Turkey Trot

Tea Sugar and Dreams 

    That was how our tour guide told us to say thank you in Turkish (After we had several failed attempts to repeat the actual phrase, apparently if you say 'tea sugar and dreams' fast enough it's passable). It turned into a good symbol for all of Istanbul. The Turkish drink copious amounts of tea, and it's difficult to drink without a few cubes of sugar. As for the dreams.... well who hasn't dreamed of visiting Istanbul.
     The colors, the noise, the smell, the crowds, a sprawling city with a skyline dotted with historic mosques. This was just our first small taste of Istanbul. Yet at the beginning it was hard for me to see what everyone had raved about. Perhaps my expectations were too high, after all I had several people tell me it was their favorite city in the world. At the beginning it just seemed like a typical loud city, bursting at the seems with too many people (needless to say I was in for a surprise when we arrived in Cairo). Plus we had been placed in the most touristy part of the city, and all the street fenders and waiters all spoke English. Its not like I didn't like the city, I just didn't understand what was so great about it. We had seen the famous palace, the serene blue mosque, the historical hippodrome, the iconic whirling dervishes, and the grandiose Hagia Sophia in the first two days. 'What will we do for the next three days?' I wondered. How naive of me.

     The turning point came, ironically, at a moment of crisis. We had gone to Tahrir Squire to check out the night life (if you like clubbing don't miss it, if you'd rather not have your eardrums blown out of the back of your head by pop-music give it a pass). Me and two of the girls decided to try to make it back before the last bus (at 12). Everyone else decided to stay and hang with the term in the middle east group and take a taxi home later. Normally, when we take public transportation, Sudip takes over and we just blindly follow him. However I was Sudip-less and felt confident navigating the complex, unintelligible Turkish bus system. Predictably I led us in the completely wrong direction and we had only 10 minutes to make the very last tram. An older gentleman took notice of our plight and asked us where we were heading. I pointed desperately in the general direction of our hotel on the map. He told us that we might make it if we took the blue line transfer line. It meant nothing to me. The bus eased to a stop. 'Follow me, quickly" he said. I hesitated for a long second then nodded, at this point we didn't have much choice. He raced off a long corridor as soon as the doors slid open, us struggling to keep up. He took a left, then another left, then a right. Soon I was completely lost, but suddenly we there. We stumbled onto the tram with seconds left. I barely able to get out a 'thank you' as the doors slid close between us. He just smiled and waved. The tram slipped away from the station and I sunk into my seat, hard in thought.
      I had misjudged the people here. With 22 girls all I could see was interior motives behind the words of every man we met. But I had been wrong. Sure they wanted to sell us their crap, but they're just trying to make a living just like everyone else. Sometimes can be nice just to be nice, and Turkish people are some of the friendliest I'be met. They are proud of their country as flags dominate the skyline. The are a religious and pious people, called to pray five times a day, something me and Doug were fortunate enough to see during a day trip to Bursa. If you ever get a chance to see a Muslim prayer I highly recommend it, their devotion, concentration, and meditation is incredible. And we noticed this as tourists, outsiders looking in. We became friends with the waiter at the restaurant at our hotel who joked with us, gave us the best seats, served us free apple tea, and even turned on the England game for me one night. On a bus ride I met another Turkish man who asked me about our trip, advised me where to go in Turkey, and even offered me his pomegranate. Of course, it wasn't all perfect. One waiter tricked some of our group into buying a $50 bottle of wine (expensive here). But overall, the people of Turkey have gained my respect and my thanks.
       As my view of the people changed so did my perspective of the city. In the mornings we woke up and had tea outside in the roof and watched Istanbul wake up. During the day we explored the city, inhaling the sights and smells of the spice market, wondering at the underground cistern that first moved water for the city in 600 AD (this was a personal favorite of mine), and playing frisbee on the sand next to the black sea (I am now able to say I crossed from Europe to Asia on a bus, all without leaving Istanbul city limits). In the end I wanted more days in Istanbul, not less. Sadly we have moved on to Cairo but one day I think I'll return Turkey. I'd still like to see Gallipoli, Troy, Pamukkale, and of course Ephesus. But for now I'll put that aside and enjoy Egypt.

 -JT

 (I'll try to put more pictures up soon. Its hard since I don't have a computer with me. I'll even put a few of me in. I just figured people wouldn't want me getting in the way of the sights).