20120627
I arrived in Istanbul from Washington, DC, at about 1630 local. We parked on the tarmac and disembarked onto buses to the terminal. Terminal services were generally good but I definitely recommend going to the second visa point which is about 100 meters past the first. The line was only about 20 people vice 200 in the other. The walk was well worth it.
After that, beware of getting in the passport line for Iraqi’s only and then be sure to get into the non-Turkish nationality line. Processing was fast, efficient, and generally friendly. Customs was non-existent. Of note, I was surprised to find that someone filched my Turkish phrase book along w/ 5 crips U.S. twenty dollar bills from my backpack which I left stashed in the overhead on the airplane.
I had shuttle service from the airport to my hotel which was convenient….dude was waiting for me with a sign at the arrivals area! The drive into Sultanamet was mostly along the shore of the Marmara Sea which was nice. On the shore side were mostly parks and eateries. The trip took about 30-45 minutes.
Upon arrival, I checked out the room which is nice albeit small. It has AC, Wifi, TV, mini-fridge, and a terrace w/ a reasonable view of the Bosporus Straits and, on the other side, the Asian side of Istanbul.
So I settled into my room and headed out about 1830 or so. I walked around and caught glimpses of Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, and the Hippodrome. In the process I got roped in by a couple of rug merchants which was annoying in a way but interesting in other ways. It was cool to talk to the people get a feel for their schtick.
I ended up hanging out at the Sultan Hostel and Restaurant which had good tunes on the stereo and soccer on the wide screens. Most of the crowd was into the football, Spain vs. Portugal, which did nothing for me. I was drinking Efes Pilsen, which at about 7 TL for a 16 oz glass, was quite tasty and reasonably priced. I chatted up a few Malaysian college dudes, two of whom were going to school in Cardiff, Wales, and one of whom was going to school in Melbourne, Australia. They were interesting chaps. We shared a hookah which I paid for. They were on tight budgets and also, since they were Muslim, they were not drinking.
I was worried that there would not be any night life in this district but that does not seem to be the case. There is a street full of bars and restaurants right around the corner from my hotel and all the prices seem reasonable. It is definitely a lower rent district w/ lots of backpackers but works for me. Plus it really sucks sitting on my balcony overlooking the Bosporus straits enjoying a cool breeze, a beer, and listening to some tunes…wrong!
20120628
Today did not end up exactly as I planned. Oddly, I woke up and got out of bed at shortly after 0600 which is about 2300 back home. Probably powering down a few Efes Pilsens after having half a leftover sandwich at about 2215 DC time, breakfast on the plane before we landed at 1630 Turkey time, and nothing thereafter to contributed to an uninterrupted night’s sleep. Thankfully the Turkish music that seems to start up at afternoon prayer behind the hotel had stopped.
So again I am sitting on the rooftop terrace of my hotel with the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia looming over me. It is about 1730 and reasonably comfortable out of the sun with the breeze blowing off the Marmara Sea. I can see a few of the Prince’s Islands and the the far shore beyond them. Gulls are flying around at eye level laughing and pooping their asses off.
I ended up taking a Bosporus Straits tour which as nice but not as good as I think it could have been. We only went up to the second bridge on the straits and did not stop for lunch as I expected. Considering we left at 1130 or so, lunch would have been nice. I went on the recommendation of Erdal who is one of the hotel managers. He said it would be good because two others from the hotel were going.
I am not positive but I think the two others, who were Swiss females, were a couple. That bothers me not at all but they didn’t have a word to say to me or anyone else on the trip. I did sit next to a Greek woman on the bus to the boat who was funny and interesting. She was with a guy. I don’t know whether they were married or not but when I offered to switch seats so they could sit together, she said she was okay and could use a break from him. We had a nice chat on the ride. I would have enjoyed meeting her under different circumstances.
I am not sure what we were supposed to do when we disembarked from the boat but I ended up following some people to the Spice Market which was pretty cool. What wasn’t cool was that I was loaded up with camera gear and paranoid about getting ripped off. It is probably less of an issue than the tourist guides make of it but you can’t be to careful.
I’d like to pick up some noshes for Dalyan and also some tea, preferably Iranian. I am not sure it is worth going back the market for that though. I hoofed it back from there sans map which was interesting. It is pretty hard to get lost in Sultanahmet though. It is a peninsula w/ a hill in the middle of it on top off which sit two huge mosques.
This morning I enjoyed quite the nice free Turkish buffet breakfast on the roof terrace and chatted up some folks who were here from Portland, OR, with their young boys. Traveling to Turkey from OR with children surprised me a bit. After breakfast at about 0900, I still had plenty of time to walk to Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque and take some outdoor pictures prior to our 1030 departure for the Bosporus Straits trip.
Now I am watching a gull walk on the clay tiles of the roof next door. Web feet don’t do squat for walking on flat, angled tile. It is pretty funny watching it slide down the roof.
There are cats around here everywhere. I don’t know if they are feral but they definitely don’t seem to be domestic cats. I have been watching three down below me in a dumpster browsing for chow. And another one has joined the fray.
I really need to focus on my core site visits in the next two days. Tomorrow is the Muslim holy day which potentially puts a damper on visiting the mosques which are three out of four of my must sees. If the mosques are all closed, then going to Topkapi Palace will be a zoo. Sunday the Grand Bazaar is closed, how strange, so I have to fit that in in the next two days.
I have to reiterate that my room is small. It has two twin beds in it and getting around the room is hard enough for one person that I can’t imagine sharing it w/ someone else. Still, for $60 US a night in within walking distance of almost everything I want to see, I can’t complain. And who goes on vacation to hang out in their hotel room anyhow? I have this wonderful rooftop terrace to hang out on and a myriad of places to get something to eat and drink w/in a five minute walk.
More tomorrow hopefully! On a last note though…if Dalyan is anywhere as nice and relaxing as my location in Istanbul, the trip can only get better!