Goodbye Istanbul, Hello Athens...

Well, I'm back to blogging, finally.  I left Istanbul this morning for Athens, Greece.   All the time I was in Turkey, I was not able to access my blog because Blogger was blocked for all internet user in Turkey.  It will take some time for me to upload pictures from Istanbul and my tour of Turkey.  Please be patient...

My first impression of Turkey was not good.  I had just left sunny, warm South Africa and had spent most of the last month in T-shirts, shorts and sandals.  I flew into Istanbul just as a blizzard was hitting.  I arrived at the Attaturk Airport and patted myself on the back because I had made it through to Turkey, got my Tourist visa and had my bags.  Amazingly, the hotel had sent a driver to pick me up and he was standing just outside of Customs with my name on a sign. Yahoo!

I tell him to wait a few minutes while I go to an ATM to get some cash to pay him.  I walk up the the nearest TEB (Turkey Economic Bank) ATM and the machine eats my card!  Now I'm paranoid and afraid to try another card for fear it will also be eaten.  I make a note of the time, date, location of the ATM and when I get to the hotel I hop on Skype and call the 1-800 number for the Matador Credit Union and tell them that the machine ate my card.  At their recommendation, I report the card lost since it is out of my hands.  I next email TEB and tell them that their ATM at the airport ate my ATM Card.  I'm staying at the Grand Mark Hotel and I want it back!  Well, at least I felt like I was doing something. 

Two days later, I get a call at the lobby of the hotel.  It's TEB, they have my ATM card and want to give it back!  They tell me they will deliver it to thet branch nearest my hotel - the Grand Bazaar branch.  I head over to TEB later that afternoon, no card.  I come back 24 hours later and still no card.  Finally on the third day, my card is delivered to the branch.  Yahoo - my ATM card is back in hand.  Unfortunately, I had reported it lost to my credit union.  I email my credit union and they were able to reactivate it.  Turkey was much more enjoyable after that!
Shari