Good golly! Will I ever go a week without blogging about the busses?
Wednesday was like, a Turkish Independence day or something and there were flags EVERYWHERE. Not kidding. Mattie and I decided to meet for lunch in Taksim, but traffic was ridiculous. Imagine all of Medicine Hat trying to drive down Belfast Street. Yeah. It took my bus over two hours to get to Taksim, plus it took a different route than usual. I don't think I'll ever understand these busses. Anyways. I figure I should tell you know while it's on my mind. I think the busses may be four-wheel-drives. I'm serious! Every now and then the bus will be navigating a corner or turning around and it will do this freaky drifting thing where the whole bus will move (while staying at the same angle) over some. I don't know how to describe it, but it's seriously weird.
So I got to Taksim around 2 pm, and because texting was free after 12 noon (hooray for holidays) Mattie was waiting for me right where my bus stops. Basically we walked up and down Taksim sampling icecream from different places (BK, some vendor, and a gourmet icecream place) and looking for a sweater for Mattie to wear with the school choir. It was soooo busy, so after only a couple hours we opted to take the metro to Levent, and cruise Metrocity (a mall). Then, deciding we were all shopped out, we went to Mattie's house for tea.
Getting home was rather interesting for me. It was only about 5:30, but after the Daylight Savings change last week, it's been dark a lot sooner. Mattie road the bus back to Levent with me, to make sure I got off at the right place. I was planning to take the metro back to Taksim and go home the regular way, but as I was getting off the bus, one to Taksim pulled up. Well, traffic didn't look bad, and it was fate, I decided, that this bus should be so convenient. So I took the bus.
Let me say- nothing in life is that simple.
We got close to Taksim, within a km, before the traffic was at an absolute stand-still. That's when the bus driver announced something to everyone on the bus, and everyone around me stood up and got off. Oh.My.Gosh. I had no clue what was happening, and stood up to get off also, but then I turned around and saw there was still half a dozen people on the bus. What?! As I'm wavering at the door, trying to figure out what to do, a man steps up to the door and says "You look confused. Where are you trying to go?". So I got off the bus and told the man I was trying to get to Taksim where I could take a bus to Halkalı. He said that he was also going to Taksim ("No really," I said in my head, "I had no idea considering that's where the bus you were just on was going..." I like that even in a foreign country, having no idea what's happening, I'm still sarcastic. Nice.) and that he'd take me there. So we set off (don't worry, I wasn't blindly following a stranger, I kept my paranoid eyes on the direction the other people and cars were headed as well as the street signs), on a completely uphill climb to what turned out to be a full out party. Anyways. Apparently this man works at the Hilton (an American company, he pointed out, as if this somehow made him completely trustworthy) and was on his way there. When we got to Taksim the square itself was blocked off from cars and FULL of people. There was a stage set up, and huge spotlights were sweeping the audience. There was a band on stage and people had glow sticks and stuff. I made my way across the square to where I had to catch my bus, stopping only to take some pictures.
I got on the right bus and made it home just fine. Such fun. I really do have a skill for picking busses, don't I? If I had just taken the metro... But it doesn't matter now. Yet another adventure in İstanbul.
-Maeghan
PS. I don't know what will happen to the photos when I upload them through email. You can just guess as to where I'd put them in the blog if I had a choice. It doesn't really matter, they don't need much more explanation that this entry has already provided. xoxo
6 comments:
STRANGER DANGER!! Yaa! And since when does being American make somebody trustworthy? Just kidding.
Do you tell your host parents about your bus adventures? I'm guessing not or else they probably wouldn't let you go on the bus anymore.
Are Turkish buses nicer than the ones here?
Way to go Chickadee! Great decision making and paying attention. We`re proud of you.
I bet its hard to believe that you were once nervous to take the buses here in lil` ol Medicine Hat.
xo
Mom
Before I die I seriously need to experience the buses in Turkey. Hahaha They sound so awesome! It sounds like you are having some pretty fun adventures and I'm glad the stranger turned out to be OK. Take care and keep on livin' the dream!
ooh Turkey sounds more and more like China, with the crowded streets. Is there even weaving around a donkey cart? I must say that that was awesome, simply because that would never happen here in Canada. Nosiree, you'd be in trouble for driving on the other lane. But in China you have to make room for the donkey.
And as for business, is it absolutely impossible to see an empty spot on the floor for more than 30cm in front of you? Because that's China inside the busiest shopping areas.
Ah sarcasm is my life. Can you believe in Japan that they do not use sarcasm or overexaggeration? I do not think I could live there. See? Point proven for the overexaggeration.
By the way, can you see our comments?
Oh wow! Also, which ice cream was the best?
Super Blog, I really appreciate your comments and am sorry I haven't been doing the same. I love reading about your big city adventures and can find comparisons with mine. It sounds like the cities have some similarities. Gotta love the celebrations!
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