Turkish Delights, Part 2

December 2, 2010

Slept appallingly. Awful. Head consumed with useless shitty thoughts (how is it in any way useful to compile a mental list of 'Hottest Chicks On ANTM So Far' at 3am?!), and I'm a fitful sleeper at the best of times. Howling gales in the middle of the night didn't help, Istanbul was PISSED man. Lots if banging noises, and I think I also heard someone singing. No joke. (later I was told this was the 5am call to prayer)

Woke up and got on the train to meet my friend. Very crowded, yet eerily quiet. Everyone sleepy on their way to work. Also sometimes the compartment was too full and dudes were just hangin out the carriage door half the time.

Got off train to catch tram. Don't have token don't know where to buy everyone else has magnetic clickons. Am in people's way! Ahh! Kind stranger ushers me towards him and clicks me in - am too bashful to say more than "thank you", but seriously, how are people so frickin nice here??! Could that ever happen in Vienna?!

11:05am - had nice brunch with friend overlooking the sea and the Bosphorus. It just doesn't get old for me that just across the water is a whole new continent! Frickin frack.
She had a lecture to go to so she brought me along to hang out at her uni while I wait. There are cats everywhere, wandering strays, but they are all so sweet and cuddly. Won't leave you alone.
Am sitting on top of hill at uni overlooking the sea and looking over towards Asia. Surrounded by cats. Am in Heaven?

...started conversation with the guy next to me after I saw him reading something in German. His name was Ollie, born in Germany studying in Holland and doing Erasmus in Istanbul. We had a good old chat.

Fell asleep on bus back to tram to go to old town. So flippin tired

2:11pm - Kind but slightly odd man at the Blue Mosque: "can I take you around? I'm vegetarian, I don't eat people!" Declined politely. Later learned that there are many of these people hanging around, who show people around then take them back to their shops hahaha.

2:48pm - While waiting for the mosque to open to tourists, a bunch of Turkish kids suddenly swarm around me and ask to take a picture, shake my hand, ask my name, ask where I'm from. One girl in particular yells "beautiful beautiful beautiful girl!" holding her thumb up as she runs away. Uhhh, what just happened?

2:53pm - Another new bunch of kids suddenly run up and they all shove pieces of paper under my face asking for autographs whilst exclaiming "hi!" "hello!" "sup dawg!" etc(ok not the last one). I suspect they want exotic foreign calligraphy but I can't deliver. Scribble my signature. They all run away yelling "I love you! I love you!" and just giggle when I yell "why???!".
Am considering moving to Turkey and pursuing career as pop star.

4:28pm - totally wiped out and exhausted after Grand Bazaar stint. Men calling out to you EVERYWHERE in every manner imaginable, especially this one half-Spanish slimeball who got too close for my liking. Escaped and decided to just shop from one of the outer stores. Bought some shit, tried to nego down the price but in the end was too tired to even tell whether I paid more than I should've...almost feels like a win in itself to have dealt with a non creepy shopkeeper! He gave me a free good luck charm to ward myself from the 'evil eye'.

Honourable t-shirt mention goes to: the man whose shirt read, "I'm not normal." preach it bro.

Was totally spent with no appetite, but felt weak and really wanted to try genuine Turkish döner. Consulted previously patronised shop where the owner recommended his brother's place just down the road, even wrote a little msg on a card for him to read which upon delivery brought a chuckle of toothless but charming mirth. Verdict: döner in Wien is better. Ha!

Came back and CS host and I went out to Taksim, a hub for hanging out, eating and drinking and shopping. Enjoyed it immensely except was delirious with fatigue; felt I could faint any minute but I soldiered on down the considerable lengths of the main drag and its myriad of alleyways full of people, positively exploding with life.

Istanbul is now officially my favourite city. It doesn't try to be overly accommodating nor is it hostile, it just IS, full of natural grandeur, beauty, history and grit. It's given me a high that no other city has managed to give me quite so much before - I feel overawed and stoked about being here every minute, but at the same time I feel frickin at home here or something. (Hawaii, I still love you. Even though I've never been to you.)

Another thing: Turkish people rule. They are so nice. They are SWEETHEARTS, at least everyone I encountered here has been. At first I thought that the nice bus driver and the tram man were just coincidences, but each time someone was nice to me after that I felt my views shifting gear from "they must have an agenda/umm why are you helping", to "...or maybe they are just really genuinely good hearted people."

Nowhere else have I seen young people voluntarily give up their seats for the elderly, or have had someone (who didn't even speak English!) personally escort me to the tram token machines, give directions with a cheerful smile, or offer to take a photo for me and leaving me feeling like a cynical arsehole when they didn't take off with my camera. Always someone offering to help when I've been in the lurch. Yes, I understand I am drawing this conclusion over a mere 2 days' experience, but each time I relate another uncommon act of amity to someone, I hear "oh yeah. People are just like that here,"

Love this city. Love the people. Am sad to leave.