Transiting through Istanbul I came across
some interesting works.

Once there was, once there wasn't
God's creatures were as plentiful as grains
And talking too much was a sin

Preamble to a Turkish tale and
an Armenian one

One of my co-travelers got more outspoken
as the whisky got into his chemistry.
I know everything about dealing with the
airlines people, he kept saying...
Thirty years I have spent on this circuit.
From Tripoli to Delhi.
Do not be afraid of these airlines people.

He was getting louder and louder till the
air pressure differentials caused him to have
pain in the ears.

Give me some tobacco, he yelled at some of his
co-workers who were traveling with him.

Tobacco is the cure of ear ache, he continued.

We all smiled quietly at this new knowledge he
was imparting to us.