I talked to this man on the way back in the ferry. He was from Oman, his name was Omar. A banker. He was traveling with his kids. Very nice family, happy kids. He was on vacation, far away from work.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Heybeliada
Heybeliada is the name of an island off Istanbul's Coast where people have their summer homes. We were invited there for dinner, with Esra's family, and we had to take the ferry for 90 minutes to get there. Very interesting landscapes and people. Quite a trip. Erik, Maiko, Nicole, Tarek, Clement, Ali... great people, mostly Esra's friends. There are no cars in the island. Just charriots and horses. It was my night before last in Istanbul.
I talked to this man on the way back in the ferry. He was from Oman, his name was Omar. A banker. He was traveling with his kids. Very nice family, happy kids. He was on vacation, far away from work.
I talked to this man on the way back in the ferry. He was from Oman, his name was Omar. A banker. He was traveling with his kids. Very nice family, happy kids. He was on vacation, far away from work.
Kariye
Go check this site for better quality pics of the Kariye Church in Istanbul. Beautiful tiles, beautiful architecture. I thought immediately about Grid Art, something I teach my students when we talk about ASCII art. It's a small church that saw all its mosaics covered in plaster when it was turned into a mosque. The plaster actually preserved most of the art work, but not all of it was saved. I cannot imagine how it used to look like in the old days. I need a better camera. My Nikon is WAY too old and it does not have an optic zoom, and my treo cam i ok for this, but that's it. Now I know what I want for xmas...
We went to the Suleymanyani Mosque, on the other side of the city. I could not take any pics inside, I had to wear a pareo because my shorts were too short.
We went to the Suleymanyani Mosque, on the other side of the city. I could not take any pics inside, I had to wear a pareo because my shorts were too short.
Rodin
Just imagine what is best for your life when you have a hang over: go to a museum and see a huge collection of Rodin's work. The Sabanci Museum. Mr Sabanci, a very rich philanthropist, was a big collector of works of turkish calligraphy. he donated his entire collection, and the beautiful house, to be turned into a museum, attached to the Sabanci University. Ali met Mr Sabanci when we were in NY, I remember when he told me he had met one of the most influencial men in Turkey. His passion for Art was amazing.
Oh... on the way to the museum I took this cab in front of Hagia Sophia. The guy spoke a little bit of English. He wanted to drive all around the Golden Horn - off our way to the west - to take me to the north. I Immediately said that no way, he needed to go back and go north by the river. He asked me is I was married, I said no because I am gay and I have my partner in Florida. He said he would have sex with me for U$500. In HIS dreams! HA! And he started talking about the gay hamams and a good friend of his that does not work, but goes every day to the hamams to have sex - for a lot of money - with married men from Europe, especially Germany, and the US. Half way through, around the wedding place, he turned the taxi meter off. I noticed that... And when we finally got to the museum he was going to charge me 49 Lira! The 49 is a permanent number that appears all the time the meter is off! I raised HELL. I said I was Colombian, and I knew all those tricks. I gave him a bill of 20 lyra and got off the car. He was really mad. I was too. he wasn't even handsome....
Ali then drove up the Bosphorus Coast. We had dinner in a delicious fish restaurant near Asli's - his sister - place.
Oh... on the way to the museum I took this cab in front of Hagia Sophia. The guy spoke a little bit of English. He wanted to drive all around the Golden Horn - off our way to the west - to take me to the north. I Immediately said that no way, he needed to go back and go north by the river. He asked me is I was married, I said no because I am gay and I have my partner in Florida. He said he would have sex with me for U$500. In HIS dreams! HA! And he started talking about the gay hamams and a good friend of his that does not work, but goes every day to the hamams to have sex - for a lot of money - with married men from Europe, especially Germany, and the US. Half way through, around the wedding place, he turned the taxi meter off. I noticed that... And when we finally got to the museum he was going to charge me 49 Lira! The 49 is a permanent number that appears all the time the meter is off! I raised HELL. I said I was Colombian, and I knew all those tricks. I gave him a bill of 20 lyra and got off the car. He was really mad. I was too. he wasn't even handsome....
Ali then drove up the Bosphorus Coast. We had dinner in a delicious fish restaurant near Asli's - his sister - place.
Wedding
Oh... we had such a good time... Esra was GORGEOUS, everybody was very happy, Ali was taking pictures and he even danced with me! Great time... Very classy. It was a civil ceremony in the ruins of a palace built for the daughter of a sultan in the XIIIth century. The building burned in 1985 and the community decided to preserve the building in a very post-modern way. Keep the structure and build an internal glass support that isolates it from the noise and the weather. Beautiful. Esra's mom, Nilgun, was adorable. We danced, we hadamazing turkish food, we drank, we toasted. Fantastic...
Hamam
I always wanted to go to a real turkish bath, a Hamam. Not the cheesy baths we have in Bogota, but the real stuff. partly for the excitement, partly for the culture. I chose not to go to the openly gay ones - there are plenty in Istanbul, it's really the only outlet men have to have sex - I selected instead the Cemberlitas Hamam. Not far away from theGrand Bazar, built in 1584 by Sinan, one of the most famous architects. Go check the site. I went there the day of Ezra's wedding, I needed to relax, have a good time and look FAAABULOUS before I would put on my Versace suit :o)
Well, it was certainly a very interesting experience. Not sexually, I was not there for that, but certainly culturally. Just imagine the last time you were bathed with loads of soap, massaged, pampered and taken care of. Yes, it was a regression experience. Even though the masseur could care less about me, the fact a foreign hand was taking care of me was very comforting. It takes around 45 minutes, first they pour warm water on you - you cannot be naked - and then they bathe you with a lot of soap, and massage every part of your body. My spine cracked a few times, my arms felt like jelly. Then they use a thick glove to exfoliate the dead skin cells, and they keep on pouring water by the buckets. I felt like a baby again. I had no idea what was the experience there, and I will certainly do it again. When the massage is finished, you can stay and relax in the steam room area, until the space gets crowded with loud gringos disrupting that special moment. When the guys got in and started laughing and making noise, and splashing water at each other, I took a cold shower, was dried by a man in the waitng area, got upstaris to get dressed and had my Chai in the living room.
Well, it was certainly a very interesting experience. Not sexually, I was not there for that, but certainly culturally. Just imagine the last time you were bathed with loads of soap, massaged, pampered and taken care of. Yes, it was a regression experience. Even though the masseur could care less about me, the fact a foreign hand was taking care of me was very comforting. It takes around 45 minutes, first they pour warm water on you - you cannot be naked - and then they bathe you with a lot of soap, and massage every part of your body. My spine cracked a few times, my arms felt like jelly. Then they use a thick glove to exfoliate the dead skin cells, and they keep on pouring water by the buckets. I felt like a baby again. I had no idea what was the experience there, and I will certainly do it again. When the massage is finished, you can stay and relax in the steam room area, until the space gets crowded with loud gringos disrupting that special moment. When the guys got in and started laughing and making noise, and splashing water at each other, I took a cold shower, was dried by a man in the waitng area, got upstaris to get dressed and had my Chai in the living room.
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