then I headed home...

Here is one last photo from the Bosphorus, the fortress at night

And then it was time for me to go home...

I awoke the next day feeling kind of funny--and unhappy because I had to leave later that day, and endure another 12+ hour bus trip. As the day wore on I felt progressively worse and ended up not seeing anything on my last day in Istanbul. Tamar came back and we hung out for a bit and then I had to head to the bus station. Once there I decided I should wait outside so I could get a few last breaths of fresh-ish air (since the bus would be utterly smoke-filled). I had a fine spot in the shade of the bus but it was pretty warm.

I should have realized that I wasn't particularly healthy at this point, but I didn't. After standing around for what seemed like 4 hours but was more like 30 minutes, I fainted, landing on my backpack and awaking to a large man who works for the bus company carrying me into the station and making me drink water. I drank a ton of water, ate more ibuprofen than anything else on the trip home and somehow managed to get back with only wretched stomach aches and nothing worse. Once home I became ridiculously ill which rivaled the time I had Giardia during training, welcome home. But I am fine now.