Part 5: Back To Istanbul

Back To Istanbul — The End Of The Journey

I parked the rental.

Left my stuff.

And walked around town.

I spent time getting sunrise photos.

When I started seeing people lining up for the ferry, I went back, grabbed my things, and joined the line.

This time?

I was in the front.

It took a while to open, but when it did, everything went smoothly.

Smaller ferry.

Smaller crowd.

Left on time.

Arrived on time.

I got out quickly and rushed to immigration.

Earlier, I hired a private driver because I didn’t want to take any chances.

And honestly?

It paid off.

On the way back to Izmir Airport, I found out my friend was in another part of Turkey visiting his girlfriend.

He wasn’t home.

I would need a hotel unless I could meet his friend who ran a store before 5 PM.

There was no way I would make it.

I told him around 9 PM.

So I thought:

I guess I’m getting a hotel.

For some reason, I lagged on actually booking one.

Then I got to the airport hours early.

When I went to check in, the lady asked:

"Do you want an earlier flight?"

HELL YEAH!

😂

That meant I could make it back before 5.

No hotel.

I would just meet his friend at the shop, grab the keys, and sleep there.

The Final Istanbul Days

There isn’t much more to the journey.

The last two days were chill.

No sightseeing.

Not much wandering.

I started feeling like a local in my friend’s neighborhood.

I didn’t need GPS.

Some people knew me.

I talked with shopkeepers.

I even cooked more fish wraps at my spot.

I added hella spice.

The cooks were like:

"That’s spicy."

I said:

"I’m Mexican."

😂

My friend was shocked because he thought I put way too much spice.

I ate mine.

No problem.

He couldn’t finish his.

So I ate his too and bought him another one.

My friend also introduced me to one of his friends, and we ended up having some interesting conversations.

A lot of it was about current events and Turkey’s more recent political history.

They were explaining how the president came into power, what happened over the years, and how things changed.

It was interesting because I wasn’t there trying to have some deep political debate.

I was just listening.

That’s one of the reasons I like traveling.

You hear how people from another country view their own history.

Not from a news article.

Not from some random person online.

From people who actually lived there.

At one point, we started talking about the similarities people see between what happened in Turkey and what has been happening in the United States.

They were like:

"No, no. Not like Trump."

😂

And I understood what they meant.

I wasn’t saying the situations were exactly the same.

What I meant was more about the idea of what happens when a leader starts pushing boundaries and people accept things they normally wouldn’t.

I told them:

"If Trump continues doing what he’s doing and gets away with it, I wonder if something similar could happen in the US."

Whether people agreed or disagreed, it was just another one of those unexpected conversations you end up having when you actually talk to people.

Not from a tour guide.

Not from a documentary.

Just sitting around with people from another country, hearing how they see the world.

The last days were simple.

Reading at his house.

Playing with his cat.

Walking around.

Hanging out.

Then it was time to go.

BEIJING AIRPORT — THE FINAL BOSS BATTLE

I could end the story here.

Honestly, I probably should.

But I need to talk more shit about Beijing.

😂

The Istanbul airport was smooth.

The flight was smooth.

Everything was going perfectly.

Then we approached Beijing.

And apparently, the weather was bad.

So we start flying in circles for a while.

Then the pilot tells us we’re going to another airport about 30 minutes away.

Cool.

We land.

And then we just sit there.

For about two hours.

At this point, I already missed my connecting flight.

China Southern is actually tight though.

I like them.

I even became a member.

They told me they would reconnect me, so I wasn’t too worried.

Eventually, we get back to Beijing.

I’m sitting in the last seat of the airplane.

We get off and head toward connecting flights.

The Beijing Airport Line Disaster

Now this is where things get interesting.

There are separate lines.

All the non-Chinese passengers are in one line.

There are some Chinese people mixed in too.

The Chinese-only lines are moving.

Slowly.

But they are moving.

Our line?

Nothing.

Dead.

And this is some shit I’ve seen in parts of Asia that I still don’t understand.

You’ll have three workers.

Then two or three other people just standing there watching.

Like...

Motherfucker.

Sit down.

Get on a computer.

Help.

😂

There were like six agents there.

Only three were actually working.

Then Chinese passengers start cutting.

Creating new lines.

Walking to the front.

Asking questions.

Doing whatever.

And nobody says anything.

Nobody.

The Chinese lines are slowly moving.

Our line is not moving at all.

I’m standing there thinking:

"What the fuck?"

Eventually, I had enough.

I started talking.

Not that it helped.

But it felt good.

😂

I said:

"Why are we not moving? Why are only the Chinese lines moving? I’ve been here for an hour! What the fuck?"

One dude finally talks to me.

He tells me my flight number.

I’m like:

"Bro, I didn’t ask what my flight number is."

😂

"Who gives a fuck what my flight number is? I’m not even close to getting my ticket."

Then he walks away.

I kept talking shit here and there.

And of course, all the Westerners around me are nodding.

Agreeing.

But nobody says anything.

Classic.

😂

Eventually, it’s my turn.

The guy apologizes.

Then apologizes again.

He says:

"Only aisle seats are available."

I literally said:

"I don’t give a fuck about the seat. I just want to get the fuck out of Beijing. Put me in the cargo hold. Put me in the bathroom. I don’t give a fuck."

😂

He laughed.

Gave me my ticket.

Then told me:

"You need to go fast."

I look at the ticket.

11:30 departure.

I ask:

"What time is it?"

He says:

"11."

I just looked at him.

"What the fuck?"

😂

The Beijing Airport Marathon

And now I’m running.

Because Beijing airport is huge.

Like ridiculously huge.

A lot of walking.

I’m thinking:

"Great."

Now I’m going to get destroyed at immigration and security.

My Wi-Fi isn’t working.

For reasons unknown.

But honestly?

That’s not unusual for me in China.

People love saying how convenient China is.

And yeah, sometimes it is.

But with the China luck I have?

Something is always fucking up.

Immigration — The Final Test

I get to immigration.

I already did the online entry stuff.

But of course...

I have to fill out forms every time I enter China.

And I LIVE HERE.

😂

When I was in Taiwan, I could use the Taiwan lines.

I had that privilege.

In almost every country I lived in, I eventually felt like I belonged.

Like I was halfway a local.

China always has a way of reminding you:

"You are not from here."

And I understand that.

I’m a foreigner.

I’m not expecting to become Chinese.

But after living somewhere for years, sometimes you want to feel like you’re part of the place instead of always passing through it.

Sometimes it’s the system.

Sometimes it’s the people.

The immigration officer is sending people back because they didn’t fill out the form.

I did fill it out.

But my Wi-Fi wasn’t working.

The airport Wi-Fi wasn’t working either.

All I had was an email confirming I completed it.

Not the actual form.

The Chinese girl in front of me kept looking back because I’m standing there saying:

"Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck."

😂

When it was my turn, I was stressed.

I told him:

"I’m probably going to miss my flight."

He asked when it was.

I told him.

He actually tried to speed things up.

Then he asked for the form.

I showed him the email.

I said:

"I don’t have Wi-Fi, but this confirms I completed it."

He let me go.

Security — I Prepared For This

Then security.

Luckily, I had learned.

I put all the things they usually give me shit about in one place.

And it kind of worked.

They didn’t sweat me as hard.

Now I’m running.

No food.

No time.

Out of breath.

I make it to the gate.

Sit down.

Finally.

Then the announcement comes:

"We will be delayed due to weather."

😂

Of course.

We sat there for two more hours.

I was supposed to arrive in Chongqing at 11:30 AM.

I didn’t get there until 4:30 PM.

And I’ll end it here.

Because getting home was its own adventure.

I started this trip saying:

"Fuck Beijing."

And somehow...

after everything I saw in Turkey and Greece...

Beijing was still waiting for me like:

"Welcome home."

😂