Several members of the 2010-11 Honeybees dance team traveled to Istanbul, Turkey for the 2011 NBA 5 United Tour.
Follow along as the girls write about their experiences and adventures overseas!
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If you know nothing about Istanbul, you should know this...it's a city on two continents. We landed at the airport on the European side of Istanbul, were greeted by our guide, Cagatay (this is as close a spelling as I can get it on my English keyboard. In Turkish, it looks a little different, but it's pronounced Cha-tie), loaded up our van and after a short ferry ride across the Sea of Marmara, landed on the Asian side of the city. The ferry ride was a welcomed breath of fresh air with the most amazing views of both sides of the city. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant called Tike and let Cagatay take care of the ordering...he did an excellent job! We started our first Turkish meal with delicious appetizers of tomatoes, hummus and yogurt, followed by chicken and beef kebabs and rounded out with a "secret" dessert. Cagatay couldn't explain what it was in English, so we decided it was similar to sweet grits with vanilla ice cream in the middle...it was very tasty and if I remember correctly, we didn't leave any on the plate!
We spent the rest of our free time in Istanbul having fabulous lunch time meals on the quaint little patios in various restaurants throughout the Asian side of the city. We ate dinners with views of the Sea of Marmara. We also took a private boat across the Bosphorus Strait to a little place called Reina on the European side of the city, which was only the most popular restaurant/club in Istanbul! Everywhere we went, the food was good, the service was impeccable, and the locals were extremely hospitable...especially Cagatay. He was the key to our great trip and we are so grateful that he was so patient, accommodating and fun! So, I am glad to be home and am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight, but to say we had a good time is an understatement. We looked around several times during our trip and said, "Can you believe we're here? This really is a once in a lifetime opportunity!" and it was! But having had a taste of how awesome it was, I think we all plan to make a trip back in the future!
We're about to land, so it's time to put up the computer. Thanks for reading and I hope each and every one of you has an opportunity to visit Istanbul one day to see for yourself how special it is and make your own fabulous memories. Goodbye and Geaux Hornets!!
Ashley B.
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We woke up on Day 1 at 8 a.m., after hours and hours of traveling, to practice for our performances at the event. We had to prepare four routines, so we brought the best of the best. We all showed up at the practice room in the hotel with sleepy eyes and jet lagged bodies. We practiced and practiced, finally we were ready. We got in a little breakfast at the hotel, wonderful fresh fruit, cheese, and meats, and we were off to the site.
The event site was only about 10 miles away, but because of the Turkish traffic it took over an hour to arrive. We all were fast asleep when we pulled up. One by one we opened our eyes and instantly the jet lag vanished.
The event for the NBA 5 United was located right off the shores of the beautiful Marmara Sea. They had set up four small sized courts for the tournament, which was a 5v5 type of play that was open to the public. Hundreds of players were in attendance wearing jerseys of their favorite NBA team, Hornets included. We could not believe we were a part of this amazing event!
As soon as we stepped out of the van, we were surrounded by people trying to get our autographs or pictures. We had to have security escort us to our tent, which they had to protect at all times because the people were so interested and intrigued by us. We all felt like celebrities.
When we got to the tent and sat down our bags, we looked at each other, and decided we had to give these people the performance of our lives! We changed, got pumped up, and were escorted to the court to perform. Our hearts were pounding, fans cheering so loud you could hardly hear the music start... Here we go!
The performances went off without a hitch. During the performances, fans were holding up our posters, chanting Honeybees, and clapping along to our music. The announcer for the event loved cheering us on, yelling out HONEYBEES during our performance. We were so proud to be a part of this event and the NBA organization.
Afterwards, we had a meet and greet session where we gave away autographs and the fans were able to take pictures. They were very kind, coming up to us using their very best English to give compliments. Many of them grabbed our hands and kissed them, which was very sweet. Such gentlemen! One guy told me, “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.” Doesnʼt get much better than that!
As I unpack my bag and reflect of the wonderful experience in Turkey, I can't help but wish I was still there performing in front of such an amazing crowd in such a breathtaking environment. Looks like the Honeybees now have worldwide fans!!!
Amy
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