Day 8 - Back to Istanbul - by Bennett Harrison

Well here we are at the halfway point. It was only when two girls arrived at our door this morning with chocolate eggs that Zahn and I realized it was Easter; thanks Gracie and Cara. Today was spent mostly in transit from the Hotel Helen in Çanakkale back to Istanbul. The first part of the bus trip was spent as we have come to spend most bus trips – enthusiastic group singing. Alas we were not treated to George’s rendition of "Mairzy Doats" which I proclaim, on behalf of the tour, is our official group song. A brief lunch stop en route almost became the final resting place of Maddy when she attempted to down a chili. Based on her reaction the casual observer could safely conclude that the chili was ‘a bit hot.’ The second half of our bus trip proved a lot quieter. Evidently (much to the teachers’ relief) no amount of enthusiasm will last 5 hours in a bus and most of us fell asleep.
On reaching Istanbul we were let free to roam the Spice Market. By far the most crowded area we have been in, one struggled to forge a path through the sea of people, let alone stop and browse. The smell of all the colorful seasonings and spices laid out at each stall was particularly exotic and it reminds you that you are truly in a different country. One can never shop too much in Istanbul, the girls on the tour claim, and our next destination was the main shopping district of Istanbul, Taksim Square. Taksim square is home to more ‘Western’ style shops where, unfortunately, bartering isn’t usually accepted. None the less we managed to spend some liras. After a beautiful dinner at the classiest restaurant of the tour we returned to the Eresin Hotel. The hotel has a distinct smell in the lobby and it was like coming home again. Tomorrow we spend more time on the plane as we head off to Singapore. So wipe away your tears mothers, we’re past the halfway point and homeward bound.
-Bennett Harrison

NOTE FROM TRIC: as you can see, we will be in the air tomorrow night, so alas no blog update until Monday night at the earliest.