INSIDE ISTANBUL - It's my kind of place

The Turkish city seems to offer just about the right mix of everything for someone like myself.

It's modern, with more than a touch of old-world charm and elegance; it somehow manages to mix the unpleasantness of a bustling town, always on the go, with a bit of friendly allure that is more often seen in more rural areas.

At least, that's my first impression of this beautiful European city - even if I arrived on Thursday in less-than-beautiful conditions; overcast skies with temperatures as low as five degrees Celsius. Good thing I took a friend's advice and left the shorts at home.

"I know how spoiled you Jamaicans are, but you better pack some thermals and a coat ... no point taking those beach shorts and T-shirts this time mate!" I have my British media colleague Rob Zooter to thank for the heads up.

So I'm here for the IAAF World Indoor Championships and you can tell already that the locals are pumped up for this one. This city is famous for football, with teams like Galatasaray hogging the sporting spotlight, but track and field has seemingly pushed them aside for the time being, with promotional material visible, all across the city.

Interestingly, Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell is one of the athletes being promoted here, too bad he didn't make it here this time around. I have already been asked about his absence several times by volunteers and other media representatives alike, some of whom don't speak enough English but it's not too difficult to know what they are talking about.

"Something, something, something, Asafa Powell, Istanbul, something, something, something."

"Ben Türkçe bilmiyorum," has become my stock response, on advice from an immigration officer back in New York.

On my list of things to do are a visit to the famous Turkish bazaars and maybe a trek to Old Istanbul, if time allows. I am only here for the weekend and there is the small matter of doing The Gleaner's work that may also come in the way ... er, I meant, that must be done.

'Buck up' meeting

Had an interesting 'buck up' meeting with the president of the Puerto Rican Athletics Federation, José Enrique Arraras.

There I was very comfortably seated beside a nice young lady about to leave New York for Istanbul. I was in good spirits because if you have to be seated beside someone for 10 plus hours, it's better to be ... well ... a nice young lady.

It didn't last too long, however, as Mr Arraras soon advised her that she had taken the wrong seat. As disappointed as I was, Arraras turned out to be a decent neighbour himself and gave some insight into the track and field happenings in his country.

Anyway, that's all for now, I'm here for a couple of days and will try to share my experiences with you as they pass. Elveda!