I think I might have just blown out the charger for my palmtop. I had it plugged in to the evil, foreign outlets and there was a puff of smoke from the charger. Hmmmm....

It's the Morning after arriving in Istanbul. I had a hard time sleeping. I kept dreaming about work and Survivor.

When we drove in from the airport I was struck at just how foreign this culture is to ours. At first, the taxi ride was playfully dangerous. After we passed an accident, it wasn't so playful. The cab driver did not speak English. He offered us a cigarette. Take that New York. The road took us around the edge of the city along the water. Istanbul is closer to a third world city than I expected. It's not as European as I was expecting, but I've not been to other Middle Eastern cities.

After we got settled, we called our tour guide and went to a shish kebab place for dinner. The food was very good and covered with olive oil. Most everyone here is very thin. Go figure.