ELEVENEVELE 11:11

Everywhere you go there is a scam. Istanbul is the only predominantly Muslim country I have visited but maybe they are all like this. I met four kind-hearted Turkish people in the 14 days I was there. Everyone else had the singular goal of separating you from money as expediently as possible.  Like I've said before, it was still fun. And once they see around you a couple times they stop trying so hard. But those first few days it gets annoying fast.  When you really think about it, this system of scams is probably preferable to the North American setup anyways. At least anyone with half a brain can avoid the obviousness of some guy shining your shoes without permission or a street barker yelling at you to look at their shitty rugs. There is no organization to the scam, it's just the way they do business and you can say no and go to the next business that is cheaper. It's how pure capitalism is supposed to work in theory.  Instead we get organized scams on a systemic level...

Life is what happens while you make plans to enjoy it. There are so many unique people on this earth, that something utterly fascinating is happening everywhere you look. This is by no means different when travelling. Actually it probably increases the chance of seeing some wild stuff exponentially.    The Irish traveller who was in town for one night (originally) was no exception.  I do have some pictures of this lad that I won't be posting, although this blog is mostly just for me these days (nobody has really read this since I went to Thailand), it's still on the internet and I'm about to tell a less-than-flattering story about the poor guy. Yes, he deserves some ridicule and yes, it's a hilarious story, but no, he doesn't deserve to have his personal information online in any capacity.  Here we go...  I was settling into my 4th or 5th night at the Hostel. This night (the hostel staff tried to do something "special" which cost extra money) was special. ...

  You put the word "death" in anything and people think you are being dramatic about shit. Don't get me wrong, it's plenty dramatic. I just don't understand how everyone else thinks it's not going to happen to them. It could happen in 50 years or tomorrow but it's going to happen. When you are surrounded by death and pain for 5ish years, you tend to get used to the topic.  Anyways the number one rule regarding my death, do not let anyone at Swigs pub and grill do any type of service or wake for me. For the love of all things holy. Don't let anyone who works there, frequents there or has done a rail of 20% low test off the back of the toilets in there be anywhere around my sorry remains. Those death merchants are worse than Mcinnis and Holloway, without the actual services. They just want to pack the place and reap the rewards. Not that I could pack the place anymore, they have certainly made sure of that. In fact, if I die tomorrow it's at least 50...

  You say I took the name in vain I don't even know the name But if I did, well, really, what's it to you? There's a blaze of light in every word It doesn't matter which you heard The holy or the broken Hallelujah   When I am in a foreign place, it's always incredibly important to first: observe the customs, and be aware of my surroundings at all times. I think it's important to carry an understanding that people all over the world are struggling to make ends meet, and that in a tourist centred economy, there will be some bad actors that try to game the system in their favour. Istanbul with it's intensely capitalist market economy is certainly no exception to this.  It became apparent (especially as I got into the heavy tourist trap areas) that every man in Turkey is a salesman, and they do not take a day off. They see the lack of melanin in my skin combined with the sightseer outfit (hat, shades, bag in front of body), and probably don't even see me as ...

 

Just last week we had a video chat while I was in Istanbul, and I couldn't have been more proud of the guy on the other end of the call. You were back in the gym, working at a new spot, and you sounded  happy . Happiest I had heard you in a while actually. We kinda kept it brief and said "I love you" as a goodbye and then hung up. The whole conversation was less than 10 minutes.  I was so proud of my friend, of my brother, of my partner in crime and mayhem at many different junctions of our lives.  Man, you sure knew how to piss me off sometimes though. You must've been my brother because we have had some drag out brawls over the years. It was always from a place of love and friendship (we were just both stubborn personalities), but we both knew exactly how to get the other going.    We also had some insanely fun times, some of the best memories in my life involve you and your crazy brand of fun that was absolutely infectious and brought everyone into your massi...