The Orient Express used to end here.

Can't say much about Istanbul, yet. I am still getting my legs after a surprisingly long flight.
It's a city of dichotomies.
I met a Kurd who was a waiter that asked me about the difference between blacks and whites in America, connecting it to the struggle between the Turks and the Kurds.
He was very passionate about the Kurdish cause.
And I met a native Turkish man on the rooftop terrace of my hotel that lost two friends fighting Kurdish terrorism while in the army.
He hates the Kurds.
All in one day.
Istanbul is a city of paradox.

I have long held the belief, but it is now cemented in my experience, that there are five key components to getting to know a new place, to BEING THERE:
1)shower
2)nap/sleep
3)talking to a local
4)eating a meal
5)getting irrevocably lost, to the point that you feel afraid, walking down darkened streets with a sense that you will never find where you are going, but you do.

That's traveling.

More to come soon. I am so whacked out on jet lag that it feels like 7pm to me. Whoo-hoo. It's actually 2am. My brain is cross-wired. I hope to settle tomorrow.

I take no comfort in the fact that Robert is barreling across the ocean in an uncomfortable seat right now.

Tomorrow we meet our client from GE. And the Belly Dancer.

I will report back to all of you to the best of my ability.

Until then,

Your humble colleague,

Ben