I departed from the states again on September 14. This was definately an exciting trip. Please do not take any of this as if I am complaining. Please just use this time to laugh with me.
First off I entered a plane full of babies and crazy mothers. I didn't notice this right off the bat, but it was less than an hour into the flight. Ok, so please try and imagine this with me. Your in a giant hollowed out buss with wings. There is no escape. It's now about an hour into the flight and then your start hearing a little bit of a whine. Then another. Then another. Until you notice that you are surrounded by screaming babies with their mothers drooling all over themselves from a slight overdose of Tylenol PM. This is basically what I imagine hell to be like. This happened about the entire flight.
I then had a seven hour layover at Heathrow Airport in London, England. This wasn't nearly as bad. I actually got to catch up on some sleep after my escape from baby hell, but I digress.
As I started to meet people on the flight to Istanbul from London I noticed that I was surround by people with very interesting stories and adventures that they were about to embark on. There was one man that was about to take a backpacking trip through the outskirts of Wetsern Turkey and end in Greece on Mount Olympus. There were also some elderly ladies that just left Cairo, Egypt and were going on a tour of Western Turkey. And still another couple that was going to Istanbul on holiday. There were a few other couples as well but there was something in common with all of these groups. They were all Canadians and extremely friendly. I had great conversations with each group.
We got to Istanbul an hour later than we were supposed too. Therefore I missed the metro to the Otogar (Bus Station). So God helped me out by introducing me to yet another guy, around my age, to help me out in this time of need. He got me a taxi, gave me some tips and information about the ride. A Canadian couple that I had met on the plane asked to share the taxi. They noticed that I could speak a little Turkish and had some experience in Istanbul. They happended to be staying at the exact place I had stayed when I spent some time in Istanbul. So on the way to the Otogar we had the most awesome Taxi driver I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. This guy was so goofy. About five minutes on the road he turns up some Techno music and we all start jamming down the road. It was a blast. Once the Taxi driver dropped me off at the Otogar he jumps out and runs to the cheapest yet best bus line to get me a ticket. It was a pretty cool experience. That was completely unexpected. I ended up taking a different bus though. At the Otogar I was able to witness a great ceremony. It was the celebrating of boys going off to become men. These boys were catching a bus to fulfill their non-optional military duties. There were people dancing, singing, playing instrument, fireworks, mobs chanting and cheering their brethern on. It was something that I had never seen before in the states. It was a very honoring time.
After I got my ticket I had about less than five minutes to find my bus and get on it. This guy from behind the desk jumps around and grabs my bags. We then raced off towards my bus. We got there just in time. Then I saw a bus going towards Ankara that was about to leave. So I start to talk to him and he basically pushes me aside and tells me to stand by the curb. However, I refused. This was my bus getting ready to leave and I was not going to buy another ticket. So I kept pursuing other employees on the bus. This seemed kind of odd to me. Then I hear a guy finally say, "hey kid thats not your bus!" He was standing by the curb, so I walked over to him. He checked my ticket and told me that my bus line was late, an hour and a half late.
The rest of the way to Ankara was pretty much a breeze but yet again God had shown me his divine hand at work. He blessed me by allowing me to come back to Ankara safe and with many more stories to add to my testimony of life on how God watches over me.
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