Friday, July 10, 2009

Turkey: You will get used it it in time

"WELCOME TO TURKEY" reads the hotel handout, WE WISH YOU TO RETURN TO YOUR COUNTRY WITH HAPPY MEMORIES.

Here in Istanbul, rumors of Turkish hospitality live up to expectations. I have been served tea three times, queried about my ancestry, invited to go drinking, and given an extensive lesson on the knotting in Turkish Carpets (a double knot weave is better than single knot, and older enhances the tones of the natural dyes).

OUR CURRENCY IS CALLED AS "NEWTURKISHLIRE (YTL)" YOU WILL GET USED TO IT IN TIME.

The exchange rate to dollars is roughly 1.5, so i'm spending like a european on holiday. There are an enormous number of things to buy: this is a city of trade. The grand bazaar is endless, the city has a decicedly mercantile feel.

PLEASE BE CAREFUL ABOUT THE PEOPLE YOU MEET ON THE STREETS IN TURKEY...THERE IS AN INCREASE ON THEAF BY NON-TURKISH PEOPLE AGAINST TOURISTS.

People on the streets are very aggressive, though it's impossible to tell who is or isn't Turkish. Sellers and restaurant stringers establish eye contact and feign insult ("I was just talking to you").

The people i've met are wonderfully locquacious, knowledgeable, and internationally aware... more so than in any other city in the world.

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