A Millionaire Lifestyle
I just finished looking through all my pictures to inspire some words to tell about my trip to Turkey but I still think I am going to come up short because I know I won’t be able to do any justice to what I saw, heard and did. I came back with a few souvenirs, among them a couple scarves, some earrings, a tan, a few pounds gained back (straight to my hips, of course) and a torn ligament in my knee, which I attribute to all the walking, hiking and dancing we did.
I can start by saying that this is probably the best family vacation that we’ve ever had, I think this is due to several factors. First being that my Father had quite a few connections in Turkey, which led to the most effortless and stressless traveling experience ever, no asking for directions or getting lost, we had private drivers to haul us around to where we needed to go. The second that coming from a developing country made me appreciate the smallest detail that much more. And the third being that I hadn’t seen my family in so long, I was afraid that I had changed or even worse that they had changed. Thoughts of “what if they don’t recognize/remember/like me anymore” crossed my mind several times but my heart was put to ease the minute I fell into their arms at the airport and cried and cried and cried. Miraculously, we’re all the same as we were 9 months ago.
Istanbul was absolutely amazing and we experienced it in the best way. We were lucky enough to have one of the most famous tour guides in Istanbul, he recently created a documentary about underground worlds for the History Channel. He was brilliant, informative and concise, plus he even got used to my family’s sense of humor quickly and fit right in. By the end of our 3-day tour we were sad to see him leave and for the rest of the vacation we wished that he were still with us. Istanbul is an absolutely gorgeous city, situated on the Bosphorous and littered with minarets, domed mosques, and a maze of cobbled roads leading you centuries back to the Ottoman empire. It has a permanent golden hue that makes it look like the city is glowing. We did as much as we could but I think my two favorites were the Topkapi palace (you could spend days wandering around that place) and the Chora Mosque. We also took a private boat ride around the Bosphorous all the way down to the opening of the Black sea. It was so surreal to look to the right and see the Asian continent and to the left see the European continent. Real Estate on the Bosphorous is the second highest (to Tokyo) in the world.
We went out dancing one night (yes, we did that as a family too) to Reina, one of the hottest clubs not only in Istanbul but in Europe, too. The club is situated on and overlooks the Boshporous. It was a Monday night and it was absolutely packed, I’ve never been anywhere like that in my entire life. This turned out to be an infamous night for our family due to a couple red bulls and vodka (my parents were naïve to its effects). At one point my mother was begging my brother to bring her a glass of water. Being the evil and devious son that he is he brought her back another red bull and vodka and didn’t tell her and THEN brought out the camera, which I think my mother is confiscating at the moment. We absolutely destroyed the dance floor and we have pictures to prove it. At one point my mother was surrounded like 10 boys, we were like, “Dad, why don’t you go rescue her?” but he was having too much fun watching her dance. We have a cruel, cruel family. My parents left around 2 and Nick, Kathy and I closed the club down and got back around 3:30 there is still a mystery surrounding where one of my shoes went. It was funny though, in K-stan, most vodka is cheaper than juice so when I got to Turkey, I was like, I am NOT drinking any vodka. First drink I ordered? A dirty vodka martini. The second? A red bull and vodka. Sheesh. At least it was really really good vodka and I didn’t even have to chase it with pickles.
It was hard to leave Istanbul but I think we were also ready to relax. I don’t know how much longer we would have lasted walking around all day and partying all night. Bodrum was a nice change of pace for the daytime but was relentless during nighttime. We stayed at a 7 million dollar house compound that resembled individual castles all surrounding a private pool. The house was equipped with a full-time summer staff including servants, chefs and drivers. We also had a 99-foot private boat to use at our disposal so we spent two days cruising around different harbors that line the Aegean Sea. We snorkeled, swam and sprawled across the terry cloth mattresses that lined the front and back of the boat. We had all gotten way too much sun but it was a nice, relaxing day. When we got back, we had a private pool to savor those last minuets of sunshine around 5 o’clock before it starts to retire.
The first night we went out we went to a club that was previously the biggest club in Europe. It was pretty unique because it had stadium seating and also overlooked the Aegean. It was a pretty quiet night because the official tourist season doesn’t start until the first of July but they had a several stages and platforms with go go dancers for entertainment. At one point, Kathy and I were tired of watching and I think we were both thinking the same thing, “we can do better”. So we took overtook the entire dance floor (which was HUGE) and strutted and danced ourselves all over it. I think we became the new form of entertainment for everyone. I think we probably danced for 3 hours straight. The next day we couldn’t even walk, but luckily we didn’t have anything better to do then lay around all day in the sun anyway. When we left the club, our bill was more than half of what I make for an entire year’s salary as a Peace Corps volunteer. Spoiled, what?
The next night was like nothing I’ve ever done before. We went to a club called Catamaran, which is actually the biggest catamran in the world and has a glass bottomed dancefloor so you can literally “dance on water”. If you want to leave, you have to take a separate boat back to shore or wait until the boat docks back at the harbor around 4 or 5 a.m. They had professional dancers on platforms and a whole slew of transvestites that came out with 8 inch platform white faux fur go go boots. They were so awesome and I danced with a few of them but it was intimidating seeing as they were toppling around 7 feet tall. I had around 9 months of dancing bottled up in my system and I went absolutely nuts, I made myself a favorite of one of the dancers and went for about 4 hours straight with absolutely no breaks. I had a dance-off with myself. The DJ was amazing and we closed the club down and got home around 5. It was probably the coolest club I’ve ever been to. Around 4:30 I crawled off the dance floor and my father had to come retrieve me and practically carry me home because I was so tired. That night was probably the most fun I’ve had in 9 months.
It was really really hard to leave Bodrum, especially because our host offered to pay me a salary equivalent to what I make for peace corps to hang around all day and do absolutely nothing but bask in the summer sun and spend my nights cavorting around all of Bodrum’s different clubs. I have to say that it was particularly tempting but I think that I probably would get bored after awhile (that’s just what I have to tell myself to keep me from getting on the next plane back).
Cyprus was really nice as well. Our hotel was situated at the end of a peninsula on the Mediterranean and you could see Southern Turkey from our balcony. They gave us a huge suite that practically took up a wing of the hotel. One side overlooked the pool and the other side overlooked the beach. They even had a dock jutting out into the Sea so that people could lounge around on oversized pillows and jump off for a cooling refresher when they got hot. Kathy and I took it upon ourselves to order some pina coladas and get settled in. It was really relaxing but reality started to hit because I knew there were only a few remaining days of paradise. Northern Cyprus has a cute little harbor with shops and restaurants so we went there for our last night and wandered around, pretending that we didn’t have to go back to our lives the following day.
The way our flights worked out I actually had an extra day and a half in Istanbul so I met up with two other volunteers and my parents put us all up in hotel. For our last day we ventured out to the Spice Markets, wandered around and then took a ferry across the Bosphorous to Princess Island. We thought we were going to go to the beach but it was too cool so we ate a huge seafood meal then took a horse drawn carriage right around the perimeter of the island. The island had historical houses and new huge mansions, the shops and restaurants were adorable and fruit stands seemed to line every walkway. I couldn’t resist buying our horses some apples after our long haul. I thought it would be hard being in Turkey without my parents but it was actually nice to regroup with some volunteers and enjoy a few comforts that we normally don’t get to experience in K-stan. Like Burger King and a hot shower, for example. We spent our last day soaking up the rest of Turkish culture and wandered in an out of shops until it was time to leave.
It was harder to leave than I ever anticipated. Everything just went so smoothly, it was hard for me to imagine getting readjusted to life here. I have never been pampered or treated the way we were, it’s not every time that when you travel you have the general manager or owner come up and introduce themselves at nearly every hotel, restaurant and club we went to. This vacation was truly unique in that the people and the hospitality that we experienced turned this into a once in a lifetime opportunity.
I have to say that after I got back it’s the closest I’ve ever been to leaving Peace Corps for good. It took every ounce of strength not to burst into tears for 3 straight days but I think it helped going straight to Koshoi to help with a project that Izzy, one of the K-12s set up. We repainted the libraries and resource centers in our training village schools so that gave me a sense of accomplishment and purpose being back in the country. Plus it was good to see Mama and Tanya again, the closest people to real family that I have here in Kyrgyzstan. I am slowly readjusting to life back here and figuring out how I’m going to spend my summer. I have a few ideas but right now I’m just trying to take it one day at a time.
I can start by saying that this is probably the best family vacation that we’ve ever had, I think this is due to several factors. First being that my Father had quite a few connections in Turkey, which led to the most effortless and stressless traveling experience ever, no asking for directions or getting lost, we had private drivers to haul us around to where we needed to go. The second that coming from a developing country made me appreciate the smallest detail that much more. And the third being that I hadn’t seen my family in so long, I was afraid that I had changed or even worse that they had changed. Thoughts of “what if they don’t recognize/remember/like me anymore” crossed my mind several times but my heart was put to ease the minute I fell into their arms at the airport and cried and cried and cried. Miraculously, we’re all the same as we were 9 months ago.
Istanbul was absolutely amazing and we experienced it in the best way. We were lucky enough to have one of the most famous tour guides in Istanbul, he recently created a documentary about underground worlds for the History Channel. He was brilliant, informative and concise, plus he even got used to my family’s sense of humor quickly and fit right in. By the end of our 3-day tour we were sad to see him leave and for the rest of the vacation we wished that he were still with us. Istanbul is an absolutely gorgeous city, situated on the Bosphorous and littered with minarets, domed mosques, and a maze of cobbled roads leading you centuries back to the Ottoman empire. It has a permanent golden hue that makes it look like the city is glowing. We did as much as we could but I think my two favorites were the Topkapi palace (you could spend days wandering around that place) and the Chora Mosque. We also took a private boat ride around the Bosphorous all the way down to the opening of the Black sea. It was so surreal to look to the right and see the Asian continent and to the left see the European continent. Real Estate on the Bosphorous is the second highest (to Tokyo) in the world.
We went out dancing one night (yes, we did that as a family too) to Reina, one of the hottest clubs not only in Istanbul but in Europe, too. The club is situated on and overlooks the Boshporous. It was a Monday night and it was absolutely packed, I’ve never been anywhere like that in my entire life. This turned out to be an infamous night for our family due to a couple red bulls and vodka (my parents were naïve to its effects). At one point my mother was begging my brother to bring her a glass of water. Being the evil and devious son that he is he brought her back another red bull and vodka and didn’t tell her and THEN brought out the camera, which I think my mother is confiscating at the moment. We absolutely destroyed the dance floor and we have pictures to prove it. At one point my mother was surrounded like 10 boys, we were like, “Dad, why don’t you go rescue her?” but he was having too much fun watching her dance. We have a cruel, cruel family. My parents left around 2 and Nick, Kathy and I closed the club down and got back around 3:30 there is still a mystery surrounding where one of my shoes went. It was funny though, in K-stan, most vodka is cheaper than juice so when I got to Turkey, I was like, I am NOT drinking any vodka. First drink I ordered? A dirty vodka martini. The second? A red bull and vodka. Sheesh. At least it was really really good vodka and I didn’t even have to chase it with pickles.
It was hard to leave Istanbul but I think we were also ready to relax. I don’t know how much longer we would have lasted walking around all day and partying all night. Bodrum was a nice change of pace for the daytime but was relentless during nighttime. We stayed at a 7 million dollar house compound that resembled individual castles all surrounding a private pool. The house was equipped with a full-time summer staff including servants, chefs and drivers. We also had a 99-foot private boat to use at our disposal so we spent two days cruising around different harbors that line the Aegean Sea. We snorkeled, swam and sprawled across the terry cloth mattresses that lined the front and back of the boat. We had all gotten way too much sun but it was a nice, relaxing day. When we got back, we had a private pool to savor those last minuets of sunshine around 5 o’clock before it starts to retire.
The first night we went out we went to a club that was previously the biggest club in Europe. It was pretty unique because it had stadium seating and also overlooked the Aegean. It was a pretty quiet night because the official tourist season doesn’t start until the first of July but they had a several stages and platforms with go go dancers for entertainment. At one point, Kathy and I were tired of watching and I think we were both thinking the same thing, “we can do better”. So we took overtook the entire dance floor (which was HUGE) and strutted and danced ourselves all over it. I think we became the new form of entertainment for everyone. I think we probably danced for 3 hours straight. The next day we couldn’t even walk, but luckily we didn’t have anything better to do then lay around all day in the sun anyway. When we left the club, our bill was more than half of what I make for an entire year’s salary as a Peace Corps volunteer. Spoiled, what?
The next night was like nothing I’ve ever done before. We went to a club called Catamaran, which is actually the biggest catamran in the world and has a glass bottomed dancefloor so you can literally “dance on water”. If you want to leave, you have to take a separate boat back to shore or wait until the boat docks back at the harbor around 4 or 5 a.m. They had professional dancers on platforms and a whole slew of transvestites that came out with 8 inch platform white faux fur go go boots. They were so awesome and I danced with a few of them but it was intimidating seeing as they were toppling around 7 feet tall. I had around 9 months of dancing bottled up in my system and I went absolutely nuts, I made myself a favorite of one of the dancers and went for about 4 hours straight with absolutely no breaks. I had a dance-off with myself. The DJ was amazing and we closed the club down and got home around 5. It was probably the coolest club I’ve ever been to. Around 4:30 I crawled off the dance floor and my father had to come retrieve me and practically carry me home because I was so tired. That night was probably the most fun I’ve had in 9 months.
It was really really hard to leave Bodrum, especially because our host offered to pay me a salary equivalent to what I make for peace corps to hang around all day and do absolutely nothing but bask in the summer sun and spend my nights cavorting around all of Bodrum’s different clubs. I have to say that it was particularly tempting but I think that I probably would get bored after awhile (that’s just what I have to tell myself to keep me from getting on the next plane back).
Cyprus was really nice as well. Our hotel was situated at the end of a peninsula on the Mediterranean and you could see Southern Turkey from our balcony. They gave us a huge suite that practically took up a wing of the hotel. One side overlooked the pool and the other side overlooked the beach. They even had a dock jutting out into the Sea so that people could lounge around on oversized pillows and jump off for a cooling refresher when they got hot. Kathy and I took it upon ourselves to order some pina coladas and get settled in. It was really relaxing but reality started to hit because I knew there were only a few remaining days of paradise. Northern Cyprus has a cute little harbor with shops and restaurants so we went there for our last night and wandered around, pretending that we didn’t have to go back to our lives the following day.
The way our flights worked out I actually had an extra day and a half in Istanbul so I met up with two other volunteers and my parents put us all up in hotel. For our last day we ventured out to the Spice Markets, wandered around and then took a ferry across the Bosphorous to Princess Island. We thought we were going to go to the beach but it was too cool so we ate a huge seafood meal then took a horse drawn carriage right around the perimeter of the island. The island had historical houses and new huge mansions, the shops and restaurants were adorable and fruit stands seemed to line every walkway. I couldn’t resist buying our horses some apples after our long haul. I thought it would be hard being in Turkey without my parents but it was actually nice to regroup with some volunteers and enjoy a few comforts that we normally don’t get to experience in K-stan. Like Burger King and a hot shower, for example. We spent our last day soaking up the rest of Turkish culture and wandered in an out of shops until it was time to leave.
It was harder to leave than I ever anticipated. Everything just went so smoothly, it was hard for me to imagine getting readjusted to life here. I have never been pampered or treated the way we were, it’s not every time that when you travel you have the general manager or owner come up and introduce themselves at nearly every hotel, restaurant and club we went to. This vacation was truly unique in that the people and the hospitality that we experienced turned this into a once in a lifetime opportunity.
I have to say that after I got back it’s the closest I’ve ever been to leaving Peace Corps for good. It took every ounce of strength not to burst into tears for 3 straight days but I think it helped going straight to Koshoi to help with a project that Izzy, one of the K-12s set up. We repainted the libraries and resource centers in our training village schools so that gave me a sense of accomplishment and purpose being back in the country. Plus it was good to see Mama and Tanya again, the closest people to real family that I have here in Kyrgyzstan. I am slowly readjusting to life back here and figuring out how I’m going to spend my summer. I have a few ideas but right now I’m just trying to take it one day at a time.
posted by Katie P. at 1:03 AM
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