my complicated life

am taking a trip by myself... that is, without lance. in a way, i am excited about it because it will give me a chance to take my mind off things. however, i am that too happy when the people i am supposed to be with weren't complete. kat and berna were not able to make it. =( berna encountered a visa problem while kat is in amidst of a family problem. only me, eys and jerrold was able to board our 11AM flight that turned out to be 12:30 AM.

we boarded via the Saga Airlines, a chartered plane. it wasn't too bad. the food was edible. they served us pasta with white sauce. the plane was a bit warm but the temperature improved when it got settled on air. it took us 4 1/2 hours to reach Istanbul. we were fetched by the Fly Express representatives who was friendly and helpful as she can be.

Istanbul was around 17 deg C at that time. we got stuck on a traffic on our way to our hotel in Taksim area. grabe, i lost track of time sa sobrang tagal! sobrang gutom, sobrang pagod. it was drizzling at the same time. Istanbul as a city is a bit crowded. parang Manila lang with all those penthouses with chimneys. =)

we reached the hotel after 10 years, i guess. hahaha. anyway, we were not disappointed as opposed to the online reviews on Golden Age Hotel. it was not that golden but it was not that bad, as well. okay lang, we get what we paid for. clean enough. the beds were done nicely but there was no coffee or tea-making utensils inside the room and no welcome fruits or wine (hihi. ambisyosa!), too.  the good plus were hot water, a hair dryer and a TV are all available. hmm.. it wasn't 4-stars in my standards but it wasn't 2-stars either. i will give it 3-stars. oh, there was no A/C nga pala, but a heater for the room is available. good thing, it's winter so we just open the windows to let the cool air in.

we rested for around 30 minutes, did some unpacking and of we go and explored the nearby establishments. we had our first taste of Turkish cuisine in a small restaurant.

----- to be continued ----