Eastern Vendors

Ok, I feel like I have really short changed Turkey.  That was mostly because I have been really busy, and I have felt crappy most of the rest of the time.  But I think that I am finally back to normal.   And with the return of my positive attitude, I am really starting to love Turkey. 

As I mentioned earlier, we spent our first week in Turkey touring down the west coast of Turkey, visiting mostly New Testament sites.  It doesn’t hurt that most of the early churches were located in huge, beautifully preserved cities.  We were lead around by Kubilay Tunçer (QB), who is a tour guide in his spare time.  His real job (and yes, we have verified this online) is as a magician.  He has won the Merlin award, which apparently one of the highest honors for a magician worldwide.  He is also a screenwriter, and has written several episodes of the Arab world’s most popular show, Silver.  He told us that this touring was his vacation, and I can totally believe it.  He has friends all over Turkey that he was able to visit, plus some of the cool places we stayed, plus he is being paid for it!  I would be happy with that vacation.

Our bus driver, Yusuf, was equally awesome.  He is one of the best bus drivers I have ever seen, maneuvering through alleys with 6 in between bus and wall on each side.  He spoke very limited English, which at first was a major barrier to getting to know him.  The first time I really talked with him was when we were staying in the little town of Kula.  We entered the town with a bit of fuss, since our bus was too big to fit down an alley, which put Yusuf at odds with some of the locals.  Later that day, Heather, Cassie and I went to the local street market.  In Turkey, they have market days once a week.  There I found a sweater to replace the one I lost.  The only problem was that the merchant spoke absolutely no English, and did not know how to communicate price to me.  Just then, Yusuf shows up and is able to help me, not only communicate, but haggle down the price, and check to make sure I was not buying a faulty product.  On the walk back to the hotel, he gave us some of his warm, fresh bread, which he had bought.  There were a bunch of other girls in the courtyard of the hotel, and we sat and all ate bread together for about a half an hour. 

The last night on tour, we played water polo in the hotel pool.  QB and Yusuf were on the same team.  That was a mistake.  At the beginning, we asked what the rules were.  QB gave us an odd look, and then said “Don’t drown?” We had so much fun, splashing each other, dunking people, and, in Yusuf case, laying on the pavement in front of the goal. 

Istanbul has been so awesome so far.  There are good and bad about being in the old part of town.  Things here are more expensive here, and there are definitely touristy stores that are filled with pushy sales people.  But even when you get away from the major tourist sites, people will sometimes try to convince you to come to their restaurant or by their products.  Even in Taxim Square district, which is filled with locals, there were people inviting you into their clubs.  But I have actually started to like the Turkish merchants.

I am having a really hard time trying to explain this in words, but stay with me here. First, most vendors are not creeps.  A few are, but most are not. Then accept that they are not being rude.  They just want to get your attention.  But they are honestly really nice people, willing to answer questions about totally unrelated things, and very pleasant to chat with.  They want you to find what you are looking for, and are willing to bend over backwards to help you find it. The thing that turns off most westerners is the increased pressure to buy.  But if you just keep reminding yourself that you don’t have to buy anything from anyone, it can really be a lot of fun to shop in Turkey.  It really comes down to the fact that you can’t (and shouldn’t) be scared of them.

Both Hagias Sophia and the Blue Mosque were beautiful.  The Grand Bazaar was fun, but full of cheap stuff that I really don’t need.  The Egyptian Bazaar (the spice market) has definitely been a highlight.  It is a bit of a sensory overload, with so many colors and smells.  But the prices for candies and tea really cannot be beat.  The vendors there are also more chill than those at the Grand Bazaar.  We took a boat tour of the Bosporus, which was beautiful.  Today we got to sleep in, which was wonderful. 

That’s it for now.

Andrea