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alamo5000

29 May 2016, 08:16

A couple guys here asked that I put up some stories and photos from my trip... so here goes... it's kind of rough with no editing so bear with me.
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A lot of people ask me ‘what’s the fascination with travel?’… and they ask in a way that is both interested and confused at the same time…a lot of people are generally confused at my travel habit. A little background is in order I think to help you understand where I am coming from.

I am a Texan by birth… both my mom and dad are… my grandparents were… my great grandparents were as well. In fact I am staying within about 5 minutes from where at least 4 generations all grew up…

After my dad got out of the military he started to break the mold in some ways. He took a job in the oil business and we all moved to Saudi Arabia when I was just a wee child. He worked over there until I was about 14 years old (part of that he was commuting back and forth). To me flying around the world was completely normal. Something about it is just etched in my DNA for some reason from then on.

Later on my dad insisted that he wanted to ‘come back home’ and ‘settle down’ or whatever you want to call it…and that’s what he did… but for the rest of us…it was sheer misery. I was a card carrying globe hopper at a young age but my parents moved us to the middle of redneck Texas and more or less expected everything to be normal… and it wasn’t…needless to say I just never fit it all that well but at the same time I never ever lost my interest and love for the things I like. It’s not that I didn’t have friends or anything, but I certainly never really connected with anyone…so it was pretty tough.

I am a card carrying “Third Culture Kid” (google it if you want) and I still really identify with a lot of things from all over. It’s just hard to explain. So, basically in short I truly enjoy going to other places to see how they live and what they do. It makes me feel more at home doing that than almost anything else on the planet. And I am not talking about a little week long trip to Florida. If I was able to support myself I would probably spend at least half the year or more in other countries experiencing stuff. I don’t know how to explain it. It just is what it is. I’m weird or something I guess.

On this latest trip (which I had to cut short by more than six months) I went to several countries. Africa, Turkey, Korea, Philippines, and a short stay in Japan.
I can easily write a lot about each place but I don’t know that anyone is interested to read it all. So What I can do is share some selected stories and pictures so you can kind of get a taste…

Part 1—Africa

I have a friend that lives in Kenya and he has been inviting me over for a long time. He absolutely loves the place. I can’t really say I share the same passion about it that he does but it was overall a very good experience.

Most people think Africa and in their head it’s all villages and mud huts. Not in Nairobi. Think wealthy Africans driving nice cars and a big city. Nairobi has it all. It’s an expat haven. You can go get the best plate a sushi you’ve ever had there. You can get an 1” thick medium rare steak, you can go to the casino, watch the latest movies, go the mall, go bowling, play golf, or whatever. It’s more or less like a good suburb in the US. Of course it’s different but a lot of it is the same.

I did a lot of hanging out in the city and had a bunch of little side adventures… but one of the best things we did was go off roading down near the Tanzania border. And by off roading… that means really off roading… we were out in the middle of nowhere. The ‘roads’ sucked. Potholes bigger than a VW bug… rock slides…roads washed out… you name it… outside of the major cities there isn’t much maintenance so pretty much we were on our own. It took us about 4 hours or so to drive about 60 miles…

That was to the spot where we were going to hang out and start to off road… there was a lodge out there so we could stop and get drinks and snacks or whatever…it was pretty much an oasis in the middle of the badlands.

Anyway we were smack dab right in the middle of Maasai country. That’s the African tribe you see on TV where they see who can jump highest….
On our way over though it was HOT… I mean stifling hot… probably 110 or more in the shade… and we saw this old lady who was obviously having problems. The Maasai walk everywhere. They are nomadic and they tend to herd goats or whatever but she wasn't doing too well.

She was obviously struggling so naturally we pull over to try and help… no English… but she got the idea… so we finally figured out what to do and we took her to her village. It was the right thing to do on all accounts. Most Africans are very very kind hearted people and the reception we got was no exception. They are genuinely gentle people and that lady was very appreciative that two mizungu (white people) stopped to help. She was kissing our hands and saying ‘thank you’ in her language. It was all very nice.

When we finally got to the village they surrounded our car and were all being super nice. It was just a fantastic experience. We really got a warm welcome to say the least. The old lady though saw my camera and after taking my hands and kissing them she told me she wanted to dress up so I could take a photo.
So that is how I managed to get a completely unplanned, and un staged photo of a Maasai woman. It was pretty epic and a great experience.

Later on we did donuts and chased wildabeest with the car and all sorts of things... it was a fun day...

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After I left Africa I went to Istanbul for about a month. Then I went to Korea, then the Philippines...so I can put up more later...

alamo5000

29 May 2016, 15:27

Istanbul was by far the nicest place overall that I went on this trip. I think it is absolutely crazy that people treat it like a 'stop over' point... 3 days in and gone... No way man.

If you ever get the chance to go there it is seriously one of the best cities I have ever been to. Just absolutely fun, nice, and there is so much to do. I could easily spend a year in Turkey alone. Around every corner there is something to do and things to discover...it's relatively easy to get around and it's just fun.

I got an apartment on the Europe side of the Bosphorus Strait. This picture is the view from just a few feet up from my apartment. So yeah, it was nice.

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There are boats, yachts, water, and just a good vibe. And the people were super cool and super nice. I lived on a hill sort of like this one...

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There is a lot of historical sites... and I mean A LOT of them. This one is the Blue Mosque.

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There are castles, there are royal palaces, there are a whole lot of things over there... a lot of yachts too.

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There were just tons of cool places to hang out and things to do every single day. I really enjoyed my stay there. It is quite a party place too.

I had a lot of very interesting experiences there.

They opened a new soccer stadium and boy... they are RABID soccer fans... they had a party all night long. I can tell you for sure that beer consumption is WAY high in Turkey. People just have a really good time.

At this one event... people showed up... a lot of people... a crowd like this stretched on for about 2km down a 4 lane main road.

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I also went to some islands off the coast where cars are not allowed (for the most part) (only like work trucks and such)

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Overall it was a great experience.

alamo5000

29 May 2016, 15:36

My next stop was Korea. To be honest... I did not like Korea. The food was great and I met some very nice people but I just didn't like it. It was definitely a mixed bag of things...

The night life is crazy but if you are there traveling alone like I was...and you don't speak Korean... it's not going to be as fun as it could be. Conversely if you go with a group of people and you have someone that speaks Korean with you it will help.

The night life is pretty crazy but during the day there isn't much happening as everyone is working or whatever. All I know is I have loved every Asian country I have ever been to, but Korea is the first exception to that. It most definitely was not the people... they were all super nice... and the food was great... but overall... it's not for me.

alamo5000

29 May 2016, 15:43

I went to the Philippines for a while... it was shall we say...slow paced...and in some places very very nice.

In the Philippines do not expect to get anywhere fast. It just won't happen. I stayed in a village about 20km from a bigger city and the one way trip was 1.5 hours. I took a trip to another area that was about 100 miles away... and that took me 8 hours to get there... about an average of 8mph the entire trip...

So yes, the Philippines is slow, and it's HOT, and most places don't have AC. But the people are extremely friendly and there are some good places to go there.

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As you can tell it's a pretty nice place in spots. I can give a lot more details and impressions later if you want.

alamo5000

29 May 2016, 15:50

My last stop was Japan. I did not stay there long at all but it definitely has potential. For sure though take your wallet. It's not cheap.

I think at some point I probably will go back to Japan and explore more but I found it very hospitable... a lot of people can understand basic English if not more than that... it was very organized and clean.... and overall it just had a fun vibe to it.

I think I need to go to Japan and spend more time there to be honest... I only got a small taste, but it was a good taste.

Jerry R

29 May 2016, 16:13

Just ........ cool !! Thanks and share some more when you get a chance.

alamo5000

29 May 2016, 18:24

Just ........ cool !! Thanks and share some more when you get a chance.

Here's a good one... I got taken down by the Turkish Secret Service. Seriously! LOL

Here's the basic story...

I was out being a tourist in Istanbul so I went to the Blue Mosque to look around and take photos. The first thing I noticed was there was a LOT of cops and security all over the place. I was thinking 'man, is this normal'? (I guess not)... but anyway next thing you know the square (next to the mosque) started filling up with cars and the police came sweeping through... then there was a huge mob of men in suits that came by seemingly out of nowhere. Turns out that the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey came to the mosque for a visit.

It's not every day you run into world leaders while on vacation you know.

Truth be told I wasn't really sure what was going on but a girl that I was talking to was Turkish and she was like 'what in the heck is going on here!?' (she spoke English)...

I wasn't at all prepared and there was NO time to fiddle with the camera settings so most of them did not turn out very well. It was a very cool experience none the less. The pictures will demonstrate just how close I got to them (or rather they got to me).

I kind of got man handled (they were very nice and did not harm me in any way) In fact it was quite gentle how they handled it all. One of their version of the Secret Service guys even came up to me much later on and smiled really big and said 'THANK YOU' and then something in Turkish. I could tell he was a genuinely nice guy and we were both almost laughing out loud it was so funny...He put both hands up and had this GIANT grin on his face... but they wanted people to MOVE and were very professional in their jobs to be honest.

The whole time pretty much it was like I was shooting photos in the middle of a mosh pit. I was getting bumped into, pushed, shoved...LOL

First here comes this big group of men in suits...

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Here is a crop from the above photo. The Prime Minister of Turkey is right in the center of the shot. His left shoulder is right behind the guy with the camera's lens. He has on glasses and a lapel pin. His head was slightly turned away from me.

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The Deputy Prime Minister is the bald guy with the mustache right in the middle of the frame.

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The Prime Minister is on the left (his hand is not in the frame) and the Deputy Prime Minister is on the right, right behind the Secret Service guy that is wearing the blue tie.

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This is one of the times when I got 'moved' LOL! The Prime Minister is center left... third face over...

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Pretty cool experience for a vacation. As you can tell I was right there on top of the action. I just got lucky being in the right place at the right time. It was a pretty neat experience. I wasn't prepared at all but I had fun! LOL!!!! It was a very memorable experience.

I mean they seriously walked right into me... it was pretty crazy. I was probably less than 5 feet from the guy...but like I said...one of their Secret Service guys grabbed me from the back and picked me straight up off my feet and moved me out of the way...

alamo5000

29 May 2016, 21:49

In Boracay a couple of European guys and I swam/waded out to this little island and climbed on top of it to watch the sunset. It was more like a giant rock sticking out of the water. So there we were... drinking beers, relaxing... watching the sunset...

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Later on that evening there was an absolutely awesome party on the beach.

Someone with a giant sail boat was parked just offshore... but somebody somewhere sponsored a killer party... they rounded up several small canoes from the beach and filled them up with beer and ice... the place that was hosting it had a bar and chairs and all the amenities you need at a beach party... and there were free drinks all night... They had a killer DJ... there were people from all over the world.... and women... OMG. There were a bunch...

It was pretty damn fun I have to admit. I haven't been to a party like that for a while.

EO3

29 May 2016, 22:49

Thanks a lot for sharing your adventures, Alamo! I'd love to get to travel even half this much in my lifetime. I've always been fascinated by other cultures and ways of life.

alamo5000

29 May 2016, 22:55

Thanks a lot for sharing your adventures, Alamo! I'd love to get to travel even half this much in my lifetime. I've always been fascinated by other cultures and ways of life.

Trust me... once you go and get to the right place with the right people doing the right stuff... you will be hooked faster than puffing on a crack pipe.

All I can say is my Trumpism... "Trust me"... but in this case it's true. Dream a little about where you might want to go and I will try to get you on some action.... in the grand scheme of things its not that expensive...you can possibly take family too....

Just depends on what you want out of the deal...

alamo5000

29 May 2016, 22:56

Thanks a lot for sharing your adventures, Alamo!

This is but a fraction of the whole thing... big picture... I have a lot more... a whole lot more... this was just my latest trip...

My world...when I can get into it... is absolutely awesome....

alamo5000

30 May 2016, 20:36

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DeviantLogic

30 May 2016, 21:06

Enjoyed reading...and you took some great photos.

alamo5000

30 May 2016, 21:24

Enjoyed reading...and you took some great photos.

Thank you. I have like 150 gigs of photos LOL

It's gonna take me a while to get through them all.

I certainly had a pretty good time. I wish I wasn't forced to cut my trip short though... I am already plotting the next one.

UWone77

30 May 2016, 21:41

Very Nice Photos. Thanks for sharing.

alamo5000

30 May 2016, 22:06

Very Nice Photos. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you!

(Now I need to learn to take pictures of firearms!) LOL!!

alamo5000

30 May 2016, 22:10

You gotta admit... having a restaurant where you can (literally) jump into (that) ocean from your table...that ain't half bad.

Dstrbdmedic167

30 May 2016, 22:16

As others have said, very cool! I can only dream of doing traveling like that. This is where me and my better half differ, I could just go but she's a home body.. we live a stones throw from her parents, which is where she lived from the time she was born.. I'm the exact opposite...

Former11B

31 May 2016, 05:28

alamo5000

31 May 2016, 06:27

Thanks for the pictures and I'd love to see more.

I know you said Turkey was great, and I can look on the map later (I'm at work) but are those pictures of all the yachts and stuff on the Black Sea? And no travel concerns even with the links made by Russia and Israel of Turkey supporting ISIS/terrorism?

As for pictures I got plenty. 86 gigs from Istanbul alone... LOL

The yachts and all that were in the Bosphorus Strait (In between Asia and Europe) mostly right near the city centers. Generally the yacht crowd sticks to that area. I rode a boat up into the Black Sea and hung out in a fishing village and that far up I didn't see very many luxury boats at all. Mainly just container vessels, fishing boats, and whatever. Again most of the luxury stuff is near the coastlines of either side of the strait, although it's a little more focused on the Europe side...

There were times when terrorism was front and center. They had a suicide bomber in Istanbul just days before I got there. Needless to say there were times when security was extremely tight. There is no denying that. If you go into a mall or whatever you have to open any backpack you have (my camera bag) and go through a metal detector... (same thing in Kenya--Al Shabaab was running around there supposedly)

Generally speaking though the Turks hate the terrorism stuff more than you can image. They REALLY don't like it. It's like a sense of national pride to get rid of those scumbag terrorist bastards....people were pretty open about it. There was quite the backlash from the average person on the street about terrorism.

I found that more than 99% of the time the Turks I was around were more interested in watching soccer and drinking beer with their friends. Generally from what I could tell most of the threats were coming from outside, but again it's complicated and far too much to get into extreme detail here.

There were terror alerts and terror warnings and all that when I was there and at one point they even shut down the metro line and all of Taksim Square. (Taksim is a known place of protest so when you go there you have to just be aware)

More or less in a nutshell there are several elements involved... you have labor unions... they had a giant protest right before I was leaving... but in general they are not angry at the West. I was told politely 'this has nothing to do with you so please go so you are not in trouble here'...then they would just resume chanting about unfair wages or whatever...

Then you have some ethnic groups out East that want independence or whatever... they protest the government in a big way...

Then you actually have ISIS and whatnot.

The dynamic between all those things is pretty complicated...

Within Istanbul I rarely as in never felt a threat for the most part although it was evident that they were taking security seriously. Going out East and down by the Syrian border... that's a different story, but you are talking about say living in Texas and worrying about stuff going on in Florida. It's pretty far away but not unheard of that they would try anything in Istanbul...

I did see lots and lots of H&K out there for sure.

The way overwhelming majority of Turks were absolutely going out of their way kind to me. I mean as in 'don't get lost because you will have a mob trying to assist you back home'... I really can't say enough about that part of it. The hospitality was just great even from random people on the streets.

As far as I could tell the government there is really not that well liked. People see a lot of corruption and other things...but at the same time they keep the economy going so people keep sticking with it. So basically it's a mixture of domestic politics and outside terrorism.

Honestly the whole terrorism thing was pretty prevalent (that they were aware of it) but it was far from making me feel threatened, but most of the time none of the security stuff was ever in your face or whatever. The two worst things that happened to me was an aggressive street salesman and a drunk in a park that wanted to 'talk'. The rest of it was generally business as usual.

At best it was you would go to a main tourist center and would see 500 swat officers with their MP5s standing around...and people would just go partying on as usual while the cops made sure nothing got out of hand....

Former11B

31 May 2016, 07:56

Awesome response

Not to derail your thread but more on the terrorism subject, have you ever been into an El Al airlines terminal? Since Israel is sort of like the Oasis in the desert, their security is jam up. It actually made me a little nervous because I felt like one of the fish in the barrel: they had catwalks all around the terminal, about 15 feet up,where you get your boarding passes and check luggage, etc, along with armed guards (MP5s) patrolling and scanning the crowd. They had bullet resistant screens they could get behind and shoot down into the crowd. There were also armed police walking in and amongst the travelers looking/listening, etc, but my nervousness came from "What if they get into a shootout..." basically there would be no way out of the hail of bullets from above.

alamo5000

31 May 2016, 09:59

Awesome response

I try to learn at least a little bit here and there ;) Of course because of previous work etc etc if I wanted to I could have gotten REALLY into it if that was my intention...but I was on vacation. I had a few other things that I considered doing too but I decided against it merely for the sake of I wanted a frickin' break and I was enjoying myself quite a bit.

Not to derail your thread but more on the terrorism subject, have you ever been into an El Al airlines terminal?

You just don't F with El Al... it's as simple as that. And everyone knows it. If someone feels like getting shot in the head and afterwards they move the body over to the side while people continue to check in for the flight... then go right ahead...

But for me to be honest I feel safe around guns and people that know how to use them. It's more like 'thank God!'...

alamo5000

31 May 2016, 10:47

Basically if I would have had more time and money... but more importantly... the inclination to put the effort into it I could have easily done some other pretty crazy stuff. I had very trusted fixers that were willing and able to take me all over the place... I had one in Beirut and I had another couple in Turkey where I could have explored the entire border areas of Syria and Iraq. All I really had to do was pony up the money and say 'let's go'...

While it would have been more than interesting to do that it wasn't going to be the relaxing vacation that I was honestly after.

The whole thing was right there ready to go but like I said... I enjoyed boating, watching soccer, and being a tourist way more than that.

alamo5000

31 May 2016, 11:04

I've been able to travel pretty regularly; I didn't start traveling really until I got married. When I was single, I was so focused on the Army I didn't take any time out for myself. So my travels didn't include really huge parties, but I have managed to go to a lot of places domestically and abroad. I haven't been to the Far East and Hawaii is as close to the South Pacific as I've gotten, but I've spent a good bit of time in the Caribbean, Europe, etc. Traveling is great but I do start to get burned out after a couple weeks since I basically go non-stop when I'm there.

I gotta show you how to travel man! LOL No need to stress like that. Once you get the system down and make a few contacts... it's all butter.

Not counting all the places I went growing up--- the first time I went overseas--I was 19. I moved to Australia. Then I came back and went to Beijing. Then I moved to Hawaii. And then later I moved to Singapore... Asia was pretty much my go to stomping grounds.... I have lived in China numerous times...and most of SE Asia... been there done that...I think I only have a couple countries left in Asia that I haven't gotten to yet... and one of those had to be cancelled because of a bit of civil unrest at the time...

I didn't have a whole lot of interest in Europe to be honest, but now... Now Europe is sounding pretty interesting. There are several places that I would like to go...

Africa is mixed for me... it depends on where you go. If you go to South Africa...Capetown along the South Coast... there is no one on God's green earth that would not enjoy that. I mean WOW. That is one of my top destinations ever. It's up there with New Zealand. It all depends on what you want to go do though.

I still have a ton of places I want to go... but if money were no object I would come up with some pretty fun stuff to do. I thought about going to Capetown and buying a car and driving it up to Morocco. My friend in Kenya did Johanasberg to Nairobi on a motorcycle... that said Africa isn't really floating my boat for the most part. I guess it just depends on where.

The South Pacific is near and dear to me... but I have yet to go to many islands....I also have only minimally been around South America. Chile sounds pretty good...as does Argentina and Brazil...

Man, I seriously could do all this stuff forever...my wallet is the only thing holding me back.

Former11B

31 May 2016, 16:07

You just don't F with El Al... it's as simple as that. And everyone knows it. If someone feels like getting shot in the head and afterwards they move the body over to the side while people continue to check in for the flight... then go right ahead...

But for me to be honest I feel safe around guns and people that know how to use them. It's more like 'thank God!'...

It's not so much the Israelis with guns that worries me, it's why they need to be armed and just the sheer pandemonium that would happen

After 8 trips back and forth from the Middle East, I try to spend as much of "travel time" sleeping, no matter where I'm going, as possible except for sketchy public transit (the rail around Naples Italy was SUPER shady). One kink in my plans: my wife CANNOT sleep on a plane unassisted. I'm trying to sleep and "let's play cards" "let's watch a movie together"...woman there are individual screens for a REASON!

Joelski

31 May 2016, 19:28

mustangfreek

1 June 2016, 00:57

Wow...you get around...lol

Some amazing looking places out there, just traveling or work? I might of missed it..

One day I'll get out of this state and see something..[BD]

alamo5000

1 June 2016, 13:01

Looks like a nice experience, although you can keep Turkey and anything else east of Greece. They're nice to look at, but I wouldn't put my trust in their feelings toward Americans on a day-to-day basis. Give me Ireland and Northern UK/The Netherlands any day!

To each his own... but I think you would be making a huge mistake at least in regards to Turkey and a lot of other places for that matter... the average people on the street... they just amazed me at how great they were... then again I just love people in general... but in Turkey those feelings in my personal opinion are not warranted for the overwhelming majority...and that's not some BS PC talking...

Not that I don't enjoy hanging out with the Swedes... but don't always put trust in what you see on TV...

Wow...you get around...lol

Some amazing looking places out there, just traveling or work? I might of missed it..

One day I'll get out of this state and see something..[BD]

Not work... just 110% sheerly for fun. This trip was a short one. My biggest one was over 2 years long. I think I hit 15 countries on that one...I am telling you man... the world is a fascinating place... I just love it...

Joelski

1 June 2016, 13:41

Joelski

1 June 2016, 14:02

To each his own... but I think you would be making a huge mistake at least in regards to Turkey and a lot of other places for that matter... the average people on the street... they just amazed me at how great they were... then again I just love people in general...

Not that I don't enjoy hanging out with the Swedes... but don't always put trust in what you see on TV... I just love it...

I don't dislike the country, per se; I know full well that middle eastern doesn't automatically equal muslim radical. There's just that penchant I have for keeping my head at the end of my neck. [:D] No sir, I am not as misogynistic as your local Klansman. I am however 6'-4" tall, a shade of white that fights taking a tan, and have a towhead mop of hair, marking me solidly as "Not with the Band" in certain countries! You may, or may not blend into the crowd well, but I am afraid I am a walking "Behead Me" sign for any ghost cells that may be abound.

Along the same line though, if you ever want to travel in Ireland, all you have to do is get there. Once you are checked into your first bed and breaky, the owners will more than likely call ahead and make your reservations at your next destination town for you. People in Ireland are as friendly and accommodating as any the world over! The image you have of dark pubs can be true; we don't mind that stereotype at all; just have a pint and toss some darts and you're one of the gang in no time and I have never met a barkeep that didn't know my name after the second beer. You can get your metro on in Dublin, or hit smaller towns like Kilkenny, the home of Smithwick's Ale; the true Tan to Guinness' Black & Tan! Ive been to Ireland several times as part of trips across Europe and as a sole destination, and aside from the Amalfi coast, there is not a friendlier place, town or country on the globe!

alamo5000

1 June 2016, 14:45

These are some friends of mine You'd definitely enjoy meeting.

http://thetimetogoisnow.com/about/

If you know where you are planning to go next, hit their site for the no shit lowdown on how and where to find good food on a traveler's budget, plus tips on getting around that country or towns transit system.

I am pondering my next trip already... I am planning it all out.. I will probably go stay in Prague for a while... then Berlin...I also hear great things about Croatia.

After that I would have run out 90 days worth of visa so I also want to go island hopping in the South Pacific...

I have enough vacation plans to last me for a long long time... I just need the money to make it all happen.

This last trip was sort of experimental to be honest...I went all to places that I had never been before... and I went with zero plans. I flew to Turkey with 2 days notice. Had no idea what I was going to see or do... and it turns out I loved it. Next go around though I might do a little more planning. At least some.

I tend to free flow when I go... if I like it... I will stay... but the downside to that is airplane tickets cost money....

Joelski

1 June 2016, 15:44

Praha is on my short list!

Former11B

28 June 2016, 13:11

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/06/28/at-least-10-dead-dozens-more-injured-in-double-suicide-bombing-at-istanbul-airport.html?intcmp=hpbt1

Tell me about Istanbul's safety again...

alamo5000

28 June 2016, 14:22

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/06/28/at-least-10-dead-dozens-more-injured-in-double-suicide-bombing-at-istanbul-airport.html?intcmp=hpbt1

Tell me about Istanbul's safety again...

I just walked in the door and saw that. I am in the middle of contacting people from there that were in that specific area.

alamo5000

28 June 2016, 16:17

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/06/28/at-least-10-dead-dozens-more-injured-in-double-suicide-bombing-at-istanbul-airport.html?intcmp=hpbt1

Tell me about Istanbul's safety again...

I've heard from only a couple of people and they are all ok. VERY VERY ANGRY. They are all now very fearful of a huge backlash. Protest, riots, vigilante justice or whatever. The folks on the streets are scared of chaos breaking out.

The thing is if we had half a President of our own that would go and take care of business he would be welcomed with open arms in that part of the world.

This stuff got real a long time ago but it's getting a whole lot more real right now.

Former11B

28 June 2016, 18:19

Glad your people are okay.

Citizens mostly disarmed there?

alamo5000

28 June 2016, 18:34

Glad your people are okay.

Citizens mostly disarmed there?

I haven't heard back from one guy but I am sure he's fine. He lives far away from that area on the other side of the Bosphorus.

Most of the citizens are disarmed but that's not going to stop them should they decide to go vigilante.

If protests and all that break out it's going to be one more thing that adds to the complexity of it all.

alamo5000

29 June 2016, 05:29

Here is what appears to be a leaked video of a hero cop. Terrorist armed with an AK47 and a suicide vest gets dropped by a Turkish cop with what appears to be a sidearm. After being shot the terrorist is still alive and manages to detonate but not before people were able to get clear. Makes you wonder about a lot of things.

https://twitter.com/ezkici/status/747900101729861636