Istanbul

When I took up the laptop here in Istanbul Airport it promised Free Public Internet, but we never got any useful signal. A well, can write off line.

So we came after 3 hours flight from Copenhagen, the plane should have left CPH 12:10, was maybe 20 minutes late for departure, then 3 hours to Istanbul, grey in CPH, warm and sunny here, had to take off the jeans shirt. Istanbul has Israel time, should tell the muslims that hehehe. So we leave here at 23:45 Israel time. Then we fly for 9½ hours and land in BKK in the morning.

Did I tell I am tired, but what the heck, my body is not for walking. Not anymore, sigh. It sure needs lots of gentle exercise in Thailand, that is a reason I go. I just find it hard to force myself to go out in Sweden, not worth the trouble. But in Thailand it is usually much more to see. And there I can AFFORD to sink down in a small restaurant with a cold Chang and look att the bypassers. And write something stupid about my speculations about the most strange ones. And Thailand is full of them, probably compared to most countries - an exception might be Cambodia thou I am not a specialist after only one one-month visit there. I sure met some strange ones, life there is more primitive, less polished than in Thailand, only the more daring tourists go there. Or groups come well guarded and surrounded with all kinds of protection and guards so they do not stray off but only see the standard tourist sites and not the poorest and most handicapped beggars.

My hands are too hairy or something - when I type it touches the press pad without my feeling it so the mouse jumps around without me telling it, sigh. When I am reasonably stationary I connect the trackball and tape something over the press pad, then it is easier. I do not have to hunt the mouse all the time and correct the mistakes it makes because of the mouse+fingers not the brain.

Istanbul Airport is as expensive as all airports, but the sellers here know people who pass, normally still feel the price of whatever that they purchase is sucha tiny part of the ticket pricer, so......   Yui just picked up a big 0.7liter mug of cool beer for me - tasted just perfect when I was hot (while taking off the jeans shirt) and tired and we found a table to settle for some hours at. She picked up an expensive Sushi, so it is mutual distrust of the taste of each other. Sushi for me is mainly cold expensive rice - thou it had been fun to one day taste what it really is, in Japan, where I have never been.

So the day started when it usually ends, around 04:30AM. I was good enough to get in bed at 9PM the evening before, ha. So it worked, I got up when the strange phone uttered some strange sounds, rather - I took out a little phone I bought on Samui 3½ years ago, and put the Swedish SIM card there, for use when I need that, then I will get a new Thai SIM card to the other, the old one has expired. The kind I also kan use for internet, a vable between the lap top and phone, as an alternative when there is no WiFi is arround, I did like that rather much when I was in Thailand last time, look a bit down in the blog. Anyway, succeeded in making it beep in time, thou the sound surprised me.

I had planned to use Yui's backpack as mine was broken, but - I do not know why it was much heavier than mine last time, how much was because my condition is so much worse after not walking much for a year or the bag being heavier - in principle it was the same content, laptop and medicines. A mystery. Anyway, it has small wheels so we got one more bag to drag and thanx God I have a young and strong wife. I take one and she take two bags to drag. I do not try hers as she has filled it with Swedish food to have a Swedish party in her village of the remains after half has melted or rotten away.

Won't be so much more dragging, once in Thailand we mostly can rely on others, Yui only has to do what she did now with no problem, up and down buses and trains. There an occasional taxi driver, Yui's brother a few times - he picks us up in Bkk after a taxi guy has taken us from the airport. At least that is the plan.

Waiting, but I do not suffer, 17:55 Swedish time meaning 18:55 local, and 22:30 we should be at the next gate. 3½ hrs more.

Comfortable temperature here, I just could not guess how much, good we have the termometer with us. It felt very warm outdoors when we came, and took the low bus from the plane to the waiting hall. Here some aircon, was hot in the beginning because I had walked long - for me -  and the temperature, but now just comfortable, not too cold as in some airports who think the more power they feed the aircons the better.

Wonder what people sit here - reasonably people in transit. Istanbul has become a  hub as they have expanded their international air fleet. We had Qatar as alternative when we looked at the cheapest .flights to Bangkok from Copenhagen. Strange that those two have become the cheapest lately, while air companies like SAS and other European ones only lose money. People with more money go Thai Airwats of course as they fly directly from Scandinavia to Bangkok, for a price. Except that they have budget trips in summer but only short ones, not 2-3-4 months. A pity.