I’m still in the middle of writing part 2 to my last post, which will be the cons of life on the road. And despite my saying that I want to stop traveling, we’re two weeks into the year and I’ve found myself spontaneously in Turkiye. (When I say I want to stop traveling I just mean without having a base to return to).

I am meant to be flying back to the US next week and have been really looking forward to a change in weather and scenery. So when my friend flew to Türkiye and then invited me to join her, even just for a few days before my flight, it was very difficult to say no—especially when I looked up the flight prices. So here I am writing to you from Istanbul, a city that has surprised me. (Although unfortunately I haven’t found good weather here either.)

I think a part of the surprise may be from a lack of expectations and no long-time-desire to come to this place in particular, but I found myself really enjoying it so far. It is my first solo trip in more than two years and I’m sure that’s also a part the reason I feel so invigorated. Because, yes. No matter how great my relationship is, I’m always going to love my alone time. Plus, I hate to say it but I’ve noticed that trips go very differently when you’re travelling with someone else. In particular, I think it makes it more difficult to socialise and make friends and people don’t look out for you as much because you aren’t on your own. I recognise that this is probably just my experience as a woman, but feeling safe doesn’t always come with people being friendly, especially men, and I have to say that I have felt very safe in Istanbul. Lastly, since this is coming on the tail end of one of the worst trip experiences I’ve had (Egypt), one could also posit that anywhere would’ve been a breath of fresh air after.  

Yet still, I think it’s all of that. But also something more. 

Istanbul immediately passed the vibe check, which for me has always been an instinctual feeling upon arriving at an airport. On top of that, as I mentioned above, it also passes the solo female traveller check, which is of course even bigger. That’s not to say I expected any different but thinking of the Persians as some of the original hustlers and tradesmen it wouldn’t be far-fetched to imagine that haggling could be at an all-time high. On the contrary, everyone left me alone. I did quite a bit of walking on both the Anatolian side and the European side and both of them felt perfectly comfortable for me in the day and in the night. Yes, there are two different sides of influence that are quite distinct and just across the river from one another—and on the map they’re actually called that. It’s not the kind of distinct that feels segregated or xenophobic, but a kind that displays a rich history in amalgamation and culture. 

Aside from the obvious huge influence of Islam, which is seen in the many mosques scattered around the city, there are also Ottoman Empire ruins and palaces that I certainly don’t have enough time to see. I also visited the bazaar and even there no one bothered me. I still tried to not show much interest by looking at things as I was walking by but no one was shouting at me to come into their shop. I had an amazing freshly squeezed orange juice and a few vegan Turkish dishes and delights that definitely tickled my tastebuds. I took local buses, Metro buses, trams, trains, taxes, and walked around pleasantly and slowly observing the beautifully lined streets weaving to and fro from Riverbank to Hilltop and everywhere in between. I saw all the people who went there for cosmetic surgery unabashedly walking around everywhere with their bandages and bruises. I made a mosaic lamp from broken pieces of glass. I spent some quality time with my friend of over 15 years. I even got some investment jewelry that I am obsessed with to replace the ones from Egypt that I lost. 

Can I talk about that for a minute? 

I don’t take it lightly that less than one week after returning to London my jewelry from Egypt with its ancient hieroglyphic symbol representing the key of life and eternity magically disappeared from the zip part of my jacket one night. It was custom-made and required some logistical planning between Aswan and Cairo and it was meant to be a brother and sister piece to bring us both good luck. Having said that, I find it very interesting that this happened the way it happened, especially considering the type of trip I had and the way I felt about Egypt as a country. It’s almost as if it magically disappeared because I’m not meant to have it due to some lack of alignment between Egypt and I. Call it what you want, but losing a good luck talisman in a mysterious way is highly suspicious. Far whatever reason, mama said nope. 

And it took me a long time to accept that. Both the loss and the symbolism. 

This trip has helped tremendously. 

As it turns out, I don’t hate the world after all. 

See you in Miami.