resting in Istanbul
After the excitement of southern Ethiopia, and in anticipation of another couple of organised tours in October and November, I'm now 'resting' in Turkey. Reminding myself that I'm not really on a 365-day-a-year holiday, but rather taking a more mobile approach to retirement. & as such, I don't need to be seeing a new 'sight' every single day. Still unsure about my ability to finance this (due to the holiday elements), I'm economising as much as I can during the 'resting' elements. Which means that I'm staying at the cheapest hostel I could find in Istanbul - £240 for a month including a very basic breakfast (bread with tomato and feta cheese, with tea) - and so living in a dorm with ten other people with whom I also share a bathroom. There is no kitchen and no socialising area, and the people sharing my dorm - nearly all men since I've been here - are generally not very friendly. There have been Russians, a Colombian, a Kazahksta...