diff --git a/socketIO_client/__init__.py b/socketIO_client/__init__.py
index e966e3a..e4d5fa1 100644
--- a/socketIO_client/__init__.py
+++ b/socketIO_client/__init__.py
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
+from collections import namedtuple
 import logging
 import json
+import parser
 import requests
 import time
-from collections import namedtuple
+
 try:
     from urllib import parse as parse_url
 except ImportError:
@@ -367,8 +369,7 @@ def _parse_host(host, port):
     url_pack = parse_url(host)
     is_secure = url_pack.scheme == 'https'
     port = port or url_pack.port or (443 if is_secure else 80)
-    base_url = '%s:%d%s/socket.io/%s' % (
-        url_pack.hostname, port, url_pack.path, PROTOCOL_VERSION)
+    base_url = '%s:%d%s/socket.io/%s' % (url_pack.hostname, port, url_pack.path, PROTOCOL_VERSION)
     return is_secure, base_url
 
 
@@ -395,13 +396,23 @@ def _yield_elapsed_time(seconds=None):
 
 
 def _get_socketIO_session(is_secure, base_url, **kw):
-    server_url = '%s://%s/' % ('https' if is_secure else 'http', base_url)
+    server_url = '%s://%s/?transport=polling' % ('https' if is_secure else 'http', base_url)
+    _log.debug('[session] %s', server_url)
     try:
         response = _get_response(requests.get, server_url, **kw)
     except TimeoutError as e:
         raise ConnectionError(e)
-    response_parts = response.text.split(':')
+
+    _log.debug("[response] %s", response.text);
+    decoded = parser.decode_response(response);
+    _log.debug("[decoded] %s", repr(decoded));
+
     return _SocketIOSession(
-        id=response_parts[0],
-        heartbeat_timeout=int(response_parts[1]),
-        server_supported_transports=response_parts[3].split(','))
+        id = decoded["payload"]["sid"],
+        heartbeat_timeout = int(decoded["payload"]["pingInterval"]),
+        server_supported_transports = ["xhr-polling"]);#decoded["payload"]["upgrades"]);
+
+    #return _SocketIOSession(
+    #    id=response_parts[0],
+    #    heartbeat_timeout=int(response_parts[1]),
+    #    server_supported_transports=response_parts[3].split(','))
diff --git a/socketIO_client/parser.py b/socketIO_client/parser.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2231481
--- /dev/null
+++ b/socketIO_client/parser.py
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+import logging
+import json
+
+_log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+""" Decodes a response from requests lib.
+"""
+def decode_response(response):
+    # TODO(sean): Should we use the 'raw' stream instead?
+    raw_bytes = response.content;
+    packet_type = "string" if ord(raw_bytes[0]) == 0 else "binary";
+    _log.debug("Packet type: %s" % packet_type);
+
+    if packet_type is "string":
+        length_bytes = [];
+        offset = 1;
+        while ord(raw_bytes[offset]) is not 255:
+            length_bytes.append(ord(raw_bytes[offset]));
+            offset += 1;
+        offset += 1;
+
+        length = 0;
+        base = 1;
+        for digit in reversed(length_bytes):
+            length += (int(digit) * base);
+            base *= 10;
+        _log.debug("Packet length: %d" % length);
+
+        message_type = raw_bytes[offset];
+        offset += 1;
+
+        message = {"type": message_type, "payload": json.loads(raw_bytes[offset:offset + length - 1])};
+        _log.debug("Message: %s" % repr(message));
+        return message;
+    else:
+        pass;
+
+    return "";
+
+def decode_packet(packet):
+    pass;
diff --git a/socketIO_client/transports.py b/socketIO_client/transports.py
index 172ca15..e1a0064 100644
--- a/socketIO_client/transports.py
+++ b/socketIO_client/transports.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import json
 import logging
+import parser
 import re
 import requests
 import six
@@ -79,6 +80,7 @@ class _AbstractTransport(object):
         for packet_text in self.recv():
             _log.debug('[packet received] %s', packet_text)
             try:
+                #packet = parser.decode_response(packet_text);
                 packet_parts = packet_text.split(':', 3)
             except AttributeError:
                 _log.warn('[packet error] %s', packet_text)
@@ -167,7 +169,7 @@ class _XHR_PollingTransport(_AbstractTransport):
 
     def __init__(self, socketIO_session, is_secure, base_url, **kw):
         super(_XHR_PollingTransport, self).__init__()
-        self._url = '%s://%s/xhr-polling/%s' % (
+        self._url = '%s://%s/?transport=polling&sid=%s' % (
             'https' if is_secure else 'http',
             base_url, socketIO_session.id)
         self._connected = True
@@ -198,6 +200,7 @@ class _XHR_PollingTransport(_AbstractTransport):
             self._url,
             params=self._params,
             timeout=TIMEOUT_IN_SECONDS)
+        #response_text = response.content
         response_text = response.text
         if not response_text.startswith(BOUNDARY):
             yield response_text