I really don't think you'd like the weather here in Istanbul. I arrived at 5am this morning when the temerature was 2c. It isn't much more now. I can't imagine you wanting to walk on really icy cold pavements after being used to so much warmth. Because everything looked closed, I went to an outdoor 24 hour cafe near the Blue Mosque and my hotel to drink coffee and wait til day broke. I appreciated the heat of the coffee in my hands as much as drinking it. I also felt warmed by the mu'azzin call to prayer when it reverberated around the area. Amazingly, a fair amount of traffic passed through the cafe while I was there - quite an international scene, in fact.
My last day in Hanoi was also a bit on the gloomy side but I had planned a major pampering session at the Sen Spa - a slighlty more up-market massage place dow a side street near the church and the lake. The weather didn't matter for that. I am so glad that I did this. My flight on Turkish airlines was almost unbearable - not because of anything that the airline failed in. It was the oversized oaf that occupied the seat next to me, he took up his space and a goodly percentage of mine ass well. He grunted periodically and farted repeatedly throughout the night flight. The net result - sleep ZERO - annoyance 100%. My 25 hour bus trip to Chang Rai was bliss by comparison.
I watched a wonderful inflight movie about a Pakistani boy from Bury Park, Luton who was obsessed with The Boss! and loved writing. My only critiicism was that the scenes of Luton were cut to make it look as if you could walk to Stockwood Park from the Arndale in a matter of minutes. Luton looked quite nice! Really, it did! A great movie and also a good immersion into the best and worst of being British.
Now the miles between us, Marms, are unimaginable and I am staying in a place that is steeped in layers of so much history that I can't wait to explore. If this was Singapore, it would be ripe for redevelopment. There are even some Roman ruins close by that block the pavement - such inconvenience. These Romans had no idea the future problems their constructions would cause, obviously.
Long, long distance hugs and kisses over the airwaves..
Love you,
A
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