Lisa Tries to Go Solo in Turkey

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Yesterday, (Day 3) we needed a break.

After we spent the morning in an internet cafe we had a relaxed kebab lunch at Doy Doy with rice pudding and rum babas for dessert. In the afternoon Gordon laid down to take a nap and I went shopping. Sunday, unfortunately for me, is the only day that the Grand Bazaar is closed and being a traveller I don't always know what day of the week it is, so I showed up to find a very deserted Bazaar. This is not a problem, however, because there are plenty of other things to catch your eye in Istanbul and I managed to have a pleasing afternoon nonetheless.

The first man that I met approached me in front of the Blue Mosque and asked me to go to his restaurant, this is not a new phenomenon as people are always asking us questions, guessing our nationality and inviting us to sit at their restaurants, but it is important to note that there are no restaurants in front of the Blue Mosque. I said hello and no thank you which has never failed us because everyone we meet in the street is trying to make a buck, yes, but they are pleasant and sometimes really funny. I'm sorry to say that this determined gentleman did not have any of the charm that is so common in his fellow Turks and followed me for two blocks continuously addressing me as "friend."

"Please friend, come to my restaurant tonight with me. Friend, why are you not talking to me?" I did take his business card that he was holding at arms length while he walked beside me dodging oncoming pedestrians and said no thank you again, but it didn't work and I was suddenly not feeling friendly anymore. My friend was starting to follow me again so I said, "Please, I don't want to go to your restaurant, stop following me!" He told me that he only wanted to practice his English, but I was not at all excited about this new friendship and tutoring prospect, so I told him in my best definitive voice to Leave Me Alone. I had to say it one more time before he really believed that I was serious and he finally let me continue walking solo.

I soon stepped in to a shop with a few other people to assure myself that the friend had moved on. The other shoppers soon departed and I was left alone with the male shop attendant who seemed overly attentive, but friendly. He asked me where I was from and then said that he had a sister in California (this is the most typical conversation starter here). He asked me who I was travelling with and I said, my boyfriend, and then he asked me why I was not with my boyfriend now and I explained that he was resting. Ready to leave, I asked him for a trash can to throw away the business card I had just received from my friend in the street. He happily took the card to throw it away for me and gave me his own business card in return so that I could come have a drink on the roof-top terrace of their building with him in the evening. I said, I don't think so, thanked him and left.

I ended up buying some earrings from a street vendor in front of a church who was reading a book and let me shop in peace. I spent some time on the internet and as I was heading back to meet Rip Van Winkle when I met a young Turk my age who started to walk beside me, "Hi?" "Where are you from?" "Oh, I have a sister in Palm Springs in Florida." I said I was going back to meet my boyfriend at the hotel so that we could go to dinner. "Why is your boyfriend at the hotel and you are here?" When I told him, he asked me what a "nap" is and then he jokingly invited himself to come along to dinner. So, I told him that he would have to ask Gordon. He introduced himself as Huseyn and said that we worked at the Grand Bazaar and on Sundays, his day off, he liked to walk around Istanbul and meet people and work on his English. He assured me that he didn't want to sell me anything and I could tell that he was normal and nice and honestly practicing his English. We sat in front of the Blue Mosque amongst crowds of families drinking tea and milling tourists and I asked him about Turkey and Islam and working at the Bazaar. I found out some good prices to ask for because Gordon and I were looking for a lantern. He asked me things about the U.S. and I taught him a new word: Volunteer: When you work but no one pays you. I talked to him about volunteering by the U.S.-Mexico border. He told me that there are alot of Turks in Germany who are working and sending money back to people in rural Turkey so that they can have an easier life. He bought me a cup of tea when a waitor walked by in a vest and a fez perched on top of his head. I wrote down the # of his cermamic stand in the Grand Bazaar because he said he would help Gordon and me with our shopping if we come early enough. I was hoping that he would be willing to teach us Backgammon, but he said he hates the game. When our tea was done I said goodbye and went back to the hostel.

Gordon came in not two minutes after I did and said that there was something going on in front of Hagia Sofia!! We watched a hilarious looking group of young actors in elaborate costumes with huge camels put on a production in the square that we didn't really understand. I was standing on my tip toes the whole time, but saw enough of it to enjoy the energy of the event. (Check out the photos.)

We found a roof-top terrace with a stunning view of Hagia Sofia where we had dinner. Gordon and I passed several and glanced at a few menus, but we were sold by the charm of one particular waitor, Pablo. In a tight pink dress shirt, Pablo greeted us with the normal questions to determine our nationality. Once he realized that Gordon NOT Italian or Spanish, but American, he said, "Come here my friend I have something very important to tell you!" When we moved closer waiting to hear what important news he might have for us, he suavely said, "We have the freshest fish," as he handed us an open menu. We took the bait hook line and sinker.

Overlooking the Hagia Sofia, we enjoyed a leisurely dinner and later we sat in front of the Blue Mosque admist happy families and travellers munching on roasted corn before we turned in for the night.


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