Why hello there, world! I know, I know. And I was doing so well with getting back on schedule… So, my deepest apologies for any pain or distress that I might and probably did cause during your nerve-wracking yet anticipatory wait for my next witty and insightful blogpost. …it’s a good thing I don’t have verbose tendencies…

Hmm where to start…♪Lets start at the very beginning/A very good place to start ♪.

So we head off to Rumi’s Shrine in de mornin’, dis time wif de group. It was interesting getting to walk through it a second time, though if I’m going to be completely honest, I was struggling. I was still in the process of returning to this realm on consciousness and Rumi’s Shrine was hot and had soothing music. Bad combination. Possible spiritual experience: fail. Alas.

Plus we had those damn blue plastic baggies for our feet. Not only did we squish around obnoxiously with every step, but they were causing my body to overheat, sweat profusely, and consequently shut down. Eventually I made it to a wall and was able to recooperate under the pretense of meditating on the deep mysteries of Rumi and his works.

Though please don’t get me wrong! Rumi’s shrine? Awesome place. The rare antique book collection is really cool, complete with everything from giant Qur’ans experiencing budget cuts in the ink department to mini Qur’ans for 14^th century scholars to dangle from their key rings. The people watching is also a highlight. Safety Warning: village grandmas are descended from bulldozers. While the Topkapi Palace attracted petite yet sharp elbowed and rude German ladies, Rumi’s shrine attracted the large, mustache-sporting, devotional hordes of native grandmas, a force to be reckoned with.

Afterwards we wander around the gardens and the post-Ataturk remnants of the cemetery. I partake in one of my favorite lizard-like tendencies and doze in the sun to recharge my batteries before heading on our next grand adventure.

We make a stop at the Mevlana Cultural Center. Actually, let me rephrase that. We trek long distances in the middle of a scorching hot day, while the harsh sun soaks all water and energy from our very beings, all the way to see a building that is essentially a collection of empty conference halls. Woohoo. Forgive me if I can’t contain my excitement.

Once in this fine example of a bleached building, we explore the huge halls created for people to come learn about Rumi. Or well, I haven’t decided if that’s its sole purpose. Omid presented it as a Rumi monument-sans-Rumi set up to compete with the shrine. Personally, I found the building to be a useful yet boring collection of conference halls named after a famous historical figure in the appeasement style commonly found with the USA and its use of Martin Luther King.

So we painstakingly trek our way back from the Cultural Center as I dream of ice cream and soft beds. We stop at a restaurant (Mevlavi Sofrasi) that has a gorgeous view of Rumi’s Shrine. Like its RIGHT there. Food was ehhh, but view? Fantastico. The cheese pide (a staple meal for me) left a lot to be desired though. Ehh, you can’t have everything.

So it’s currently 2 pm and we were just released for the afternoon to go explore, revisit the shrine, read more of Rumi’s Mesnavi, experience Konya….or go take a five hour nap. However, no regrets! It was heavenly I tell you.

Dinner was once again very good, but the discussion even better. I mean what better small talk than the increasing racial tension in societies and its possible solution? Some Rumi discussion also followed in which we learned, in addition to the deeper meanings of love and life, about the alleged sexual prowness of such great sages.

After din-din, we head out as a group on the town. Woot woot! We must’ve been quite a sight in Konya, a very religious society where tourists were a rare commodity, especially such a haphazard collection of American (and Canadian) ones ranging in age from 19 to mid 60s.

We all go to a café on the main hill and sit and chat over Turkish tea. Real Turkish tea. Like strain your leaves, mix with water, and stir with pinky fully extended. We were quite sophisticated, I assure you, so sophisticated that you should be reading this in a British accent.

After a while, people meander on home, and eventually it’s just Omid and I sitting there talking in our typical fashion. Time passes and the tea hits the bladder. Sprinklers turn on. Bad combination. Worse combination? Full bladder, running sprinklers, and locked bathrooms. Uh oh.

The Great Bathroom Quest develops as we epically search for a pee receptacle. Just when it seems all hope is lost, we stumble across a police officer who successfully leads us to a restroom. There is much rejoicing. Unfortunately the bathroom *was* eastern-style [google it], and the lights kept turning off and plunging me into pitch blackness [is that even a term?], but luckily I carry around a handy handful [teehee] of toilet paper and the relieving of the bladder trumped any fears of darkness. Success.

Thus ended the night, albeit lately yet successfully. I also received two very nice and thoughtful belated birthday gifts today that I very much appreciated :).

Well that’s all for today, folks! Sometime I’ll get back caught up so that you’re free from the emotional rollercoaster your feelings are subjected to as a result of my inconsistent posts.