Istanbul

I have to check out in a few minutes, but I thought I would just provide a quick update.

After my posting on Wednesday I went and rented a bike. I'm kind of a nervous nelly on the bike, and the guys renting me the bike could tell, so they gave me this small red cruiser and put the seat super low... yes, like a child. I felt a little silly on my kids bike, but it's not so different from my childlike ride in van I suppose (my little blue bike).

I rode for awhile along the coast and stopped at a beach for a swim and a think. I was actually feeling a little bit down, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I guess it was a mixture of lack of purpose and worry about the future. Finishing my application to U of C got me thinking about what my chances really are, and whether or not this is something I want to do...

Well, I decided that I was probably partly depressed because I was hungry, so I decided to ride back into town. On my way back in, I was peacefully cruising and looking behind at something when I somehow managed to veer into the adjacent wall. I went flying! I got up and all I had was a minuscule cut on my leg and my right knee was throbbing. Luckily, I was wearing longer pants so I didn't scrape it. Anyway, the chain had come off, so I turned the bike over to get it back on (it was quite stuck). I proceeded to get very dirty and covered in grease, only to discover the bike was not ride-able, since I'd managed to crumple the whole front end in. I guess that's what happens when you run into a wall... brilliant! I walked the bike back to the rental place (luck was on my side again, since I was only about a block and half away) and lied and told them a story involving pedestrians. Not just to save face: but hopefully to minimize cost as well. I think it worked... I got charged, but only 35 euro. They were very nice and concerned about me. They were impressed that I didn't break anything or even really hurt myself.

...

so lots has happened even since then, but I'm running out of time and I'm in Istanbul now. Stayed in this hostel last night, my first time in a hostel since I was 21 traveling with Simon. It's just as I remember! Cramped, a little dirty, but lots of company. So I'm going to leave it at that. I'm going exploring today with an Aussie I met, Johnny.

Gule gule.