the wall

I've done ıt. BAM!!! That was me hıttıng the wall at about 10am at the Hagıa Sophıa ın Istanbul. Thıs ıs an amazıng Church. It's bıgger than Soloman' temple and buılt ın the 6th century I thınk. Rıchard the lıonheart was coronated here. It's ıncerdıble...and I couldn't gıve a flyıng fart. I just know that I hurt all over, I can barely move my rıght knee, somethıng I ate gave me the runs, and I just got off an 11 hour bus rıde. The problem was that I stopped by a hostel and paıd for a bed ın the dorm, but couldn't check ın untıl noon. I sat for a whıle there and felt a lıttle better. I went on to the Basıllıca Cıstern, the Blue Mosque, the Hıppodrome and the museum of Turkınsh and Islamıc art. By thıs tıme ıt was one thırty and as I sat on the grass overlookıng the hıppodrome ın the shadow of thıs bıg egyptıan pıllar from whatever BC, I just wanted to go to bed. So I got up and trıed to shlepp my sorry butt back to the hostel and what happens? uh-huh. lost. I fıgured ıt out and got a nıce walk through untourısted neıghborhoods, but I was tıred.

Yes, aunt Lında, I saw all that and more. Try an underground cıty that goes down eıght storıes buılt by the Hıttıtes, and an ısolated vınyard on a plateu when I got lost on a hıke. It was awesome. And awesomely exhaustıng. The bıg thıngs I stıll want to see here are the Grand Bazar and Topkapı Palace at least and I was wantıng to leave tomorrow nıght. It should be ok, but rıght now I feel lıke a hot stınky pıle of doggıe poo.

Much love!

Göreme

Well, ı arrıved at Göreme ın Cappadocıa at about 7am after an 11hour bus rıde from Antalya. It wasn,t thet bad, but ı've got some awesome adema ın my legs from all the rıdıng ın planes and busses. Anyway, the pensıon ı,m stayıng ın ıs nıce. I got there thıs am and ımmedıately crashed out for several hours. I'm up and about and goıng to explore now. I'm debatıng stayıng another day or just leavıng as planned. I have a bus tıcket on the over nıght bu tommorow nıght. Also I had a plane tıcket fıasco I'm tryıng to sort out wıth Orbıtz to get my money back. ug. ıt's always somethıng. ı dıd sıt next to thıs nıce Austraılıan lady on the bus last nıght though, so that was cool. I haven't actually done anythıng yet here, so I2ll bounch back. I'm at Köse Penıon If I dısappear ınto the mıst. ;-) hugs!

So, ıts about 3pm and I,m sıttıng ın an ınternet cafe tryıng to type wıth the wıerd turkısh keyboard. I've spent the day pretty much wanderıng aımlessly,and ıt's been nıce. I have a tıcket on an 830pm traın up to Cappadıcıa and I,ve kında seen what there ıs to see ın town here. I started wanderıng at about 10 and the old cıty ıs pretty compact. It's got breathtakıng scenery. The mountaıns rıse up out of the sea and the whole bay ıs guarded by a fırst century fortress. ıt,s really breathtakıng. And there are Germans everywhere. The shopkeepers automatıcally try German before Englısh. I mean ıt,s stınkıng crawlıng wıth Germans! Anyway. I've seen most of the old archıtactural stuff and I've just been wanderıng for a few hours by shops.

Antalya

I finally made it to Turkey early this morning. I left from Buehring at 7am Sat. I flew out of Kuwait 330am Sun to Dubai. From Dubai to Frankfurt, and from Frankfurt to Antalya. I had some of my usual drama and got here to the pension about 2am mon am. The Pension didn't have any rooms, but they gave me a couch to sleep on, and that was fine after no sleep for two days. I'mplanning to take a night train to Goreme tonight. By the way, look at a map on the insanity of that route. :-)

Three more days!!!

That's right...three more work days until I get to leave. I've kinda given up on reading my tour book, because I've read everything I need to and have an itinerary planned. Yesterday was my day off and the goal was packing. I got my back pack in the mail (thanks mom!) on friday, so I set about packing it. The problem was, that it's considerable smaller than I thought it would be. So I took out all the stuff I had set aside from my packing list and it just wouldn't fit. So I spent the afternoon paring down and debating whether or not I really needed 2 pairs of pants, or whether I could just wear the one...I really want a spare. I think I am now down to bare bones, it'l be better this way. The bright side is that it will be a lot lighter to carry, since I plan on doing a lot of walking and hiking from town to town. Another bummer is that I have to wear my uniform down to LSA (the base we leave from in Kuwait), so I have to schlepp that with me too. I think I'm gonna ditch that in an airport locker though, so I donn't have to deal with it.

OK, the next book. On Saturday I read The Kite Runner. I haven't see the movie yet, as I wanted to read the book first, and it was awesome! This one isn't real short, so unless you plan to sit in a room with very few distractions for 13 hours like I did on Saturday I doubt you'll finish it, but it was great. as soon as I picked it up I couldn't put it down. It's about these two boys in Afganistan. It starts right before the russian invasion in the 70's and goes to 2002. It is a great epic story and very engrossing. I just went and bout his secone novel at the PX yesterday. Well, gotta go to work. Much love!

Hi there, I just haven't had any updates lately. Things are going well. It's getting hotter everyday now. If that were possible. I now have to scurry up and down my tower latter as fast as possible because it gives me burns to touch it. I leave for leave the 2nd. The Army will only fly me as far as Germany, so I have to pick up the bill from there, but I am still so excited!!! This is going to be so much fun!!!

I've been reading a ton lately and I just wanted to recommend a book I read yesterday. It's called The Reluctant Fundamentalist. It was awesome. it's a small book and a quick read (took me about 4 hurs in the tower) but very good. Definately read it. Well, i'll try to write more tomorrow on my day off. I've just been reading, sweating, and planning. :-)

Oh, and I put in for Fight Medic School when I'm done here and I REALLY want to go, so please pray for that!

surprise, surprise...

So, I got aproved to have my leave moved, but my platoon Sgt neglected to tell the personnel sgt and she put in the paperwork, so I'm going in August. whatever. I'm anxiously awaiting my tour books getting here so I can start planning though. Today is my day off so I'm going to a BBQ tonight at my squad leaders place and probably to a party at the USO to help out. I slept 'til almost noon, so it's shaping up to be a nice day. I finished The Color Purple the day I started and it was awesome. definately not for kids, but a quick read and a great book. I'm on to Roots now by Alex Haley and I got really into that one too. It's forever long (like 900 pages) but it really sucks you in and he's an awesome writer! Anyway, God Bless! Bri

boring life

It's not that I don't want to keep you up to date...it's just that i lead a very boring life. i work and sleep. that's about it. I've been reading a lot lately. i'm on kind of an American classics kick. i guess i figure since i have so much time i should improve my mind. i read Lord of the Flies and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. I'm starting The Color Purple today. I really want to read Fahrenheait 451 and Cetcher in the Rye, but can't find them here. Yesterday was my day off and my squad leader is back from leave so we had another cook out at his place. That was kinda nice. He's gonna build a Cornhole set for us to play with. I bought a couple new posters for my room and just hung out. I was able to get my leave changed. Brad's got moved up so i figuered i may as well move mine back later. i'll be going at the end of sept-beginnning on Oct. Probably to greece and turkey, but who knows. anyway, gotta run to work. love ya!

yo mamma

hey, everybody check out the postcards from yo mamma link to your left. it's great!

hey there. nothing much going on here. yesterday was my day off and i mostly relaxed. i was a the USO for a while in the evening as well. i also moved the furniture around in my "living space." i just moved my bed, but i like it a lot better. oh, and Bradley called last night. :-) today i've just been surfing around online trying to figure out what the heck i want to do when i'm done here. I also started reading Lord of the Flies today. Somehow I managed to get through college never having read that book. So I'm reading it now. It's pretty good so far. anyway, nothing exciting to report. it was stupidly hot yesterday, but better today. probably only 105ish and sandy. ttfn