by Stephanie Quan | Jun 16, 2011 | Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, Turkey
While Calvin is going back to the hotel to grab our bags for the bus back to Istanbul, let me describe my surroundings. I’m typing this with a wireless connection in Panorama Cafe. There are clay pots which hang from the ceiling with backpacker’s...
by Stephanie Quan | Jun 16, 2011 | Introspection, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, Turkey
preface. I thought I’d be able to charge my camera with a mini usb. wrong. so I’m stealing Calvin’s photos until we can get back to Istanbul and find a camera store with the proper charger for my camera battery. While riding atv’s, here are a...
by Stephanie Quan | Jun 16, 2011 | Introspection, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, Turkey
2 hours after my 13 hour flight from LA, I boarded a 12 hour overnight bus with Calvin to Cappadocia. It was like 11am pacific time when I got on the bus; I was well rested and wide awake. This was going to be a long ride for me. But much as I was dreading it, in the...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 14, 2011 | Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, Turkey
It’s currently 3am in Turkey, and I’m sipping very very hot chai at a very very cold remote rest stop 3 hours outside of Istanbul. They made me pay to use their squat toilet. Oh squat toilets, how I missed you so. – What we did a few...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 14, 2011 | Fit for Foodies, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, Turkey
Just because the balloons got rained out doesn’t mean we can’t have another kind of adventure: They call her MAMA grizzly. We rented a couple of ATVs and took them out on the town, and caught some beautiful views: Rose Valley Driving down the range A very phallic...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 14, 2011 | Fail, Fit for Foodies, How's the weather?, Let me tell you a Story..., Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, Turkey
UPDATE 4 hours later: What a fail. The rain picked up so much by the time we got to the balloons that they decided to send us home. They said they would call us in 2-3 hours if they decided to start it up again but as far as I know, nothing is happening....
by Calvin Sun | Jun 13, 2011 | Doctor in the House, How Did You Do That?, How's the weather?, Introspection, Mo' Money Mo' Problems, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, Turkey
Just got back from a wet n’ wild excursion around Goreme and Cappdaocia. In other words, a lightning thunderstorm thrashed about and we were stuck in the middle in the big wide open fields. Smart, I know. If you ever find yourself here, do yourself...
by Stephanie Quan | Jun 13, 2011 | Lessons Learned, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, Turkey
I haven’t done much travel abroad. Well, “difficult traveling” that is. I’ve spent two spring breaks in London and Paris (which may as well have been as diffıcult as goıng to Maine and Quebec) and been on a tour of China with my family when I...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 13, 2011 | Crisis, Public Transportation, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, Turkey
With whatever luck I get with running into people, I’m cursed when it comes to waiting for people at the airport. Yesterday as I waited outside arrivals to pick up my travel partner Stephanie, she was waiting for me to pick her up inside at baggage claims. Since...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 12, 2011 | Fail, Let me tell you a Story..., Serendipitous!, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, Turkey
Before I begin my first entry of the summer, I must mention how Monsoon Diaries’ has an unexplainable inclination for serendipity, and this time, excruciating near-misses: The MOMENT I stepped off my one-way flight from NYC to Istanbul, a friend of mine was...
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