Tips for Turkey (Istanbul)

Well, as I sit here in the airport waiting to leave Turkey I have had plenty of time to ponder my Turkish experience. For American's, navigating Western Europe is pretty simple. The culture doesn't really change enough to throw you off balance. I mean, after all it is still western culture. Turkey is a completely different experience, so here are some tips, tricks and warnings I learned while traveling to my first non-western culture.

Turkish People

1) When you get into town, the Turkish people are the friendliest you will ever meet. They don't wait a second to offer help. Here is the catch. In Turkey, if anyone is EVER offering to help you, they are also trying to sell you something. Not kidding, 100% of the Turkish people who approached me, offering help, tried to sell me.

2) Learn to ignore people talking to you. For a polite mid-western, this was torture. It went against my entire upbringing, but you have to. They will say, "hello" ignore it, they won't stop though. They say, "no no, just one question, where are you from?" They don't stop and every single time they try to sell you something. I started turning to these people and saying "okay, 5 Lira." They were confused. I said my time cost 5 Lira and I will stop and talk. While they are confused I walk away. Everyone is selling carpets. I told them I don't even have a home. One guy offered to help me get a home if I bought his carpet, another said it is big enough to make it into my own home. They don't give up.

3) For men - be careful with Turkish men. They are extremely jealous and have no problem resorting to violence. Honestly, if you see a Turkish guy in a group with girls, just ignore the girls. They believe they own the women they are around and you are trying to steal from them. At a cafe, two French girls started talking to me, they initiated. A Turkish guy was sitting with them, being a dick (probably why they started talking to me). He just stared at me, with silent contempt. Then the waiter moved them to a different part of the table and some Turkish guys came up and threatened me for having responded to the girls. Poor girls were trying to get away from the guy, as one explained to me later when he wasn't around and I saw her again.

4) For girls - avoid Turkish men. You want to meet people, have fun, make new friends, etc. Turkish guys love to offer to be a tour guide for cute foreign girls. Consider talking to any other guys not an option anymore. That and the guy won't leave you alone. He now feels ownership over you. Again, these girls complained he was just showing them the city, but not won't let them talk to any other guys without what happened to me, happening. Stick to other foreigners. Trust me.

Where to Stay

1) There are three parts to main Istanbul. Two parts in Europe, one in Asia. The Sultanahmet (old town), Taksim (new part) are both on the European side. The other side, they just call the Asian part.

2) Stay in Sultanahmet for at least a few days. There is where the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basillica Cistern and Topkapi palace are. It is the main sight-seeing part of the city. Plenty of hotels, hostels, shops and restaurants. The Grand Bazaar is close as well.

3) If you want to experience more of the night life, also spend a few days in Taksim. This is where most of the bars and new shops are. Very modern, lively part of the city. It is still easy to go there during the evening if you want to stay in one place for your trip.

Spending Money

1) Negotiate everything. Not kidding. The only thing I didn't argue on was food and even then I did sometimes. People are constantly trying to get you into their store and shop. If you see something you like, pretend uninterested and first ask for a discount or free drinks, etc. They rarely list prices on things so they can mark them up. Offer lower and don't be afraid to walk away. Start walking and often they will stop you and keep lowering the price. Always bid under what you are willing to pay.

2) Don't really buy a carpet, unless it's magic, which it won't be. Trust me, I looked.. If you do, get it dirt cheap. They often sell them for around $2000, but talking to some Turkish people I met, often those rugs only cost them $250.

3) Public transportation is very cheap, but if you are hopping metro lines, you have to pay again to get to the second one. That is very different than the rest of Europe, when once you are in the tubes, you can switch between them as you wish. Cost is 2 Lira a ride. Same for the ferries.

4) Taxi's are not too expensive, but they scam you as much as possible. Ask for a flat fee to get from A to B. Otherwise they will drive you all over, say a lower price and charge you a higher one when they get there. Met a girl who was drove around in circles for about 15 minutes, paid 30 Lira, for a ride that should have been 3 minutes. Cab driver literally just drove around in circles first.

5) Alcohol is fairly expensive here, but food is pretty cheap.

Scams
There are two major scams, not counting the taxi one.

1) Everyone needs to watch out for this one. Women, often Gypsies, will be shoe shiners. They will accidentally drop their brush in front of you and wait for you to pick it up. When you do and give it back, they are so thankful and insist they shine your shoes. It is a custom, they must repay the favor. At the end, they charge you 10 Lira. I saw this one happen. If you see someone drop their brush, just stare at it and then the Gypsie. They will keep waiting, getting more frustrated because you are not falling for it. They expect people to react quick and become super obvious if they have to wait more than 5 seconds.

2) This one is mostly for guys traveling solo. It is a common one is Greece, too. A guy will come up to you speaking Turkish, you don't know it and he switches to English. Says he lost, he is also traveling solo (names different city) and starts a conversation with you. He ends up appreciating the conversation and says he knows a good bar right over here if you, also a solo traveler, want to join him. Once there, after a few drinks, him or sometimes large groups will hit you with the entire tab. The bar is in on it. They won't let you leave till you pay and I even heard rumors of people being beaten or had the cops called on them for trying to leave. Never go to bars with people you meet on the street. If you want to drink, find a local bar, makes friends by your self with the bartender there and then go to that one. They will get your back.

Must Visit Places

1) Blue Mosque (free)

2) Hagia Sophia (10 Lira)

3) Basilica Cistern (5 Lira)

4) Topkapi Palace (10 Lira)

5) Taksim Square (free)

6) The Asian side (2 Lira boat ride)

7) The Prince Islands (8 Lira for round trip on the ferry)

8) Galata Bridge and Tower

9) The Grand Bazaar