Shades of Heat

The sun is roasting my veranda, the breeze is cool, the shade…delicious…and Etta James is crooning in my ear. Could it be any better? My little balcony in Kadikoy is a slice of heaven today and…wait…wrong dream.
Actually this week has been more of a nightmare, falling on the heels of last week’s financial fiasco, this has been “moving week”, and it happens to coincide with what Istanbullus say is the hottest 4 weeks of the year. August is a scorcher here in this corner of Asia.

Views from the Shade

Yesterday we finished the big part of our move into the new apartment. Remember those black, hard sided shipping containers we brought from Los Angeles to Istanbul four months ago? They have sat unopened and unpacked until today.
Before they could be unpacked they had to be transported across town, up the long walkway and two flights of stairs to our apartment. We had been bringing one at a time as we moved back and forth between the two apartments during the painting and cleaning stage these last few weeks, but the going was slow.
Kemal, my friend that owns the local Kazasker laundry (and who I have never conducted business with since I have my own “laundry”) saw our daily struggle; lugging the 70lb containers down 4 flights of stairs, into the taxi, and then back up to the new apartment.
Yesterday he showed up with a small truck and insisted on having his delivery driver transport all of the remaining containers and luggage to the new place. In one brief hour they wiped out the entire lot that had to be moved.

The "Indoor High" this Week

When I tried to thank Kemal for his kindness later that evening, he rebuffed me, kissing me on the cheeks; he whispered to me, “Do not thank a “Mussulmaun” for loving his brother”. See what you miss when you take the shortcuts through life? I stand reproved for my grumbling this week.
I am going to put on Etta James, head towards the shade, and bask in the culture of a people who are quickly becoming my own.
All is well with the Stewards as we Live, Travel and Wander on the Far Side of the World.