"it all depends on the fishing situation, really. i suggest that if you
happen to see anyone who looks like a captain, ask them if they can help
you out."

after an overnight bus from istanbul to ayvalik, a quiet seaside town on
the southwestern coast of turkey, this wasn't really what i was hoping
to hear. considering that the bus ride was pretty comfortable-- much
more so than any bus i've ridden on before, actually-- i received the
news rather impartially, if not somewhat easily. seyda, a friend back in
istanbul was being more than accommodating during her commute between
yoga mat and lectern.by calling the ferry office and talking turkish
with the congenial and extremely effeminate young gentleman behind the desk.

anyone who looks like a captian, i see. you mean like rubber boots, a
white beard, and an eyepatch?
"yeah. they might have a boat or something."
naturally.

the workshops in istanbul were a brief stop between austria and our
retreat in lesvos. geographically, it seemed to work out perfectly. a
little research yielded that one can easily and cheaply take a bus to a
ferry instead of flying from istanbul to greece. i mean, why not? i love
me a little adventure now and again, and adventure is what i got. the
fishing situation didn't really work out in our favor, but the upswing
was a quiet night in a lovely pension overlooking a gentle seaside
fishing village. haute coture this season was, oddly enough, rubber
boots and eye-patches. try as we might, however, nobody could do more
than direct us to the company with the internet discrepancy. what. to. do.

i entered greece the next day on an actual sanctioned ferry, just in
time to hop in a cab with two yogis from vienna who came here to take
part on the retreat we're leading, which is now in full swing. we go
until wednesday and then catch a scheduled, official ferry to athens to
lead a smaller weekend workshop the following weekend. that's how we
roll, of course.

it's beautiful here, and it feels good to have a full schedule for the
week. i'm ready to roll that through to the rest of my life, and am
looking forward to settling down in germany for a while to figure out
the next moves. there is this silent nudge-nudge to go back to nyc for a
few days at the end of april, but i'm getting really tired of traveling.
it would mean changing a flight from oslo to frankfurt and staying at
the airport to hop a plane to amsterdam, wait 12 hours, and then jump to
the states. that would be one long day. plus, i'm flying my friend jake
out to deutchland to help me film a yoga dvd that i plan to market to
guys who don't do yoga. it's called averagejoga: everyday yoga for the
everyday man.

yup. i'm going digital.

it is a little odd to come back to a place where i spent two weeks
training my sit bones off for acro-training. the island is a lot
different-- there has been a lot of rain in the past few months, which
means there is an abundance of green and flowers everywhere. the skies
are extremely clear, the days warm, and the nights windy and cool. it's
a nice melange of seasonal weather. i'm not too sure what the weather
will be like in the scandinavian countries, but i don't think it's gonna
be as warm as it is here.

let's keep our finger crossed, shall we?