Back rub

Remember to breathe in and out and relax. Otherwise the back rub in Istanbul will be more pain than pleasure.

arnon

what are you looking for in iraq?
i mean why is your interesst in iraq so huge?

Happy ending

Arnon, as a fellow man with literary ambitions, I want to wish you a safe return to Istanbul, with a very happy ending.

I have also found you some useful information regarding the prospects of finding a suitable establishment for a back rub. It looks very promising. On a website which looks well informed on the subject I read this:

"Istanbul Turkey is considered by many to be the prostitution capital of the world, and with good reason. With an estimated 200,000 working girls in Istanbul, visitors are offered splendors often unavailable in the west. Immigrant girls treat the well-guided in Istanbul to delights that made Istanbul famous. Istanbul massage parlours are usually a visitors best option, offering up the freshest immigrant girls at prices too low to believe."
(source: http://istanbul-massage.com/)

Please believe me when I say I hold no commercial interest in forementioned website that is worth mentioning, but please do believe me when I say they have a very attractive 37 euro offer at the moment for regular travelers like yourself:

"As an introductory bonus, all customers this week will also receive a full copy of the world famous Happy Ending Massage Directory, a global directory of happy ending massage parlors! Whether you’re in Hong Kong, Paris, or almost anywhere else this guide will tell you exactly where to go for a happy ending, and even includes reviews from other male customers. "

Yes, if I may expand on beata's question, what exactly will you do in Iraq this time?

If you don't come back I will read all your books again.

Beata/Philip

See the comments at this entry:

http://www.arnongrunberg.com/blog/954-airsickness-bag

Some questions have been asked before.

dear arnon

may the families of Iraq and Allah protect you

Arnon

We love you.
Travel & come back healthy

I hate it that you go there.
But, if I were you, I would propably do the same.
Have a safe journey.

I hope you will find what you are looking for and come back safe and well. Take care!
p.s. You were teaching me Dutch in my dream last night.

Welcome...

... to Istanbul and wish you a safe journey to Baghdad.

Take care!

Arnon, because i follow you daily on this blog this trip is very personal to me and i think it is the same to all the other people "here". So it feels like a hell of an adventure you putting me in and i dont know if i can handle the stress the coming three weeks. I wish you all the luck and when in Iraq feel embedded by us.

Rory Steward

Have you ever met or read Rory Steward? He might have been a nice source of information about this kind of 'travelling'.

Have an interesting trip ! (my field of experience is limited to massage parlors here, I am afraid)

@moniquev
Roy Steward, fascinating man indeed - (http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rory_Stewart)

Arnon

May this and your other journey's be like Ibn Batutta's.

I don't understand how people can enjoy a backrub. I had one when I was in Turkey and it felt like we both new this wasn't the thing we wanted to do. Although I laid down and he had his hands near my neck, it felt as if I was so much better than him.
The only thing I really liked, was the smacking with the sac full of soap.

ps. I'm not a fan of all these tiny pictures you've been using lately

Arnon

'Doubt is healthy but the feeling already gone.'

Shouldn't it be: 'Doubt is healthy but the feeling is already gone.' ?

Or should I read this as a poetic line?

Frida

Yes you are right.
I forgot a word.

Tiny Pictures

I agree with Dens; I thought my PC was to blame for those thumbnails.