Just pictures of my boy Ryan.

 

To my brother.

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 massive orbit. You were a "glue" guy in every sense of the phrase. 

 

You were the life of the party everywhere you went, and people were drawn to your super human magnetic personality. No matter what, if Ryan Macgowan was involved, it was going to be at the very least not boring. Right now the afterlife is LIT up there, of that I have no doubt. 

 

 

 

We went to Thailand together and we shared some pretty incredible memories out there. We talked about going back often and I now wish that our lives would have allowed us to do that. The full moon party, the trips to all the islands, the nights spent in paradise while we sipped on Singhas. I'll always hold those memories very close. 

  

 

As we grew up we got somewhat wiser and somewhat more mature. Going up north to work was a good thing for you and you started really hittin' the gym and working on yourself. You were looking more fit, more happy, and more present than you have in a while. I was so proud of my brother. 

 

 

Yup, you had some flaws (don't we all). Anyone who really knew you could see your true heart though. You were a walking calamity at times, and you certainly drove us nuts constantly, but you were a person that was always there when I needed you, and you would have never turned your back on the people you loved. And you were surely loved in return. 

 

 

There's so much to say about you, the mark you left on people was unerasable. You will leave a void in my heart and in the hearts of so many that knew you. Your flame will burn as long as the memory of you stays strong within those hearts, and luckily for us, you were unforgettable.  
 

I love you.  

Hostel World

Baby I've been here before
I've seen this room and I've walked this floor
I used to live alone before I knew you
I've seen your flag on the marble arch
But love is not a victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah 

 

Alright after the first night's wrong hotel debacle and the second night spent getting stung by a mosquito and listening to drunken Iranian dudes stumble around a shitty hostel dorm, I was ready for something a bit easier. 

So while I was awake all night at the hostel from hell, I did some research on a good social hostel to spend my next few nights. Looking at reviews on hostel world and google always tends to be an exercise in futility, they often have friends fill them out or pressure the good clients to leave the good reviews, so my strategy is to look at the bad reviews and figure out why they didn't like it. Sometimes you can tell if the client just wanted a fancy hotel and doesn't quite understand the whole hostel experience. Really I'm only in it for the social aspect, if the rooms are even serviceable I'm cool with it. 

Found one that had a cool looking lounge and offered beer pong, kareoke and pub crawls. Got three nights and took the train to the "old city," where the Cheers Lighthouse hostel lay hidden among a sea of boutique hotels and little bars and restaurants. 

Walking to find this place from the train brought me right through the historic district of Sultanahmet. Getting lost in this area is unreal. Every single step you take is steeped in the past, and you can feel the pulse of the souls that walked the steps before you. 

The train system in Istanbul puts Calgary to shame.

Fishermen off the bridge always

A pedestrian picture of a pedestrian park. 

 

I arrived in the Hostel where I met the bartender, who was from Paris originally, and the event planner from Albania originally. I dumped my bags in my room and went out for the day. I was finally ready to start my trip. 

A view of the Bosphorus shipyard from the balcony. 

 

Home for about 5 days.

 

 

 

 Man, you meet some of the coolest people in these types of hostels. The week I was staying I felt like I hit the jackpot. We had Indonesians, Dutch, Egyptians, Americans, a crazy Irish dude, Italians, Spanish, Colombian, and Brazilians. 

 

I did the pub crawl one night, that was pretty wild. I have my comments about the drinking and "clubbing" culture that I will save for another post. 

 

We had a belly dancer in one night. That was also interesting. Had an awesome time. The beer was too expensive though but that's Istanbul in general I think, stupid government.