Friday, December 6, 2019

Visiting İstanbul now

この記事が公開される時点で、予定通りならイスタンブールで岩盤浴の真っ最中。

今年の5月、開港直後にシン・イスタンブール空港を訪れる予定が、半年以上ズレました。
どんな空港になってるのか、興味津々です。
今回がシン空港初体験ですが、この後は来年3月まで毎月1回ペースで4回連続訪問予定♪

でも内容的には、もう超マンネリ。

運ちゃんのアドとシン空港での待ち合わせが若干心配だけど、来るって言ってくれているし。
ホテルもレストランもいつもどおり。周辺に新レストランが出来ていないか探検します。
定宿の真向かい... 工事して作っていたのは、なんと The Peninsula ホテルでした。
まだペニンシュラは出来上がってないけど、周囲にいろいろ出来まくっています。

あと、いつもの風呂屋でいつものように汗かいて揉まれて、常連さん達とスマホ通訳でお喋りします。オーナーのアダムさんから翻訳用として特別にOKもらった iPhone 持ち込むけど、風呂屋なので他の客がいる時は撮影厳禁。

アダムさんに iPhone 買ってきてくれって頼まれていたのが、果たせなかったのも心配。
用意した iPhone XS Max は新機種が出ちゃって型落ちになるから、妹にあげちゃった。
買っていくね♪ って約束して果たせていないのに、自分だけちゃっかり iPhone 11Pro...。
 iPhone 11Pro Max はハンパな機種だから iPhone 12 が出るまで待て。って言うつもり。
でも次の機種が出る頃には 3MM 達成でトルコへ旅行しなくなるかも…。(大汗)

ともかく、マンネリな内容以外で冒険するつもり、ほぼありません。米国務省からも年末年始はテロ勃発の可能性が大きいから、周囲に目を配れとか人混みに行くなと警告されています。米国民には注意喚起ではなくて、渡航の是非を検討レベルです... 日本人のふりするけど、周囲に目を配って「あぁ、あれは怪しい(きっぱり)」って目視できるレベルだったら完全にアウトだよね...。

帰りのトルコ航空CIPラウンジが、かなり楽しみ。しっかり取材wしてきます。

【投稿後追記】
昨夜、イスタンブール空港を初体験しましたが… なんだか無駄に大きい。
タッチダウンしてからゲートに着くまで20分もタクシングしてました。
デンバーやアトランタも大きいけど、ここまで酷くない。洗練されてない。
ただし入国審査は1分。ルフトハンザの金星だと Fast Track が使えました。

2 comments:

  1. obaKoba-sann,

    Thank you for your expressions of goodwill from tardily-corrupting country (Japan as well…lol).
    Last week, a man with COVID-19 was uncovered in Kurashiki, Okayama.

    And your primary question ; ‘WHY PEOPLE BUY TOILETPAPERS IN PANIC MODE??’

    I also think about the knowledge behind accumulating and storing of toilet roll.
    I see consumers stockpiling over COVID-19 are thought to have set their sights on toilet roll.

    The Japanese authority has told its nation people not to do ‘panic buy’ in the middle of COVID-19 concerns, though many are doing the contrary.
    The inconsistent conduct seemed to get down in Wuhan, PR of China, which is the epicenter of the virus.

    To be honest, I have no clue to understand the exact reason why general population do so, however I imagine they tend to get messages on a daily basis that they should go into panic mode, and as a result, they buy more than they need.
    And I also imagine such a phenomenon might come from the fact that qualities of toilet rolls don’t decline for a longer term even if they keep them than many food items.
    Hence, they’re psychologically drawn to purchasing it in times of crisis.

    I know my answer is not good enough to your question.

    BTW, how is the situation of COVID-19 infection in Turkey?

    Yamada denki

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yamada Denki sensei,

      Citizens around the world are under panic mode… since one Corona Mark II infected patient died in Sacramento, CA., American girls started buying toilet rolls… but outside of Japan, I totally understand the situation because they don’t have Washlet. This is my key-point. Japan has Washlets, people don’t need wipe there spending much papers…

      Anyhow, after the outbreak of Mark II, traveling around the world is getting more difficult. All of quarantine checkpoints have thermograph cameras, officers asking more questions.

      Turkey (Feb. 18-24): Simply asking the history of visiting Mainland China.
      In the January visit, nobody cares about yellow monkeys. But in February, I had to clearly answer I’m born and raised in Japan but now living in California, no chance of contamination of Mark II. I’ll be in Istanbul next week so people over there are much severer to the person who is East Asian complexion.
      Then, just before leaving Istanbul, I saw the news telling Turkey closed the gates to Iran and inviting Turkish citizens coming back to their home ground.

      Singapore (Mar. 6-9): This trip was much severer.
      At the hotel, I had to answer a questionnaire form asking my physical conditions such as fever, cough, runny nose, nausea, etc. Then followed by the history of visiting China, Korea, Italy, Iran and JAPAN! Same travel record has been asked at the check-in counter in Changi airport… even we were leaving Singapore.

      Singaporeans consider Japanese are already well-contaminated.
      Turkish might be the same now, but for them, Iranians are the closest devastations, I guess,

      Now my biggest question is: Almost everybody around the world blames Japanese eating wild whales and dolphins. However, Chinese are eating wild bats, rats, mice, civets (ハクビシン), camels and snakes, selling them “in vivo” a the food markets. These behaviors caused SARS, MERS and this Corona Mark II troubles.

      Eating whales doesn’t kill anybody, but eating bats kills thousands of people!!
      All people around the world should say Chinese to Do Not Eat Wild Lives!!
      Their culture is much, much more dangerous than Japanese’ whale cuisine.

      Delete