“You’ve dropped something back there”, I heard a young man say to a young woman (who was in a small group) as she walked from Istanbul’s “Blue Mosque”. “Oh no”, I thought to myself, it’s one of those tourist scams like I observed a few years ago near the Eifel Tower. As a reflex action, I grabbed hold of my own wallet in my pocket and looked towards what was going on. Putting his hand on my chest, he said “It was my heart”.… Read the rest “Terrible Turkish Tourist”
There was a brief moment today when I thought I’d bitten off more than I could chew. As I looked around the street signs there wasn’t a single word I understood. Unlike other places I’ve visited in the last few years, I was beginning to feel I’d failed to do (what I thought) was adequate background research about the history and geography of the place. “Oh my goodness, I know more about Chinese history, language and culture than I know about Turkey”, I thought to myself, feeling somewhat ashamed.… Read the rest “Saying Yes in Istanbul”
“It’s very simple. You take six stops and then you change and you take six more stops, and then you get off, and it’s around the corner”, the bloke at the metro station in Istanbul explained to me. “I’ll help you”, he said very genuinely.
When I’m travelling, I’m one of those travellers who likes to use the local public transport system of the place I’m visiting. As well as being quite a bit cheaper than catching taxis (especially from airports), I think it’s a really great way to get an insight into the city you’re visiting.… Read the rest “Hello Istanbul”