miray is trying to
change her return flight so she can go home to Istanbul tonight on the
same flight I'm on. She's really bored with Bodrum, poor girl.
Sleepy
girls.
So this will be my last day to tan before I leave. Gotta make it a good
one, but not so good that I burn.
Ok, I just re-read last nights adventures, and some of you may be a
bit confused as to why I would do something like that to Idil. Yeah,
she's cheap, and yeah, she wants things that don't belong to her, but
that may not be enough of a reason for most of you. Basically, I really
wanted to confuse her. I really wanted to make her wonder what the hell
was going on. And I think I did that well.
The other night, Gunten asked me if I wanted to go with her to Monte
Carlo in November. Sounded like a good plan, but I kind of thought she
was joking. But last night she mentioned it again. How cool would it
be to be able to say that you played a hand of Baccarat in Monte Carlo?
I'll lose all my money, but what an experience that would be.
Did I mention that today is my last day? Tomorrow I'll be in New York
where things are normal.
Sleepy
cats.
My laundry is done! Woo hoo!
Back to Idil. If you read the World Tour story, you got a very straight
forward account of what went on. Boy meets girl, boy courts girl, girl
decides to just be friends, boy is hurt, but gets over it and the two
become friends.
Omission #3:
That night that Idil and I went to that very romantic restaurant on
the Bosphorus (Kizkulesi), we went home and had that talk (as described
in the World Tour story). She told me that she wanted to just be friends.
I was hurt, and very confused, I mean, why take a guy that you know
likes you to a restaurant that you've already told him is a place where
boyfriends bring their girlfriends? And why meet me at the airport with
three-dozen red roses? A lot of things that trip made no sense to me
at all.
That aside, after our talk, we fell asleep lying next to each other
on the couch. A little while later I woke up with Idil on top of me
and her tongue in my mouth. I guess she changed her mind?
We fooled around for a while, and then she got up and said she was going
downstairs to sleep.
I tried to talk her into staying, but she just wouldn't have it.
So I went to sleep.
A little while later, she came into my bedroom, and crawled into bed
with me.
Now, does any of this sound like something people who are "just
friends" do?
I was confused as hell, as confused as I thought I could be, but decided
to just go with the flow.
We lay together for a few minutes, and then she got up and left. Just
like that. My confusion level went through the roof. Does any of this
make sense?
Can anyone explain the thought process that goes into a decision like
this? I sure can't. So last night when the opportunity to leave Idil
dazed, confused and pissed off arrived, you can see that I had no choice
but to take it.
Not that I really needed to justify my actions to you, I just wanted
you to know all the facts.
Well,
it's now a little after 4 am, and I'm at the airport waiting for the
ticket counter to open. It's pretty sad that with less than 2 hours
until my flight leaves, they still haven't started check in.
So let me fill you in on tonight's events...
So, I headed back to the house for a nap. I realized that since my flight
out of Bodrum was at 6 am, and my connection in Istanbul wasn't until
noon (yes, 5 hour layover), that I basically wasn't going to have a
chance to sleep until tomorrow. Not a good idea to nap in an airport
during a layover. Sure way to miss your flight. So a nap now seemed
like the best plan.
Man, I can't wait to get home and be able to type on a normal keyboard!
At the house, Miray and Nazli were still watching TV. Yes, since yesterday.
They must be truly bored.
After my nap I headed to the bar and met up with my dad. I took a little
test run in the "Spat Boat", then we jumped into his boat
with my new nephew (man, my family is getting bigger all the time) and
cruised around one last time.
The
Spat Boat!!! Fastest thing in the water!!
Hey,
is it my fault that I was raised in the US, and when the guy told me
he could give me a really good price on a 1.5 meter boat I said ok?
What the hell do I know about meters??!?!?!?
One
last lap around the bay!
And
here's the video of that run (2 megs) Boat
2
I said goodbye to everyone, and Aydin and I headed to the Bus stop.
As we were walking up, I spotted a very familiar looking white dog,
and Aydin said, "uh oh, there's Idil". Sad how I spotted her
dog first, huh?
So we held back as she walked by. I don't think she saw us.
A few minutes later I saw her come walking back without her dog. So
I hid behind a truck. Very gallant of me, huh?
She walked down the road a bit to a little grocery store. Buying a control
card so she can call me, maybe? Doubtful.
When she came out of the store the bus was just pulling up, so I kept
my back turned until I had the bus as cover, then I ran in.
So my new last image of Idil is her carrying a bag of groceries. Oh
well. It still works for me.
Video
of Aydin and I after we got off the bus (4 megs). Last
Night
Aydin and I walked to a restaurant called Baron Baroness.
And
that's open sky above. How cool is that?
With
the owner.
Aydin
cursing Calvin again (1 meg).
It's an (yes), outdoor restaurant made to look like a street scene in
Spain. Very nicely done.
We sat with the owner (who is a friend of his), talked, and had dinner.
The absolutely hugest portions of food I've ever had in turkey. I don't
think a Turk could ever finish a steak in this place. For those that
don't know, American food portions are huge compared to those in other
places in the world, and I really like them that way. Most of the time
I just can't finish a portion of food in the US (or try not to at least,
gotta keep my girlish figure somehow).
Afterwards we headed over to Hadi Gari and met up with Ersin.
Guys
and gals.
Video
of us drinking a Fucking Cold Beer
(2 megs)
Do I even have to say? It's an outdoor nightclub, very popular, right
on the water in Bodrum. This is the place in the Dog Bay story that
Tony tipped the bartender $20 for a Coke because he got confused by
the exchange rate. Odd addition to that story, Ersin is that bartender's
cousin, and apparently, the cousin still talks about the crazy American
who tipped a $20 for a Coke.
Ersin was sitting with two girls, one of which was Aydin's ex-girlfriend.
Aydin was a little uncomfortable; apparently she was the one that got
away. So after one round we left and headed to Mavi. Not the same Mavi
as in Turkbuku, this is the Bodrum Mavi. Very confusing I know.
Check-in finally opened. Lazy bastards. I can finally stop lugging around
my luggage.
Aydin
and Vulkan.
We bumped into Vulkan, the drummer from Jazzino, and joined him in this
really crowded little room with a band on stage. And I mean crowded
and little (and indoors!).
The singer on stage is apparently also really famous in Turkey when
he plays Turkish music (has an album coming out and all), but he likes
to play here once in a while and play American music, and just kind
of groove. He's really good, and the way he speaks English, I almost
thought he was American.
Singer
guy. He hates the flash of cameras, I think that's why I kept taking
pics!
A little while later, the bass player and his girlfriend arrived, then
Yahya showed up.
They
follow me everywhere I go!
Outside I had spotted a mechanical bull, and decided that I really wanted
to ride it. Guess how much a ride was? 2,000,000 Turkish liras. How
much in dollars? About $1.30. I had to do it.
Isn't it strange that after 31 years of living in the US, the first
time I ever rode a mechanical bull was in turkey?
I was pretty damned good. I think the operator was pissed that I didn't
fall off right away, and he really tried to throw me, but it just wasn't
happening. Finally I got bored and fell off on my own. And damned if
my thighs don't still hurt!
The
Bull Ride! Clip 1 (4 megs) Clip
2 (4 megs).
I
think Aydin was trying to get a picture of the girls sitting behind
me. He's so evil.
We went back into Mavi, and then Askin and Ricki showed up.
What
kind of face is he making? What's wrong with that boy!?!?!
Her and I talked for a bit, and she was pissed that I was leaving so
soon after she arrived in Bodrum. I think she was hoping to have a fellow
American to hang out with. We made plans for me to come back in September,
and then for her and I to go to london together when her hitch in Turkey
is over.
I like how at the airport bar in bodrum, all the prices are in Euros.
Like Turkey is part of the Union already. Very confusing.
Askin ran out for a few minutes, and then came back in with a wrapped
present for me. He told me it was something small, so I asked if it
was his penis. Turned out it was this hair band with a wig attached
to it. That made the rounds, and we all had a big laugh and took pictures.
Passing
around the hair band. Some of them looked pretty good with it on!
Why are there so many bugs in this damned airport? Sorry to keep switching
back and forth, but I've seen more mosquitoes here in the airport than
I did my entire time in Turkey.
Die,
Skeeter, Die!
The singer at Mavi knew Ricki from London, and invited her up to sing.
Ricki
belting it out!
After that number, she sat down, but the singer asked her to do another
one. She really didn't seem like she wanted to, but then Aydin leaned
over to her and asked her to dedicate one to me for my last night. So
up she went. That was great. That totally made my night.
Since it was such a small place, and almost half the people in the room
were part of my group, the place went nuts when she dedicated "Feel
Like Making Love" to me. Maybe she was coming on to me?
Singing
for me, how sweet.
Afterwards, they asked Askin to play piano with them.
Gotta
love the faces he makes while playing.
A few
minutes later, Atakan arrived to take me to the airport, so it was time
to say goodbye. Aydin and I had decided that this was the easiest plan,
rather than going back to Turkbuku to get my bags before heading to
the airport. So we had Atakan get the bags and meet us here so I could
stay out a little longer.
Saying
goodbye to everyone. What a sad moment. See how happy they all get at
the thought of me leaving?
As Aydin and I left the bar, the singer yelled, "New York has left
the building". And everyone cheered again. Maybe they were happy
to be rid of me?
So, into the car, off to the airport, and here I am with about 45 minutes
until my flight.
The
Airport Run (4 megs).
This is the first time in five trips to Bodrum that I didn't have a
female escort to the airport.
The first time I came to Bodrum was with Tammy, a friend of my uncle's
from California that I traveled with.
The second time was with my girlfriend at the time, Gina.
The next two times were with Mine. She drove with me to the airport
and cried her eyes out the whole way both times, especially when it
was time for me to walk into the airport and leave her.
This time my escorts were Aydin and Atakan. Really going downhill, huh?
Aydin
and Atakan at the airport having a farewell tea with me.
Atakan gave me his Turkish lighter as I was leaving. Really nice guy.
I'll cherish it (until it runs out of fluid).
Is
it just me, or shouldn't planes be a little further away when you're
flying over the Atlantic? I think the pilots were racing, and just so
you know, we kicked that other plane's ass!!
And
here's the lovely girl I got to sit next to the whole way home, Cigdem.
This totally makes up for Aydin and Atakan escorting me to the airport!
Well, it looks like this is pretty much the end of this story. I've
already gone through passport control here in Bodrum without incident,
and now landed in the US safe and sound. So it looks like I'm no longer
a wanted man in turkey. Shows you how much my popularity has gone down
there; I can't even get arrested in this town anymore!
