East Meets West
Trip Start
Apr 01, 2008
1
50
59
Trip End
Oct 05, 2008
Istanbul,
Turkey
Saturday, September 6, 2008
The lady at the train ticket office must have liked me because she gave me my own private sleeper car for the normal price. I fell asleep around 1am expecting to get a decent sleep and wake up in the morning in Istanbul. Nothing ever goes as expected.
First I was woken up by a Greek official at 2am to take my passport. Then he came back at 2:45am to return my passport
blue mosque
. At 3:30am a Turkish official came by to collect my passport. At 4am all the passengers were hearded off the bus to pay for our visas--it was 15 euros for almost everyone but canadians had to pay 45! I thought about asking the customs official since when was turkey admitted to the EU and started collecting euros, but then I thought better. Next I was woken up 4:30am to have my passport returned and at 5am I was woken up to have my bags checked by customs. So much for a good night sleep...Arrived at 9am in Istanbul after a 13.5 hour train ride. Walked to Bahaus hostel and checked in. Afterwards Billy, Becca and I went to explore. We walked to the Blue Mosque (which is one of the most impressive buildings I have ever seen), Hagia Sofia, the Grand Bazaar (the oldest covered shopping area in the world) and finally to the spice market.
I preffered the spice market over the Grand Bazaar. At the spice market I stuffed myself on turkish delight, baklava and other amazing desserts. They sold many things besides spices in the market including puppies, plants and even leeches!
Afterwards we walked back to the hostel and I went up to the rooftop terrace to chill. The terrace had a fantastic view and cushions to lounge on. I went out that night with a group of people from the hostel to a fantastic dinner and afterwards we walked around
Hagia Sofia
. It is currently Ramadan so there are many festivities set up all over the city including concerts and carnival rides.Later some of us decided to go out to Taksim, the area of town where all the clubs and bars are. I was pretty dissapointed. Not only were the clubs empty, the drinks were too expensive for me to afford. Nonetheless I wandered around with a few guys hoping to find something better. We did find a homeless man who stuck his dentures out at people passing by which was quite disgusting but also funny, so we fed him food and got him a beer from the corner store.
It was getting late so I decided that to take a taxi with two english guys. They instantly got on my nerves, constantly bickering and arguıng. About halfway back they started arguing with the cabbie so I asked to be let out, paid for my share and walked home. I saw them the next morning and they told me there argument with the cabbie turned in to a major fiasco. Many other cab drıvers became involved and eventually the police even showed up. I was glad I left.
The next day I had to check in to Sydney Hostel because Bahaus was full. No problem because Sydney was just as nice and cheaper. Spent the next two days workıng on my law school personal statement and applications because the internet at the hostel was free!
blue mosque
Last night I got a massage at a traditional Turkish Hammam or bathouse. First I laid down on a marble table in a very warm room. Afte 15 minutes of sweating, a fat, hairy Turkish man came in and three water on me. Next he covered me in soapy foam, gave me a massage and cracked my back. Afterwards he scrubbed me down with an exfoliating pad. It was a very unique, Turkish experience.Today I went back to the Blue Mosque and explored the inside because on my previous trip it was closed to the public for prayer time. In a couple hours I am going to apply for a job with Fez Bus tours. but if I dont get an immediate answer, I am going to take the overnight train to Sofia, Bulgaria and try to get a job teaching english there. After more than five months of traveling, I want to settle down for a bit.
PS the turkish keyboard is strange so sorry if there are lots typos
