Hello from Istanbul (or I don't want to go to your cousin/uncle/friend's f*%&/+ carpet/hat/t-shirt shop so f)&* off!)
I'm in an internet cafe in Sultanahmet, Istanbul, taking it easy after a long day yesterday. Posted some photos from Singapore which should appear on the earlier blog posts.
Got to Istanbul around 8am local time after about 14 hours travel from Singapore. Decided that I wasn't feeling too tired so I would have a walk around. My hotel is almost next door to the Aya Sofia, originally built as a cathedral in the 6th century at the founding of the Eastern Roman Empire. When Istanbul was conquered by the Ottomans in the 16th (?) century it was converted into a mosque, and when Turkey emerged out of the Ottoman Empire it became a museum. Will probably go and see it today.
No matter where you go around here, there is someone who wants to sell you something. Some of these guys can pick out tourists from a mile off. Along with the straightforward requests to buy stuff, I've had offers for personal guided tours around the city by people wanting to brush up their English, no doubt ending up at some craft shop somewhere! I caved once at the Blue Mosque, getting a personal guided tour around mosque which was quite interesting. Cost me 15 lire and I had to look at some t-shirts and crafts at the end but was worth it :-).
Had lunch after that then went wandering around the old town, promptly getting lost despite my map. The place a hive of activity, and doesn't feel like a historical area that has been spruced up for the benefit of tourists. There are still plenty of shops running along the obviously unplanned maze of streets that sell anything from bottles of water to lawnmowers.
Ended the day feeling overawed, cold, jet-lagged, and suffering some culture shock, but am feeling a lot better after a long sleep and a good breakfast. I'm going to take it a bit easier today.
Well, as the call to prayer sounds from the minarets of the mosques around the city I'll sign off to do some more exploring (and get some washing done before I start to smell).
Got to Istanbul around 8am local time after about 14 hours travel from Singapore. Decided that I wasn't feeling too tired so I would have a walk around. My hotel is almost next door to the Aya Sofia, originally built as a cathedral in the 6th century at the founding of the Eastern Roman Empire. When Istanbul was conquered by the Ottomans in the 16th (?) century it was converted into a mosque, and when Turkey emerged out of the Ottoman Empire it became a museum. Will probably go and see it today.
No matter where you go around here, there is someone who wants to sell you something. Some of these guys can pick out tourists from a mile off. Along with the straightforward requests to buy stuff, I've had offers for personal guided tours around the city by people wanting to brush up their English, no doubt ending up at some craft shop somewhere! I caved once at the Blue Mosque, getting a personal guided tour around mosque which was quite interesting. Cost me 15 lire and I had to look at some t-shirts and crafts at the end but was worth it :-).
Had lunch after that then went wandering around the old town, promptly getting lost despite my map. The place a hive of activity, and doesn't feel like a historical area that has been spruced up for the benefit of tourists. There are still plenty of shops running along the obviously unplanned maze of streets that sell anything from bottles of water to lawnmowers.
Ended the day feeling overawed, cold, jet-lagged, and suffering some culture shock, but am feeling a lot better after a long sleep and a good breakfast. I'm going to take it a bit easier today.
Well, as the call to prayer sounds from the minarets of the mosques around the city I'll sign off to do some more exploring (and get some washing done before I start to smell).
posted by sajaraki at
5:46 pm
1 Comments:
Greets to the webmaster of this wonderful site. Keep working. Thank you.
»
By
Anonymous, at 5:01 pm
Post a Comment
<< Home