( CLASS ON TAP )

Tulip'ed visions of the Blue Mosque

Main gate entrance to the Blue Mosque

Central Dome; Blue Mosque

Medusa; 21 of 336 marble columns

Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia interior, pardon the refurbishing structure

Minbar; a sermon deliverance structure

Panorama; Blue Mosque/Hagia Sophia

Topkapı Palace; looking southeast, northeast, north and west

Tulip time; Topkapi

Lounge Library

Flying Chefs serving; dessert; cheese and fruits; assorted canapé; lamb chops

Thankfully I departed the chaotic Egyptian hub of Cairo without any major altercations. The staff at CAI gave me the run around (literally) quite a few times. I will spare you the details. The quick jaunt over to Istanbul was accompanied by a delightful meal served by a Turkish Air in flying chef. On arrival I strolled over to the Turkish Lounge to organize the airline sponsored tour of Istanbul. I was not aware that the timing of my arrival and departure flights did not meet the minimum requirements for the “Istanbul in Hours” tour. This forced me to spend a solid 2 hours with a ground agent changing my departure flight to make the tour to happen.

After purchasing a visa and clearing immigration I was hit by beauty and weather that far exceeded expectations. The sites visited were in an extremely confined area, the Sarayburnu or “historical district,” so we arrived by van and walked around and between the individual attractions for 7 hours then cruised alongside the Miramar Sea back to IST.

The tour was headed off by a “traditional” Turkish breakfast sited with the original walls of Byzantanium.  This traditional breakfast consisted of tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, cold meat?, cheese, bread and a hard boiled egg. Needless to say it was as flavorless as it comes across in this text. Following this Denny’s grand slam-esque breakfast we spent time at the “Blue Mosque.” Proper name; Sultan Ahmed Mosque as it was constructed during Ahmed I’s rule between the years 1609-1616. The sultan’s plan to top the neighboring Hagia Sophia (discussed later) were not fulfilled. The dome size when finally completed (1000 years after Hagia Sophia) is smaller and required support pillars which handicap the architectural prowess of the structure.  The mosque is still used for Islamic prayer five times daily. The chants for Allah are thundering. Almost frightening if not aware of the purpose.

Next stop; Basilica Cistern. An underground “box” created to retain water for the city. This is the largest and most prestigious of the hundreds beneath the city. Supported by 336 marble columns. Two columns have Medusa sculpted head as the base. The cistern still has touch of water, enough for fish to still live in, but only used for a tourist attraction.

The rivaling Hagia Sophia originally built as an Othodox church then converted to a mosque in 1453 when Sultan Mehmed overtook the city and fortified the Ottoman Empire, now serves as a museum. It holds collections of original holy relics from Christ and Islam. The overall architecture doesn’t have the zeal of the Blue Mosque but the central dome is far superior.

To conclude the tour of Sarayburnu we visited  the pinnacle of the promontory. Here sits the Topkapı Palace. Residence of the Sultans during the Ottoman Empire’s power centuries. Situated between the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus Straight the palace looks over the remainder of the city in all directions. I sat stationary at an overlook for nearly an hour observing the city, port and the terrain which created the strongest civilization in history. I held my breath for an hour.

Back at Atatürk International Airport where Turkish Air’s flagship lounge is located, I spent the remaining hours of my layover utilizing its exuberant amenities. I dabbled in the library’s collection of historical accounts pertaining to Istanbul. Knocked some balls in on the billiards table. In short order, stopped in for a movie at the theatre, and continued on for more. I rummaged through the near endless options for nourishment. Three kitchens serving eats of wide variety. Pastry stations, coffee/tea lounge, self serve hard liqour bar, vitamin/fruit stand and the list goes on. I sampled, but restrained myself from digging in. Before departure I refreshed with a quick neck/shoulder massage and a nice shower.

IST>JFK would be the premier flight of my 8 connections from Bali back home. Again on a 777w seat 1A. Just after takeoff the meal service presented by two “flying chefs” began and lasted for nearly 2 hours. After indulging in the assorted canapés, potato leek soup, lamb chops, cheese/fruit platter with a glass of red from Argentina and a few desserts (chocolate soufflé, marinated berries and coconut ice cream) I hit that flat bed like Rip Van Winkle and missed the other meals as he did the American Revolution. The 11 hour flight passed by far too quickly. When riding up front it feels as your desire for the plane to keep flying is more important than reaching the planned destination. The level of service, comfort and cuisine is all in a category I have never experienced.

Forever jaded my future air-travels will be.

Photo courtesy of Matt Beacham.

Touring

Entering the chamber beneath the tomb

Hundreds of towers such as these stood over the desert floor

Standing upon the base: Pyramid of Khufu

City of the Dead: Egyptian Cemetery

The Great Nile: Looking north towards Cairo and onwards to the Mediterranean

From Singapore I had a 30 minute flight to Kuala Lumpur on Singapore Air. Spent 1 hour in KUL then boarded Egypt Air’s 777 bird to Cairo. I utilized the lay flat bed function of this seat as the exhaustion from being awake and excited for over 36 hours was beginning to take its toll. On board I questioned the egyptian flight crew about checking out Cairo during my 15 hour layover. All 5 crew members I questioned were absolutely sure that I should not leave the airport due to violent outbreaks the current revolution has caused.

Upon arrival I inquired more about the current situation and decided I should not heed caution, but capitalize on the opportunity to experience the place I made plans to see. I was a bit timid after embarking on the tour I set up on arrival. No others took part. The driver, the guide, the vehicle and myself. I became more comfortable throughout the 6 hour adventure and was satisfied with the decision that was made.

To reach the Great Pyramids of Giza required crossing the Great Nile River. In my eyes it wasn’t so “great,” at least from my vantage point it wasn’t. The craziest part of the Nile in my experience was the plush greenness that spread 2 kilometers on either side of  the river.  Then abruptly it turns to a dusty, sandy, barren desert, which is known as the Sahara. The pyramids, (that I visited) on the other hand were great. The Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure all towered above the modern living structures that stood in front of them en route to their site. After learning about these great structures I made a whopping 30 second (I regret this; I am stupid) stop by the Sphinx to snap a photo and continued to the area of Tahrir square. Location of the Egyptian Musuem; also location of current protest and violent outbreaks fueled by the revolution. Approaching the area I notice large high rise structures that had been set ablaze and spray painted statements in english damning the current leader. Luckily we made it to the museum without any problems and the guide walked and talked me through King Tut’s treasures and other artifacts until it was time to depart.

The area of Egypt I visited was extremely dry. The traffic is terrible and pedestrians scurry across 12 lanes of traffic frequently.  The pyramid scheme is also used to stack fruits and vegetables that are of a spherical shape. I really enjoyed the experience. Highly recommended.

Marina Bay Sands and Merlion fountain

The cabin on the 777 from Bangkok to Singapore was refitted just days prior.  Featuring direct aisle access to each fully flat seat with popping aesthetics. Arriving in Singapore I went for a guided tour provided by the airline. A quick jaunt to the downtown area in a tour bus to see the sterile streets, towered by skyscrapers with brutalist architecture. The guide informed us of the bustling port, reclaiming land, the population per capita and facts of the similar essence. Although I wasn’t in direct view of the port I saw the ~1000 ships that are bunkering in Singaporean waters, waiting on paperwork to complete or a change of crew. On the drive from the airport to the downtown you can feel the efficiency of living. The land mass isn’t large enough to support the population of over 5 million inhabitants without everyone being forced into high rise apartments. These apartments are outrageously expensive and have the personality of a rock. All of these rocks lining the freeway all looked the same in my book.  The eye catcher of them all had to be the Marina Bay Sands Resort. An 8 billion dollar resort/casino that consist of three towers connected by a ship like structure sitting atop of them all in an unsymmetrical fashion. In summation, I will say Singapore is clearly the least interesting of the 4 brief stops that were made.

Glow in the Dark Buddhist Temple

Foreground: Market <> Background: Sex ETC.

Knees down in the "turf" in front of a Shrine

Embarking on the journey home, (from Denpasar I boarded Thai Airways to Bangkok). As it was my first time flying in a premium class long haul cabin I was amped for the 4 hour ride north.

Upon arriving I took a 30 minute air train ride into Bangkok to catch a glimpse of the city. Moments after exiting the train the “tuk tuk” and taxi drivers hit me like a pack of wolves who wanted to take me to the infomaous sex shows of the city. They saw fresh meat and wanted to separate me from the “baht” I had (Thailand dollar) any way they could; whether it was an outrageous price to tour the city, a viewing of the sex shows, massages or to shop at the bustling markets Bangkok is known for.

At one point I had to ditch a driver as he was driving me around in circles attempting to run up the taxi fare.  I visited the hectic market, night club and sex trading area of Pat Pong. I was blown away by how up front and pressing they are to promote prostitution (male or female servicing). The second taxi driver I chose, who supplemented the boredom of his night shift with a couple hits of the drug we know as “ice” took me to the Wat Pho (massive Buddhist temple) and then through a few less interesting districts and back to the airport.  Interesting blurb: billboards on the freeway around Bangkok are close to the size of American football fields.  The six hours of sweaty exploring in “the city that never sleeps” had me drained (“ice” would have set me straight but I forfeited the opportunity). Back at the airport I headed to the Royal Orchid Spa. Complimentary spa services provided by Thai Airways for premium passengers. Then hit the slumber area of the Royal Orchid lounge for a quick sleep prior to the hop over to Singapore.

“Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds” – Franklin Roosevelt

I went around the world. The longitudinal circumference of it in a vague sense. With some intermittent north/south travel thrown in as well.  Starting in North Carolina to Puerto Rico then onwards to California, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Egypt, Turkey and back to Virginia.

Typical routing from south east Asia to the USA is done over the Pacific Ocean. After injuring my calf muscle surfing in Bali, I had over 2 weeks of out of water recovery. During this time I did some heavy research on airline routing which led to the eventual booking of a first/business class ticket back home from Indonesia. The return home forfeited going over the Pacific. It would cover 4 continents, 5 days and allow me to stop and sample the metropolitan areas of Bangkok, Singapore, Cairo and Istanbul. Following this excerpt is a documented account at each city in my  ’Round the World series. Stay tuned.

I have just arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, spending most of my 12 hr layover in the city. Above are the Petronas Towers, one of the most distinct landmarks in Southeast Asia.

Michael, Knox, Conner and Michael pictured (L to R) won the Oakley Surf Shop Challenge Mid Atlantic event for Sweetwater Surf Shop. They will head to Bali in June to compete against six other surf shops from the USA for the National Title.

A clean, custom built cafe racer I stumbled upon in Canggu, Bali. Simple design. Vintage look.