Istan-Bull and Tourist Traps

Yeaaah, I'l get to the tourist sites soon. I visited several, but first I thought I would share some experiences about the hustle and bustle that every tourist will encounter in Istanbul.

"Hello. Where you from?" is how it starts. First: engage tourist in conversation. Second: establish connection. Basically, everyone has something to sell to you, well almost everyone. Mention where you're from and wham... "Ohhhh, I was just in California," or "My uncle has a rug store in San Francisco" or "I went to university in Seattle." No matter where you're from, the man you are speaking with has either been there, or has a brother, cousin or uncle who lives there. This held true even when I claimed to be from England. And third? Third: persuade tourist to buy something, preferably a rug. Not to worry - they ship to the U.S. As a tourist, I learned quickly not to make eye contact with anyone. But there's still no way to avoid being dragged into a rug shop and offered some apple tea. I did it twice, just for fun.

Of course, as a tourist, the real trap is food. Okay, as Rick, the real trap is food. There's something about eating food that is being cooked by a street vendor in front of my eyes that is just so enticing. Istanbul is the home of kebaps (not kebabs,) corn that has the texture of rubber (at least the one I tried) and sweets like baklava (yummmm) and even cotton candy. Close your eyes and imagine the corn vendors rhythmically drumming with their metal tongs and calling out "misir, misir."

The Spice Bazaar, though not as crazy as the enormous Grand Bazaar with it's 4,000 shops, is a sight to be seen and smelled. Be prepared to be jostled about, engage in lively banter with the shopkeepers and tempted by the wide array of nuts, honey, olive oil and soaps, Turkish Delights and dried fruits.

Then there are the a million (and I'm not sure if that is an exaggeration) street and "mini-mall" vendors who sell crap. A lot of crap. Remote controls, spirographs, meowing kitten toys, faux-rolex watches and things that make me wonder "who buys this shit?" I took several photos, as I was intrigued, but I will spare you from looking at fishing poles, screw drivers, batteries and pens. But I guarantee you, these are all items that can be found on the streets of Istanbul.

Then there is the trendy Istiklal Cadessi (street) near my hotel. At the top end, near Taksim Square, there are six - 1,2,3,4,5,6, conjoined kebap stands. How does a national economy surive on "independent business owners" (aka steet vendors), high levels of competition and crap? That's Turkey!

Then, there are exceptions. I found a few streets with high end jewelry and art. And, though most everyone was trying to sell me something, it was nice to just chat with "my cousins" for a bit before they went to dinner to break their day long Ramazan fast. "Where you from?" "Oh, I have some cousins in Istanbul." Here's the photo to prove it.