Beyond the walls of Incirlik...

So a few of the other LTs and I decided to get a taxicab (meant for 4 passengers, but yes, we squeezed a 5th in there purely for picture-taking reasons, haha) for unlimited stops within the nearby town of Adana for 6 hours.  Adana, and Incirlik, had parts of it that were not what i had expected!  The towns each had a newer modern part to it that blew me away.  Our first stop on our crazy ride was at the lake in town, Seyhan Lake (I think).  What a beautiful spot, and the day we stopped to gaze at it could not have been more beautiful either.

 The next stop was lunch, and Mustafa, our driver, had just the place.  And did he EVER.

We enjoyed a plethora of turkish treats, including salads, peppers, pita and hummus, mini turkish pizzas and stuffed shells, pork, chicken, and two types of beef.  Delightful!

Mustafa, was so patient with us crazy American kids, haha.  We were quite the attention grabbers.  Next, I really wanted to check out the Sabanci mosque, the largest in Turkey and second largest in the world.  It was quite the sight to see.

We had to remove our shoes and i had to wear a scarf before entering the holy building.

Afterwards, the guys wanted to do a bit of shopping (to my surprise, more than I really wanted to).  We headed to Old Adana where there were streets full of little shops all selling pretty much the same things... carpets, suits, electronics, shoes, and movies.  All of which probably weren't worth as much as the merchants were selling them for.  It is definitely all part of the experience though... we all must get bamboozled at some point in time!

All for 60 bucks we got to drive all around Adana for 6 hours, and it was so worth it!

Ok, OK.  Some of you are probably wondering... aren't you supposed to be... deployed?!?!?  Well, yes.  We are fortunate enough to be in Turkey where we do have the privilege to roam off base.  I must set this straight, though.  We absolutely fly and to dangerous places too.  It may be easier than other troops who are deployed elsewhere, but in no means are we not still fighting the same fight as they are.  So please, remember that, and as always, keep myself and all of the other deployed troops in your prayers.

Güle güle!

missing mr speedbird everyday.  day 6.