March 2, Day 6, Istanbul

We slept in and caught up on various things in the morning, then headed straight to the airport and spent several more hours catching up, canceling internal flights in the Middle East, and so on. We didn’t end up spending much cash in Saudi Arabia — everywhere, everyone takes credit cards and Apple Pay. So I went shopping in a duty-free zone — must say, the selection is limited. As for local items, they are pretty simple and mostly various types of dates, which we’ve already tried.

I went to the exchange office and asked for coins before exchanging the rest. The team there was really helpful. You can hardly get any change anywhere, and they were awesome at helping us get some.

Then we went to board our plane. It was a bit of a mess with two gates, one for business class and one for everyone else — and people trying to crowd both without much of a line. Then a scary moment: all the airport gates started blaring evacuation alerts. Very disconcerting, and the staff didn’t seem to know what to do. The emergency exits are supposed to open so people can get to the lower ground. Dan approached our gate agent and asked him to open the door so we could evacuate, but the agent just looked lost. Fortunately, after a few minutes, the alarms stopped. It was pretty unnerving; you could tell people were shaken.

After the delay, we boarded and got on the flight. Most people around us were watching the plane’s route rather than movies or anything else. Dan, instead, was worried the plane was too old — it even had the plug for wired headphones in the seats and a round plug with many holes that looked ancient.

We flew up the Red Sea, then veered East toward Cairo, and continued North straight to Istanbul. It was a bit tense. But then we arrived, and it felt so good to be here :).

There is no Uber here, and airport taxis have plenty of gimmicks to make it worth their while: forgetting to turn on the meter, then charging extra tunnel fees, conversion fees, and commissions. Dan was preparing, and it went exactly as suggested. But finally, we made it.

After checking in, we went up to Taksim Square. So many people, on a Monday night,  everywhere. People dressed in all kinds of clothing, everything lit up, tons of different foods and sweets, beautiful displays, and artful desserts. So much energy. So great to be here. And a ton of Russian speakers. Also, a very heavy police presence — armored trucks with camo-clad personnel, police cars, and officers walking the streets. They are worried about terrorist activity, so security is up everywhere.

We went to Hasan Ustam Barbecue for dinner. So excited to have beer again :) Hasan, the high priest of the grill, worked his magic for over an hour, feeding us tidbits in the meanwhile: soup, French fries, salad. By the time the main event arrived, we were already at capacity. Still, he continued, serving hot grilled peppers individually to go with the meats that came with their own salads, then tea, then sliced oranges, and taking pictures of guests getting close to the bursting point. It was an experience.

We are so happy to be here. Such a contrast. Wondering how that region will continue evolving; difficult times ahead.

On to more adventures.