So it begins

Killing time

Published Date : October 18, 2004

With a midnight flight to Istanbul tonight, my plan was to sleep in as late as possible today and check-out as late as possible.  Unfortunately, nobody seemed to want to help me in my cunning and devious plan.  By 9am there were only 2 of us left in the dorm.  It figures.  The last few days I’ve been one of the first ones up at 0830-0900, but today when I want to sleep, everyone else is feeling motivated.  Ah well, it was nice having the room to myself, even if I didn’t get to sleep as long as I wanted.

The day was heavily overcast with thick banks of fog rolling through.  I meandered up to Ljubljana Castle not sure what to expect.  I had been told by others in the dorm that it had been completely gutted, but that there was a museum that wasn’t bad.  I think I spent a grand total of about 10 minutes there.  It has no character at all, and it looks like they could be turning it into an art gallery.  There’s a tower that you can climb for a fee that would provide some magnificent views on a clear day.  In the thick fog it just wasn’t worth trying.  As for the museum, it was closed for maintenance, so I never got to see it.  Very disappointed.

So now I’ve got the rest of the day to kill and not much to do to kill it.  I have to say that as pretty as Ljubljana is, there’s not much in the way of tourist attractions.  There’s decent shopping though and it serves as an excellent gateway to the rest of the country.  Slovenia has left a great impression on me.  It’s stunningly beautiful, the people are exceptionally friendly and helpful, and more than willing to practice their English, and there’s plenty to see and do.  It’s cheap by Western European standards, but expensive by Eastern European standards.  Joining the EU appears to have been good for the country so far.  There’s a lot of money pouring in, obvious in the construction going on everywhere, from upgrading the infrastructure to building new houses and offices.  Whether or not it will be good for the country in the long run remains to be seen. 

If you have any interest in visiting Slovenia, now is the time to do it, before it switches to the Euro and before it’s hit by the wave of international tourism.  It’s definitely worth the trip.

Turkish men

Published Date : October 19, 2004

I caught the bus out to the airport last night for my 2am flight.  I was nervous and excited, but more tired than anything else.  I managed to doze a little bit on the plane, but with only 1.5 hours of flight time there was never any hope of getting much sleep.

My arrival in Istanbul brought me to the first hurdle of my trip that I hadn’t really worked out.  Passing through customs was a piece of cake – only $30 for a 90-day visa – and my luggage was waiting for me when I arrived at the carousel.   By the time I found an ATM and aquired some Turkish Lira it was just past 4am.  I knew from my research that there was a train from the airport into the city, but it didn’t start running until 6am.  To save myself some money on cab fare, I had originally thought to just hang around the airport until the trains started running.  I was exhausted though after a very long day of waiting around in Ljubljana for my flight.

Having just stepped away from a bank machine, I was more than little bit leery when a middle-aged Turkish man approached me.  Addressing me first in French and then in English, he asked if I would like to share a cab into town with him.  At first I declined.  I was a bit startled by the request at first, plus I was still getting my bearings and trying to figure out my transport options.

When I passed him at the taxi stand a few minutes later, he asked me again if I’d like to share a cab with him.  Trusting my instincts I agreed to the share.  It was a great idea!  Altan was a Turk by birth who was currently working in Paris as an actor, who was on his way home to visit his family for Ramadan.  He convinced the cab driver to charge a flat rate rather than use a meter, then bargained the price down further.  What would have normally been about a 25,000,000 TL (approximately CDN $20) fare unded up costing me only 10,000,000 TL (about CDN $8).

I had not yet booked any accommodation in Istanbul, but there were two hostels right next door to each in Sultanahmet that I had researched ahead of time.  When Altan learned that I didn’t yet have a reservation, he insisted on waiting out front until I confirmed that I had a room for my stay.  As a final courtesy, he gave me his phone number in Istanbul, plus the number and address of his mother and his sister as well.  He made me promise to call any of them immediately if I ran into any problems at all while I was in Turkey.  Talk about hospitality! ��

Two and a half nights in a 6-bed dorm at the Orient Hostel in Sultanahment cost me 26,000,000 TL (CDN $22) including breakfast.  I slipped quietly into my room just as morning prayers started.  Not even bothering to undress, I lay down and tried to stop my mind from whirring.  I can’t believe I’m in Turkey!!

I managed to grab a couple of hours of shut-eye, but I was too excited to sleep.  After enjoying a very traditional breakfast of French Toast :p, I took a stroll up to the nearby Blue Mosque.  There, I was immediately assailed on all sides by single men looking to get laid and touts looking to get paid.

Hello beautiful.  Where are you from? Do you like Turkey?  Are you travelling alone?  Do you get ‘headaches’ a lot? (No joke I was actually asked that last one!)  Buy my postcards.  Let me show you the way – not expensive.  Wait, look in this one shop first.

Within five minutes I was wearing my ‘middle east’ top (a baggy white long sleeved linen shirt I picked up just before I left London) and a nasty scowl on my face.  That helped a little bit, but the only sure-fire way I’ve found to get rid of them is to flash the wedding ring and toss out an I’m meeting my husband.  Seems to be the only thing that really works.  Nothing works on the touts – even the scowl.

Otherwise it has been a day spent shopping and exploring.  I went to the Grand Bazaar to buy xmas gifts for my family and got completely lost in the process as I was handed around from one shop to another among promises that I come back with your husband and buy a carpet from me later.   It was in one of these carpet shops that I had my first introduction to apple tea, which I absolutely loved!  I had a really pleasant conversation with one of the shopkeepers (over some apple tea of course) as he explained the custom of bargaining to me.  To the Turks, he told me, it’s more about the process than the sale.  It’s a friendly affair that takes time and the bartering is interspersed with tea and conversation.   As far as the shopping, I managed to find everything that I was after – a couple of hookah pipes for my brother and husband, some bath scrubs and soaps for my mother.  I’ve definitely got some learning to do on this whole bargaining thing, but the important thing is that I’m not getting gouged!

After finally finding my way out of the Bazaar, I eventually found a post office and got everything sent off to Canada by Turkish snail mail.  We’ll see when/if it arrives and in what condition.  From there it was back to the hostel for a break from the constant hounding.  So far I seem to be experiencing two extremes, the exceptionally friendly and hospitable, and the exceptionally persistent and aggressive.  I’m finding it quite intimidating to be hassled so much every time I leave the hostel.

A bit later on, I worked up the nerve to go out for dinner, and I’m very glad that I did.  I ended up having a fantastic meal in a restaurant all to myself (not many people eating during the day because of Ramadan).  I have no idea what I ate, I asked the waiter to choose for me.  I think it was some sort of chicken and potato dish served with a tomato based sauce seasoned with basil, garlic, mushrooms, butter and a yogurt topping.  Very tasty.

Back at the hostel, I had a good chat with a couple of other backpackers and they helped ease some of my concerns.  They assured me that the men were persistent, but harmless and not to take their advances too seriously.  After a very long and somewhat stressful day, I eagerly crawled into my bed for a good night’s sleep.