Istanbul will be the last stop for Brian, Nick and I.. for now. We passed the one-year mark last September, somewhat unceremoniously, after having lost Matt, Jed, a cast member that is never to be, and our two good friends, Kevin and Bryan, who were the legs beneath us behind the scenes.

All of these losses were due to factors like burnout, injury, and financial strain– simply the accumulation of our daily lives– and though we could see some of them coming, the losses were devastating. This is the secret behind the curtain, which we’ve struggled with silently for months, the reason behind the blips, errors, bugs and lack of episodes.

It’s been this way since in our last month in Seoul, Season 3, when Brian did what Brian does best– he had an idea. We’d been proud to bring Nick out, and despite his limited appearance in the episodes, he added a great deal the footage we have through the end of our time there. We were expecting Jen, and even a sixth cast member, so Brian’s proposal was to mostly pull out the layer of production overhead we grappled with daily, and allow them to tell their own stories, take their own videos and edit them afterwards. That’s what you’ve seen on this blog, unfolding over the past few months. You’ve also been introduced to three new faces: Kris, Serene, and Laurene.

So what about Brian, Nick and I?

Well this mode of storytelling is new to us, and so we need to pull ourselves out of the chaos, insanity, and instability that comes when you pack up all your stuff and leave home every 90 days. We’re still here, and we still plan to be out on the road again, but for now, we’re going home.

For each of us, home means something different, but for me, I will be traveling from Istanbul to Paris, Paris to Normandy, and then Normandy to Santa Fe, New Mexico. I will share a few stories of the trip over the week, but you will see me less and less, as we focus on developing our new content model, and building Jet Set Zero into a global network.

Don’t forget, you can always send me a note, ask me a question, or pose a suggestion, by emailing me at rob –at– jetsetzero.tv

Thanks, and you’ll see me again soon.

More than a few times I heard someone around me say “I can’t wait to leave Istanbul for somewhere else – anywhere else”. I figured that eventually I would reach this point as well, but it never happened. I suspect that it was a combination of not being there all that long (1 month total) and having expectations that it was going to be much tougher travelling than it was. I was pleasantly surprised. The only thing that made me long for a change of scenery was the weather, which had started to morph into Canada-like wind and rain and cold. Other than that, I was totally digging Turkey. I loved the food, the sites, and the people. My only real complaint was with some of the Turkish men that I met…my apologies, but some of you need to chill out. Too much intensity and aggressiveness, and not for me. Maybe for some (you know who you are, Jet Set Ladies…)

And of course, everything costs more because you are in EUROPE. I’m not sure why myself and a lot of other people consistently arrive here thinking it’s going to be cheaper than it turns out to be. You can get whatever you want…but you’re going to pay for it.

I put together a quick video with a summary of my fave moments and some funny moments (and potentially embarrassing ones – sorry Rob and Brian)…enjoy!

My one month love affair with Turkey has come to an end. I have to say, I honestly loved the place. Now maybe I wasn’t given enough time to get over what Jen once called the “honeymooner phase”, but I’m pretty sure that later in life I’d like to visit Turkey again. For me, the most important thing in any place comes down to the people I’ve met, and I was pretty lucky to meet some pretty amazing people.

Goodbye Oh Beloved sweet ass balcony.

October 29th is Republic Day, the day that Turkey officially became a republic and is taken about as seriously as I’ve ever seen a holiday taken.  The entire city is draped in skyscraper sized flags, and the Bosporus lights up with the largest fireworks show I’ve ever seen.  The banks of the straight were lined with people watching, but we got to just head up to the room.  Just an amazing way to end our time here.

Have you ever sat down and looked at the series of events leading up to your current situation and wonder “How the hell did point A lead to point Z?”  Well, the other afternoon, I sat down and figured out that I am currently living in Istanbul because of a class I took at Los Angeles City College at the end of last year.  Here’s how:

I took a few classes at the local community college in the fall semester of ’08.  One of them was Art History from the Ancient Near Eastern to the Gothic period, and coincidentally my favorite architectural piece was the Hagia Sophia.  Also at the end of last year, I promised myself I was going to travel, I didn’t know where but I was finally going to Europe at the ripe ol’ age of 24.   I decided on Istanbul because of my strange infatuation with the Hagia Sophia, Paris because I love food, and London to go see my lovely little sister, but then even more good news!  I spoke to my friend Rob for a quick second and his show was going to be in Istanbul.   Sweet, now I have a place to stay.  Last step involved coming to Istanbul and as you all know the rest is history…

So thank you Professor Blackwell, for unknowingly playing a huge part in me now living in Turkey.  Who could have guessed?

My daydreamin' all started with a picture that looked something like this. Except this picture is way cooler because I actually took it...

I was wandering near the Grand Bazaar the other day when I heard shouting and commotion.  Naturally, I walked over to investigate.  There were a group of men standing next to a gold shop, yelling at each other and no one all at the same time and throwing their hands up in gestures that I did not understand.  When I asked the man in the video what was going on, he said that gold was going for 33,820 TRL a kilogram, when the market price was 34,000 TRL a kilogram (approx $23,400 US).

This seemed to be creating a kind of buying frenzy, and just like the stock market at home, I had absolutely no clue what was happening.  But it was pretty entertaining to see it go down on the street.

It’s no secret that I love to eat.  One of my favourite things about travelling is getting the chance to sample another country’s cuisine.  Istanbul has not disappointed me.  Turkish fare has a reputation for being irresistible, but one must see it (and smell it and taste it) to believe it.

I’ve sampled everything from back-alley street food to a full mezze dinner at an upper-end restaurant.  I honestly haven’t tried anything I haven’t liked yet.   Though I did see Sheep Lung Kebap on a menu but was too grossed out to try it.  Here is a photo spread of the delicacies to date:

One of my first meals in Istanbul. These boats moor right next to the Galata bridge and serve fresh fried fish sandwiches.

Dried fruit and nuts at the market.

The sample tray for a typical mezze dinner. Small portions similar to tapas and served with raki.

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One of my first things I did in Istanbul was visit Topkapi Palace.  This is the place where the Ottoman Sultans lived from 1465 to 1853, after which they moved to Dolmabahçe Palace, which at the time was considered more stylish and opulent (which is hard to imagine after seeing the lavishness of Topkapi).  At its peak, Topkapi Palace was home to over 4000 people.  Residents rarely had to venture out as the palace was essentially a city within a city, housing a hospital, schools, mosques, horse stables, libraries, a mint, a treasury, giant kitchens to feed its inhabitants, and even a Circumcision Room for the young princes (a Muslim rite of passage).  There was also the infamous Harem, where along with the Sultan’s mother, wives and children lived his concubines – up to 800 at any given time.  Today the palace contains holy Muslim relics, examples of Ottoman arms, portraits of the Sultans and Ottoman art, some amazing tilework and a collection of jewels, heirlooms and spoils of war that made me wish I had been born into a royal family.  It seemed everything was gold and encrusted with emeralds, rubies, and pearls.  They really knew how to live back then.

The imposing front gates of the Palace.

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