Istanbul - part 1
(as many of the people reading this have been there, I'm going to fill in Paris when I get back to Amsterdam, because once again, there is not wireless in my hotel. Apparently to them, "wireless internet" means you leave the hotel and walk 200 meters to "Backpacker's Travel" with whom they have a partnership and use of free DSL. *sigh*)
I arrived in Istanbul at 3 in the morning, Istanbul time. As you can imagine, there wasn't much to see at that time, but I flew into the airport on the asian side, so my hotel shuttle ride took me through all 3 parts of Istanbul: the Asian side, the middle, or "new" istanbul, and to Old Istanbul, to Sultanahmet where my hotel is located. 38 euros/night buys you a nice 3-star hotel with hardwood floor, pretty tapestries, and a really nice bathroom, a far cry from paris where 68 euros a night buys you a 2-star habitable flop. I smoked a joint, showered, and went to sleep. Only to be woken up at the ungodly time of somewhere between 5 am and 6 am, by Islamic morning prayer. I thought it was just someone close by chanting his prayer, but no. The minarets of the mosques blare the prayers. If you don't know about this, you are very soon reminded you are in a heavily Muslim country.
I got back to sleep and managed to sleep past the free breakfast (8 - 10:30) at my hotel. So I wandered out, thinking I'd eat near Aya Sofia when I got there. I should have gone on the roof terrace before leaving, in spite of missing breakfast, because I would have seen how close the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofia are to my hotel. Instead, I went the wrong way, walked along the Bosphorus, and finally saw a sign that took my up a winding, steep street to the Mosques.
I had no turkish lira, so I needed to go to the ATM. Of the 3 directly across from Aya Sofia, only one was working, and it refused to work for either of my cards. A man offered to show me where Bank Street is, where I could find some European banks and be more likely to successfully withdraw cash. I'd heard about the "guide" phenomenon, but this didn't strike me as something like that. As we walked to Bank Street, he asked me to come inside his family's shop for a cup of tea. It sounded nice and so I accepted.
His family sells carpets, kilims, ceramics and made-to-order jewelery. As I sat there, he told me there were some Americans in the store, who had bought a carpet from his undcle 30 years ago, and were here visiting again. So he asked me to come meet them.
And here's where I should have left. I was introduced to the friends and the uncle, and the uncle started in with the hard sell on carpets. Still, it was kind of interesting seeing the whole process, so I'm glad I did have the experience. He started commanding his nephews to roll out carpets for me to view. Maybe 50 or more. Then I pointed out a few I liked as the wrapped the rest up. I was thinking they'd be maybe 200 or 300 for the small ones - but when I had the ones I liked chosen, he started quoting me between 800 and 1300 lira ($600 - $1100). Too rich for my blood, so at that point I said I didn't think I wanted to spend that kind of money so early in my trip. I was trying to be polite and get the hell out of there.
Instead, I ended upstairs in Mustafa's (the uncle) office, given turkish coffee served by his neice, watching her put a cigarette in his mouth and light it for him, then leave us so he could give me a lesson in carpet and kilim making, and trying all sorts of ways to convince me to "invest" my money in a carpet. He found out it was my birthday just recently, and gave me a present of a hand painted ceramic bowl.
I could not get out of there without being rude, and they were being really nice to me.
Until Mustafa decided he thought I was hot and began climbing all over me.
One minute, I'm sitting on the sofa having carpets explained to me. The next minute his tongue is down my throat.
I tolerated his gropings for a bit. I wasn't afraid of it getting to the point of me being raped in that office, not with his family in the building and the Tourist Police 3 doors down. And besides, when he tried to put his hand down my pants and direct my hand to stroke his rock-hard cock, I pulled away, and he backed off. I was mostly in control of the situation.
Except for the not being able to get out of there part.
Eventually, he did let me out, and had his nephew take me on to bank street. Then he walked me to Aya Sofia, and I thought that would be the end of it.
Aya Sofia was amazing. But it's falling apart, and they are slow to renovate it. I particularly liked the two seraphim painted on the ceiling above the entry on either side of the largest room.
But that wasn't the end of my carpet "buying" experience, the nephew waited for me with his cousins by the exit, and at the end, I said I was just going to go to the Basilica Cisterne, and he said, "come have tea". Crap. I asked where, he said "just on the corner", I thought he meant the little cafe on the corner. And soon I was in Mustafa's office again.
This time, I did manage to get out without the tongue down my throat and gropings, but I had to promise to come back the next day (I didn't go).
GAH!
I wasted like 4 hours on that. And I still hadn't had breakfast.
Right.
Food.
As I walked away, many other men tried talking to me. I just kept going. Then this one called after me. I didn't stop. He called again. I kept going. Then he was following me, and finally I stopped and turned to him and told him I really just wanted to be left alone, as I had just been hustled into a shop and given the hard sell (and molested, which I left out). He promised me he was not trying to hustle me. He introduced himself as Hasan, and asked me if I had seen the Blue Mosque yet. Too worn down from the earlier encounter, I didn't have it in me to be a bitch and just walk away. I told him I had not, and after showing me the Theodosian Obelisk, he took me into the Mosque.
After, he brought me into his family's carpet store, and he was true to his word, he did not try to sell me anything. I sat on the terrace with him and had apple tea. He was being really sweet. Eventually, I asked him to show me the leather store, too. I *did* want a leather coat from Istanbul. So we went, and within maybe 45 minutes, I had a brand new tailored to me leather coat that would have cost me $600 or $700 at home, and not been tailored to fit me. I paid $200.
Hasan walked me back to my hotel, and we made arrangements to have dinner later that night.
See - this one wasn't trying to sell me something. He wanted to take me out.
More on that later.
I arrived in Istanbul at 3 in the morning, Istanbul time. As you can imagine, there wasn't much to see at that time, but I flew into the airport on the asian side, so my hotel shuttle ride took me through all 3 parts of Istanbul: the Asian side, the middle, or "new" istanbul, and to Old Istanbul, to Sultanahmet where my hotel is located. 38 euros/night buys you a nice 3-star hotel with hardwood floor, pretty tapestries, and a really nice bathroom, a far cry from paris where 68 euros a night buys you a 2-star habitable flop. I smoked a joint, showered, and went to sleep. Only to be woken up at the ungodly time of somewhere between 5 am and 6 am, by Islamic morning prayer. I thought it was just someone close by chanting his prayer, but no. The minarets of the mosques blare the prayers. If you don't know about this, you are very soon reminded you are in a heavily Muslim country.
I got back to sleep and managed to sleep past the free breakfast (8 - 10:30) at my hotel. So I wandered out, thinking I'd eat near Aya Sofia when I got there. I should have gone on the roof terrace before leaving, in spite of missing breakfast, because I would have seen how close the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofia are to my hotel. Instead, I went the wrong way, walked along the Bosphorus, and finally saw a sign that took my up a winding, steep street to the Mosques.
I had no turkish lira, so I needed to go to the ATM. Of the 3 directly across from Aya Sofia, only one was working, and it refused to work for either of my cards. A man offered to show me where Bank Street is, where I could find some European banks and be more likely to successfully withdraw cash. I'd heard about the "guide" phenomenon, but this didn't strike me as something like that. As we walked to Bank Street, he asked me to come inside his family's shop for a cup of tea. It sounded nice and so I accepted.
His family sells carpets, kilims, ceramics and made-to-order jewelery. As I sat there, he told me there were some Americans in the store, who had bought a carpet from his undcle 30 years ago, and were here visiting again. So he asked me to come meet them.
And here's where I should have left. I was introduced to the friends and the uncle, and the uncle started in with the hard sell on carpets. Still, it was kind of interesting seeing the whole process, so I'm glad I did have the experience. He started commanding his nephews to roll out carpets for me to view. Maybe 50 or more. Then I pointed out a few I liked as the wrapped the rest up. I was thinking they'd be maybe 200 or 300 for the small ones - but when I had the ones I liked chosen, he started quoting me between 800 and 1300 lira ($600 - $1100). Too rich for my blood, so at that point I said I didn't think I wanted to spend that kind of money so early in my trip. I was trying to be polite and get the hell out of there.
Instead, I ended upstairs in Mustafa's (the uncle) office, given turkish coffee served by his neice, watching her put a cigarette in his mouth and light it for him, then leave us so he could give me a lesson in carpet and kilim making, and trying all sorts of ways to convince me to "invest" my money in a carpet. He found out it was my birthday just recently, and gave me a present of a hand painted ceramic bowl.
I could not get out of there without being rude, and they were being really nice to me.
Until Mustafa decided he thought I was hot and began climbing all over me.
One minute, I'm sitting on the sofa having carpets explained to me. The next minute his tongue is down my throat.
I tolerated his gropings for a bit. I wasn't afraid of it getting to the point of me being raped in that office, not with his family in the building and the Tourist Police 3 doors down. And besides, when he tried to put his hand down my pants and direct my hand to stroke his rock-hard cock, I pulled away, and he backed off. I was mostly in control of the situation.
Except for the not being able to get out of there part.
Eventually, he did let me out, and had his nephew take me on to bank street. Then he walked me to Aya Sofia, and I thought that would be the end of it.
Aya Sofia was amazing. But it's falling apart, and they are slow to renovate it. I particularly liked the two seraphim painted on the ceiling above the entry on either side of the largest room.
But that wasn't the end of my carpet "buying" experience, the nephew waited for me with his cousins by the exit, and at the end, I said I was just going to go to the Basilica Cisterne, and he said, "come have tea". Crap. I asked where, he said "just on the corner", I thought he meant the little cafe on the corner. And soon I was in Mustafa's office again.
This time, I did manage to get out without the tongue down my throat and gropings, but I had to promise to come back the next day (I didn't go).
GAH!
I wasted like 4 hours on that. And I still hadn't had breakfast.
Right.
Food.
As I walked away, many other men tried talking to me. I just kept going. Then this one called after me. I didn't stop. He called again. I kept going. Then he was following me, and finally I stopped and turned to him and told him I really just wanted to be left alone, as I had just been hustled into a shop and given the hard sell (and molested, which I left out). He promised me he was not trying to hustle me. He introduced himself as Hasan, and asked me if I had seen the Blue Mosque yet. Too worn down from the earlier encounter, I didn't have it in me to be a bitch and just walk away. I told him I had not, and after showing me the Theodosian Obelisk, he took me into the Mosque.
After, he brought me into his family's carpet store, and he was true to his word, he did not try to sell me anything. I sat on the terrace with him and had apple tea. He was being really sweet. Eventually, I asked him to show me the leather store, too. I *did* want a leather coat from Istanbul. So we went, and within maybe 45 minutes, I had a brand new tailored to me leather coat that would have cost me $600 or $700 at home, and not been tailored to fit me. I paid $200.
Hasan walked me back to my hotel, and we made arrangements to have dinner later that night.
See - this one wasn't trying to sell me something. He wanted to take me out.
More on that later.
posted by Serrephim | Wednesday, June 07, 2006
3 Comments:
Did I not tell you the story of my friend who was almost raped in Morocco in the same circumstances-- an offer of tea in a rug shop? I told you to BE CAREFUL.
Do not go into private rooms with men while you are in Istanbul. Please. Unless it's *your* hotel room and you want to have sex with them. And even then... be careful. Know how you could get help if you need it.
*Fumes*
*Worries*
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
No, you didn't tell me that story. But don't worry. You'd have to be here to have seen the place and understand a bit of their culture, but turks are in fact rather formal and honorable because that is how the ottoman culture was, and it's a leftover. They are actively trying to encourage western, particularly american tourism, because it is what keeps their country going financially, hence the tourist police. Any trouble would seriously jeopardize his business, which is dependant on tourists' word of mouth. I think it is culturally very different from Morrocco many years ago.
At any rate, A) I'm fine. B) Lesson learned. Their culture is such that it wouldn't be a good idea for me to bring a man back to my hotel with me, and so there will be no men alone in a room with me anywhere in this city again (except maybe in the future if I come here with one - or now, in the lobby of my hotel when I come in and there's just the guy sitting there.)
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