Istanbul

It's almost funny how we can start relationships and sometimes put them on the shelf but depending on the type of person you are, they always have the potential to come back around full circle.

One of the many attractive things about my job in the desert is the extensive vacation time allowed each year and the accessibility to interesting places I wouldn't even factor if I still lived in the States.

I predicted that after about five months here, I would need to step out for a week and I was very right in that assumption. The timing also worked out well for Miranda, who, after an exhaustive and arduous employment battle, was scheduled to start work at the Fairmont Hotel two days after we returned. So congrats to that beautiful lady.

Istanbul is where European and Middle Eastern cultures collide head on. Everywhere I looked, it was an interesting blend of compromise, beauty and jaw-dropping history.

A big reason why we picked Istanbul was because we knew a few good people there.

Kim traveled through Asia with Miranda during and after college and Kim has lived in Istanbul for the last three years. Brycen, who has also lived there for the last three years or so, played on my soccer team years before we entered high school and we even graduated from the same college together but at different times.

So Miranda had not seen Kim for nine years while Brycen and I had not hung out for almost a decade. But here we are; parading through this eclectic city. Hiking, drinking, dancing -- just living life. Such good people. It almost makes my heart explode.

Side note: In the days before this trip, I was excited to introduce some cool expats to one another as I thought it was the least I could do before throwing my innocent tourist appetite into their clutches. But, of course, in a city of 20 million, I found out on the first night that they already knew each other. Go figure.

Just about every person I met in Istanbul was genuine. The lovely nature people exuded could be felt in all directions. That's why it really struck a chord in me when I saw the first reports of the police clearing out Taksim Square.

On Friday, we were supposed to leave for the airport from Taksim Square -- the apartment we stayed at was a few blocks from there -- but since we were running a little late, we scooped up a taxi. Little did we know, it was the exact time the Turkish police brought the hammer down on a peaceful protest over the preservation of a nearby park.



Because of the severe overreaction from police with tear gas, water hoses and rubber bullets, the wonderful people that we were surrounded by in the days before have naturally started to fight back. It appears several questionable decisions by the Turkish government have fueled this fight and it doesn't look it's going to go away anytime soon.

The police brutality I saw on TV reports right after we landed at the Abu Dhabi airport compared to the serenity I experienced while walking around that fair city are on extreme opposite sides of the spectrum.

Of course, this has pinched a personal nerve for me with consideration I was just there. Our Istanbul friends, Kim and Brycen, are both OK and have not taken part in the protests. But I do believe in the cause.

Keep up the good fight, Istanbul.

Change is on the horizon. Keep on rocking in the free world.