Where to begin!
It's 5:15 AM on Friday 21 MRCH 2014, and I have been here right at 36 hours now, with almost exactly one week (168 hours) before my flight out. I'm almost over the jet lag, with yesterday a pretty rough day, but this morning much better.
As mentioned before, I spent the first day on a tour of the city, arranged through Eyewitness Turkey Travel, realized through She Tours. I'll quickly list what we saw, then till in more details over the next few days. First was the Hippodrome, the old sports track, albeit I don't think anybody would recognize it as such since there is no real sign of it left. After that, we went to the Blue Mosque, then the Hagia Sophia Mosque and the Grand Bazaar. Lunch was provided (beef kebab and baklava), then on to the Little Hagia Sophia Mosque and Topkapi Palace. Instead of taking the bus home, I decided to walk from the last stop (the palace) back to my hotel; it was long and somewhat arduous, but a great way to see the city. (BTW, for that moronic website I stumbled across that says Istanbul is "one of the 12 most walkable cities in the world," get real. It's hilly, the walkways are uneven, and as a pedestrian crossing the road you just bolt across when there is a gap as this place is not designed for walking, other than the pedestrian thoroughfare blocked off around Taksim Square.)
More on the above later, I just wanted to get the high level notes down first before I forgot the details.
Today and tomorrow I think I will spend on the Hop-on-Hop-off bus, then after that decide if I want to stay in town or venture out for a day trip; it's too early to tell at this point. I do want to make sure to see Hard Rock (which should be within walking distance) and the underground cisterns.
Back to present time, life in the moment. It's dry this morning, unlike yesterday's early morning, and very heavy, rainfall. As mentioned above, I got up early just to see what the streets looked like at 4:30 AM, and it was remarkably lively in this area around Taksim Square. The food stalls were open, so for less the $2 US I was able to get a mini-burger and bottle of water, then I walked down the pedestrian thoroughfare. I'm not sure why so many people (mostly young men) were out, as there was little going on other than a couple of clubs open, but in any case there were many people on the street. It felt very safe, with only a couple of panhandlers approaching me, as well as a couple of "young women" dressed all too to be anything other than a sex worker. (I was also approached by one, a transexual, yesterday afternoon--not really something I expected in an Islamic country. More on this later.) There was a lot of trash piled up on the street, ready for pick up, and many of the shop owners were out cleaning their facilities, even pouring soap water over the sidewalks in front. Really, it was a rather bizarre sight for this time of the morning, though it is always nice to know when you are traveling that a 4:00 AM munchie can always be had.
As mentioned in the earlier post, alcohol is fairly expensive, though one real bargain is Efes beer, a locally brewed pilsner that is cheap and good. I'm not normally a big beer fan, though given that it's a fraction of the cost of hard liquor here, I think I may spend the next week drinking like Homer Simpson rather than James Bond.
Twitter has been blocked here in light of the upcoming elections next week; I'll have to research it a bit more then fill in the details when I know more, but for now I'll simply note that it has happened and the fact was confirmed on the news this morning.
There are a few really odd things I am finding out about this place. First off, WiFi access is not nearly as pervasive as it is in most other countries at this time. It's not impossible to find, but it's not a given that you will be able to locate it in any given cafe. If you are relying on getting it through a bar or cafe, you need to ask if they have it first rather than assuming they have it. Also, it's not terribly easy to find a SIM card for the cell phone. I did not go out of my way to find one yesterday, so I'll look again today to see if I can locate one, but it does seem odd that this is relatively difficult to find.
Cigarette smoking is retro, like back in the 1970s. Not only will you find this a smoker-friendly city, but they don't separate non-smokers from the puffers. I was at Starbucks yesterday sipping a coffee (in my failed hope to get WiFi), and a couple sat next to me outdoors on the patio puffing away. Normally I don't make too much of an issue about this, but I have to admit it was a surprise in this day and age. In Asia, and in Europe, smoking is increasingly frowned upon and segregated, but somehow Istanbul, literally at the crossroads of the two continents, seems not to know that it is a "dying" practice. Street vendors readily push their products, and in my room there is an ashtray with matches, even though I specifically asked for a non-smoking room.
Stray cats and dogs are fairly common here, though they are very domesticated and friendly beasts, usually sleeping quietly in public and more than grateful for a stroke on the back. Big Kudos to the combination cafe/bar/bookstore Ada for allowing one feline to sit (sleep) at his own table inside the restaurant, not to be disturbed other than to be admired by patrons and staff alike. Granted, it's a bit odd to see your waiter pet a cat then bring out your pizza and beer, but truth be told I've done it at home more times than I care to admit, so it's really not that big a deal.
Here are a couple of foreshadowings I will discuss more in upcoming posts: Though this country is 80% Muslim, it really does not feel that way at all, and I am starting to think that the "degree" of steadfastness to the religion gets stronger as you go further south, such as Egypt/Jordan and then Saudi Arabia/UAE.
Also, I want to look into the pedestrianized thoroughfare a bit more and get some more details on it, such as where it runs and the like.
In any case, it is getting on to 6:00 AM, and I think I will stroll outside to see if any of the coffee shops have yet opened. I don't really need another mini-burger, but some coffee would do well at the moment.
It's 5:15 AM on Friday 21 MRCH 2014, and I have been here right at 36 hours now, with almost exactly one week (168 hours) before my flight out. I'm almost over the jet lag, with yesterday a pretty rough day, but this morning much better.
As mentioned before, I spent the first day on a tour of the city, arranged through Eyewitness Turkey Travel, realized through She Tours. I'll quickly list what we saw, then till in more details over the next few days. First was the Hippodrome, the old sports track, albeit I don't think anybody would recognize it as such since there is no real sign of it left. After that, we went to the Blue Mosque, then the Hagia Sophia Mosque and the Grand Bazaar. Lunch was provided (beef kebab and baklava), then on to the Little Hagia Sophia Mosque and Topkapi Palace. Instead of taking the bus home, I decided to walk from the last stop (the palace) back to my hotel; it was long and somewhat arduous, but a great way to see the city. (BTW, for that moronic website I stumbled across that says Istanbul is "one of the 12 most walkable cities in the world," get real. It's hilly, the walkways are uneven, and as a pedestrian crossing the road you just bolt across when there is a gap as this place is not designed for walking, other than the pedestrian thoroughfare blocked off around Taksim Square.)
More on the above later, I just wanted to get the high level notes down first before I forgot the details.
Today and tomorrow I think I will spend on the Hop-on-Hop-off bus, then after that decide if I want to stay in town or venture out for a day trip; it's too early to tell at this point. I do want to make sure to see Hard Rock (which should be within walking distance) and the underground cisterns.
Back to present time, life in the moment. It's dry this morning, unlike yesterday's early morning, and very heavy, rainfall. As mentioned above, I got up early just to see what the streets looked like at 4:30 AM, and it was remarkably lively in this area around Taksim Square. The food stalls were open, so for less the $2 US I was able to get a mini-burger and bottle of water, then I walked down the pedestrian thoroughfare. I'm not sure why so many people (mostly young men) were out, as there was little going on other than a couple of clubs open, but in any case there were many people on the street. It felt very safe, with only a couple of panhandlers approaching me, as well as a couple of "young women" dressed all too to be anything other than a sex worker. (I was also approached by one, a transexual, yesterday afternoon--not really something I expected in an Islamic country. More on this later.) There was a lot of trash piled up on the street, ready for pick up, and many of the shop owners were out cleaning their facilities, even pouring soap water over the sidewalks in front. Really, it was a rather bizarre sight for this time of the morning, though it is always nice to know when you are traveling that a 4:00 AM munchie can always be had.
As mentioned in the earlier post, alcohol is fairly expensive, though one real bargain is Efes beer, a locally brewed pilsner that is cheap and good. I'm not normally a big beer fan, though given that it's a fraction of the cost of hard liquor here, I think I may spend the next week drinking like Homer Simpson rather than James Bond.
Twitter has been blocked here in light of the upcoming elections next week; I'll have to research it a bit more then fill in the details when I know more, but for now I'll simply note that it has happened and the fact was confirmed on the news this morning.
There are a few really odd things I am finding out about this place. First off, WiFi access is not nearly as pervasive as it is in most other countries at this time. It's not impossible to find, but it's not a given that you will be able to locate it in any given cafe. If you are relying on getting it through a bar or cafe, you need to ask if they have it first rather than assuming they have it. Also, it's not terribly easy to find a SIM card for the cell phone. I did not go out of my way to find one yesterday, so I'll look again today to see if I can locate one, but it does seem odd that this is relatively difficult to find.
Cigarette smoking is retro, like back in the 1970s. Not only will you find this a smoker-friendly city, but they don't separate non-smokers from the puffers. I was at Starbucks yesterday sipping a coffee (in my failed hope to get WiFi), and a couple sat next to me outdoors on the patio puffing away. Normally I don't make too much of an issue about this, but I have to admit it was a surprise in this day and age. In Asia, and in Europe, smoking is increasingly frowned upon and segregated, but somehow Istanbul, literally at the crossroads of the two continents, seems not to know that it is a "dying" practice. Street vendors readily push their products, and in my room there is an ashtray with matches, even though I specifically asked for a non-smoking room.
Stray cats and dogs are fairly common here, though they are very domesticated and friendly beasts, usually sleeping quietly in public and more than grateful for a stroke on the back. Big Kudos to the combination cafe/bar/bookstore Ada for allowing one feline to sit (sleep) at his own table inside the restaurant, not to be disturbed other than to be admired by patrons and staff alike. Granted, it's a bit odd to see your waiter pet a cat then bring out your pizza and beer, but truth be told I've done it at home more times than I care to admit, so it's really not that big a deal.
Here are a couple of foreshadowings I will discuss more in upcoming posts: Though this country is 80% Muslim, it really does not feel that way at all, and I am starting to think that the "degree" of steadfastness to the religion gets stronger as you go further south, such as Egypt/Jordan and then Saudi Arabia/UAE.
Also, I want to look into the pedestrianized thoroughfare a bit more and get some more details on it, such as where it runs and the like.
In any case, it is getting on to 6:00 AM, and I think I will stroll outside to see if any of the coffee shops have yet opened. I don't really need another mini-burger, but some coffee would do well at the moment.
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