Finally figured out the mysterious sirens

The sirens that woke us up a few days ago (and scared the shit out of me and the other tourists) were to commemorate the 73rd anniversary of the death of the founder of the modern Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.  Mystery solved.

Dervish Dancers Mesmerizing

Our second night in Istanbul, we went to see the traditional whirling Dervish dancers at the Sirkeci train station.  Kind of a quirky venue.  The performance was totally not what I expected.  These 4 men (one of them quite hot) spun for a good 40 minutes straight!  They first spin with their arms around their shoulders and slowly raise up their arms in receiving position, to symbolize spiritual enlightenment.  Their heads uniformly tilted to their right and all spin at a very similar speed without opening their eyes.  They remain expressionless and "weightless" as they spin around the space in a possessed-like state.  As a dancer myself, I know how hard it is to to turns and spins without spotting (keeping your gaze on one location as your head spins); however, these men spun with their eyes CLOSED.  Not to mention that after they finish spinning, there's no noticeable change in their breathing pattern or facial expressions.  They all just simultaneously stop and can stand still.

There are a ton of these ceremonies and I hear they're all pretty much the same.  I would highly recommend going to one just because it's just mesmerizing to watch.

Of course, I had to try it out when I got back to my hotel.  And of course, I felt like I had to vomit while running into bed corners.  Not cute.

Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii)

Crossing off another touristy attraction is the Blue Mosque, where we had to remove out shoes and cover our head, shoulders and legs in order to enter.  Despite the potent feet smell, it was a sight to see people pray inside and then wash their feet at one of the portals outside.

Haghia Sophia

Another must-see attraction, Haghia Sophia is a huge Byzanine church now turned into a museum.  The lights really create a magical atmosphere.

Not sure what this says about their business

City alarm clock?

We were awoken this morning by a siren that was very similar to one of those bomb scare sirens you often hear in movies.  All the hotel patrons were panicking while the street sweepers just went on with their day, unaffected.  A city-wide alarm clock, perhaps?  Scary shit.

I was on the phone with Verizon last night trying to reconcile some of my roaming charges and FELL ASLEEP on the phone.  I woke up to my mom nudging me while I was cuddling a pillow on the floor with one hand and my cell phone in the other.  The saga still continues tonight but in the meantime, off to explore the touristy sites of Istanbul.

Turkish men are affectionate...with each other

If you know me, you know that I love observing dating, sex, relationships, and friendships.  I've discovered that Turkish men are quite affectionate with each other.  I don't see as many couples holding hands or canoodling, but I do see a lot of men with arms around each other and air kiss greeting each other.  In a purely platonic way.  The two men pictured below are linked arm-in-arm, and it's not an uncommon sight. 

I'm all for some male-on-male action, but I am curious as to why the affections aren't as emphasized with coed relationships.  I wonder if it has to do with the Islamic religion that dominates this country combined with the patriarchal society.  I know there has been a lot of gender modernization in this country in that last century, but it does not go without noticed that approximately 30% of the women are still covered.  Not something I'm used to seeing, but I do sense some gender changes similar to what went on (and has been going on) in China for the past decade. 

In the meantime, it's nice to find bromance taken to a whole new level!

$600 data overage charges = less immediate blogging

Bad news bears guys.  Verizon is being a douche and no longer offers unlimited global data plans.  I was just informed that my data overage charge is at around $600.  Um, no thanks.  So I've turned off my internet on my phone and will be blogging hopefully every night after I get back to my hotel.  Verizon: I hate you.

In other news, I am not near the earthquake that just hit today in Eastern Turkey.  Thank you all for your concern.  I can't believe they've been hit again just 2 weeks after the 7.2 earthquake.  Now we're trying to decide whether to make our way to Eastern Turkey or not...yikes.

Bipolar Turkey; must drink Turkish coffee

Straight off our flight, my mom and I hop on a cruise down the Bosphorous, the strait that runs through Istanbul linking Europe and Asia (btw, how cool is it to have a country that is part Asian part European, which also makes it an interesting cultural and political crossroads as being labeled "Eurasian."  My favorite history teacher - BL - how would you define Turkey?  I'm curious to know). 

As I can barely keep my eyes open, I head straight for the coffee stand to get some famous Turkish coffee.  Guess what?  I feel like I can fly.  That ish is definitely working.