Childhood friend in Istanbul

Friendship....they say, last forever. And so should friends. But why do friends come and go and some even drop from your radar completely? Shouldn't  they too stick around forever as you would also like to do? Well...we tend to misinterpret and mistook friends to acquaintances. Acquaintances are plenty but friends are rare. Your office colleagues and social organisations colleagues are mostly acquaintances and very seldom will become true friends. You are just thrown into the same surroundings and situation and they won't care deeply for you as you would want them to be. 

True friends stick with you, through thick and thin and will never judge you. They'll love you for who you are, no matter how loud you snore or made a mess of her kitchen. They'll still accept you even if you were a horrible monster because they know deep down, you're simply a human being. And you...of her. You know you have a true friend when you know that you can tell her all your secrets without censoring any forbidden or sensitive parts. And I'm glad that i have at least one friend that fits that category. I know that I'd given up my boyfriend for her is she so wished. And we have been friend since we were 11 years old! And she was here during the weekend en-route from her conference. What a joy it was!    

She said that we are like 'cheese and chalk' and that we look so different that we could be from two different planet altogether! I always believe that opposite attracts and the best couple (husband and wife) are almost always miles apart in their character. So..me and Gee, you could see that we are miles apart in both our character and thinking but we clicked so well that our friendship withstood for decades. I am so blessed to have this friendship and think she'll still be there when I'm old and ........whatever.

I won't write much of what we did as it would be tedious and 'not applicable' to some of you readers but suffice to say that we had a bomb of a time. Don't be fooled by her 'angelic' look 'cos this lady rocks ...and she is so much fun to be with and she packed more adventure and 'life' than half of you readers put together ha ha. As i said...we are so different that she filled in the void that i carry. If i hated being hassled at the Grand Bazaar....she speak ed to them and even taught them how to behave and not taunt the shoppers. There she was...teaching one guy (shop owner) how not to 'chase' their potential customers with their 'verbal' harassment (sales talk). And before I knew it..she was already teaching another shop owner how to say 'my darling' in my language. and the list went on and on. And not to mention her passion for cafes and coffees. While i would never think of spending an hour or two in cafes. For me, its 'go in the shop, eat, pay and leave'. What a chore! I'd never even bothered to look at the decor which she would examine with sheer admiration. See...didn't i tell you that we are so different?

Well....there is one thing that we finally have in common. And that is....agreeing that Istanbul is beautiful! And she'll make a return trip next year. Next year is a BIG year for us and I'll tell you all about it when and if it happened. Meanwhile, I'll let the PICTURE tell a thousand word and to reinforce my saying that Istanbul indeed is Magical !!!   

the tren that would take us to the 'old city' from Kabatas. its running at grade, in the middle of the existing road system, the dedicated lane ensures that the tren depart and arrive on time altho' sometimes its common for cars to be on the track

so...this explain why we missed the tren...Gee was supposed to keep an eye on the tren, not the camera..!

..notice the line (Q) to go into Hagia Sophia? its a Tourist month..till September...

there are 2 type of tourist. the "wanna see it all" and the "ok, i've taken the foto". thank God for the 2nd type...

in front of Hagia Sophia.....

ok..ok...that girl in white is gorgeous....and i still do not know what this is....its beside the Blue Mosque..too big for Sardivan ( an ablutation )

see the intricate detail underneath the dome, its beautiful...

sorry but the photo refused to be upright. see the man? he's trying to take the shoot with his iPad. i thought it look a bit odd, maybe i won't iPad after all....

the track for the tren going to (among other places) Grand Bazaar. we just walked from the Blue Mosque as we had to go to the  McD which was on the way so that we could 'borrow' their toilet (its cleaner) ...shhh.....

can you see the sign on the post...KAPALI CARSI? Thats 'covered bazaar' or the Grand Bazaar. this is the Camerlitas station. you turn right before the station and then left at the parking area. walk straight and you'll reach Gate 2 of the Grand Bazaar. Then you would be at the leather and gold alleys. Good Luck ! The ladies normally get stuck here. Notice the men on the big bikes? They're the traffic police..cool eh?

cars are normally not welcomed on the track except for taxis, buses and police cars...

stores just outside the Bazaar. i believe that these stores are cheaper than inside the Bazaar. but it all depends on your 'art of bargaining'. if you have the gift of the gab, you can practice them here...

my mantra....i'm just a tourist guide, i am not here to buy anything 10x..........so far so good ha ha...

not a good picture but the lamps are so colorful and wonderful. you must buy them for that corner in the house, at the patio, beside the dining room (so that guests can't see how horribly burnt your chicken is) or even the bathroom for a touch of romance (after hubby discovered how much you've spent !) 

nice ehh? they're like diamonds....cheaper than diamonds definitely....and more colorful....nice !! can you walk away and not buy anything ??

there...what did i tell you? its virtually impossible to walk away without buying....one customer down, millions more to go....

opps..sorry abt the eye,boy. but your potteries are great! these are either machine or hand-made potteries mostly from Kutahya. the more expensive version would come from Iznik and are mostly sought after and treasured. i have a phoenix design plate dating back in 1960's. the shop owner was not too happy to sell it to me as it was his display and masterpiece and was hanging on the roof of the shop and he had to climb up to get it. i always buy off display as they're usually the best in the shop.....  

Gee got a shopkeeper to show us this kebab shop. it was the best that i've ever had...near the Bazaar. you can choose either beef or lamb kebab which is put inside the 'durum'..thin white pita like bread. TL7 a piece and you get free smoke to top it all...skewers of beef and lamb are grilled to perfection here and best drowned with ayran (yogurt drink).

somebody blogged that this is one of the best leather shop, just outside the Grand Bazaar. i'm yet to check it out...basically because i've found a 'deri outlet' or leather outlet....its worth checking the outlet first before you buy from the usual shop.

the street just outside the Bazaar...

it was a few days before the election and the candidate was making his rounds at the Bazaar. its nice to see that there is no baby-holding but just plain hand-shake and flowers (carnations) are given away. Gee and i got a white carnation and i put it in my hair. notice the man (Kojak) drinking his tea? that is a common sight here. they'll sip their tea in the special tulip-shaped cup all the time, even while talking to their friends...all the time. oh and Erdogan won the election. seems that business people like him. he seems to bring in lots of trade and stability to Turkey...

with Gee and Sara..who is Sara? look out for my posting next week....i'll tell you a remarkable story of courage and determination...

the famous Taksim square. no tourist could claim to have gone to istanbul without visiting Taksim square. its the meeting points, the place to be, the place to be seen, the happening place etc. etc in istanbul. this is where you can catch glimpses of beautiful people. i used to tell people that...the old go to Grand Bazaar and the young go to Taksim square. i believe that people from all over the world, from all walks of life, throng this street...

the excitement starts from the moment you come out of this METRO (M) underground station..look at the people around you....they all have a story to tell...i'm sure !

Gee was cropped out of this photo,on her request...tho' i insisted there was no $$$ signs in her eyes! on Istiklal Caddessi...centuries old street with vintage tram (still running). can you see the track for the tram in the pavement? someday i'll show the photo of the tram when i get a good shot. my photo is not good enough to show the beauty of the tram. if there is one outdoor photo shoot that i would do..it'll be in front of this vintage tram with vintage (period) costume complete with Mary Poppin's brolly. imagine having a wedding photo shoot here..wow...that'll be the day !!

old and young, funky and tradisionalist...you have them all on Istiklal Cadd.

french cafe..have not been inside but love the door..its so mystical..

inside Grand Bazaar....

notice how crowded the Bazaar is....don't forget..there are at least 4400 shops here... 

...another day with Sara....

trinkets and souvenirs at Grand Bazaar...

do you seriously think that you can get away without buying anything ? 

the ever friendly shopkeepers....see those glorious leather jackets ??

would you believe that they're leather...some are as soft as silk that you'll call them silk leather..

handbags made of kilim (turkish woven carpet) .... and scarves....inside the store, you'd find beautiful silk scarves to please even the toughest mom-in-law.....

this shopkeeper insisted that i took his photo at his shop...so i obliged....who knows, i might get some of those minks...NOT?

a short tren ride to Taksim from Kabatas. Its a very short 10 min ride underneath a tunnel but take note of the tren.something is different, can you spot it? ok ok....the men is reading, thats rare..but something else...the tren is either going upwards or downwards. so...in order to give the commuters a smooth and comfortable ride, the coaches are designed at an inclination so that your floor is always horizontal and you are upright and not straining as when you were in a roller coaster.  technology at its best.....

     SWEET AND FOND MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THESE.......              

Gee's favorite cafe......Ist Cafe.....food is delicious,too...

we can't afford a smile anymore....and our wallets are lighter,too.....at Taksim Square

no...we didn't plan on wearing black but it was Gee's last day after all.....

bye Gee.........where ever you are.... GOD bless !!!!

Relax Music 1-1

The Godfather in Turkish Sound (Ney / Reed Flute) by Oğuz Kayalı & Emre ...

Watermelon anyone?

Nights 243

Turks are tradisionally traders. They were part of the traders in the Silk Road and the remnants of the historical Silk Road activities could still be seen in Bursa. Bursa was the last leg of the Silk Road and if you have the opportunity to visit Bursa, take a look at the Caravan-park (caravansare) sites where the exchanges of goods by the caravans took place centuries ago.

Today, you could still find some hotels that was previously a caravansari. In the olden days, traders would pay for a 'room' to sleep overnight at the caravansari. The caravansari has an open corridor where they could keep an eye on their goods and the 'animals' (ponies, horse,camels etc.) which are tied below their corridors. So...its almost like the roadside motel that you can find in the USA and other countries.

Of course, I am not exactly right in saying that ethnic Turks are tradisionally traders as most ethnic Turks were trained to become soldiers during the Ottoman empire (more on Ottoman empire in later postings). The traders are either Armenians, Kurdish or Greeks. Only after the fall of the Ottoman empire and the rise of Kemal Ataturk, were the Turks trained to be traders and craftmen.

Some people say that Turks are like the Chinesse. Same industrous and acument for business but the only difference is....Turks have emotions while the Chinesse don't (is it true?). So...expect the Turks to work, think and act like the chinesse. They are very industrous, very enterprising, very improvising and very sharp in doing business.

cherries,,,cherries...everywhere! the strawberries are almost gone and its now replaced by these cuties!
had cherries for breakfast, lunch and dinner....superb !!! 

the  fresh market near my place....notice the strange looking fruits.....miniature peaches and apples

Duygu and baban (her dad)....my helper's hubby and daughter. they have a stall selling clothes at the pazar (market) ....very enterprising family indeed....

Duygu's merchandise. the dad worked in Libya for 4 years previously, so he knows how speak Arabic

more cherries!  the Turks spent a LOT of time on mobile phones. they're forever talking on their mobiles and its common for a person to have 2 or 3 phones at the same time ...

Turks are really friendly people and love having their photos taken.......now..how do i give them copies of their photos? err...because i was with a camera, i was over-charged (double) for a rock melon arghh..

this man ran to this cart to have his photo taken with it.....its soo interesting to be a camerawoman here...thats 'simits' in the cart, their national bread with sesame. delicious for breakfast and any time of the day and they are really proud of it. there's even a doctoral study on it about the optimized number of sesame to be put on the 'simits'. 

my all time fave. anginer (artichokes) ....until i learnt the difficulty in preparing it....but isn't it beautiful? 

olives in all forms...black, pitted, stuffed, pickled etc..etc...the Turks have them for kahvalti (breakfast) ....look at their healthy and gorgeous hair...thanks to olives !!!

my fave bakery lady...she tolerated me from Day 1 when i used sign language and today i can order them in Turkce.....everything is freshly baked and OMG....the aroma when you passed thru' the shop...its heaven!

fruits...glorious fruits everywhere.... in front of a famous fruit stall in Yenikoy  but be    prepared to pay 2 or 3 times more. of course...the fruits look better here ! 

                                                                    

People who do not understand the way the Turks work and behave would complain that they have been played out by the Turks in their business dealings. The truth of the matter is......the Turks are smart and shrewd tradesmen and the best men deserve to win. Its as simple as that. Survivor of the fittest.

And that explains how I got to be 20TL (1US$=1.51TL) poorer today !!

Its karpuz (watermelon) season now and the last melon that we bought from Uyum supermarket was very sweet tho' it was pricey at 12TL. So when hubby wanted to have more melon, we decided to buy from a man selling from his van by the roadside at the roundabout at Ataturk Oto Sanayi Station in Maslak. Its cheaper at 3TL per kilo and since its so huge, the whole melon cost us 20TL. No....he didnt allow me to taste but assured me that its sweet.

Turned out...not only was it not sweet, almost the whole melon was bad and rancid! And that is not all. When we weighed the melon, it was 2 kg less than what he claimed. I wanted to go back and demand a refund from the man but hubby said .....for 20TL, it's not worth picking a fight for. Just consider it a scam and that maybe we should just consider it a 'charity' to him. Huh !!!

Morale of the story?? Play it safe and buy from a proper supermarket where the prices are properly shown and the weighing machine is properly calibrated ( I hope!). If you are a Yabanci ( foreigner) you are always fair game to them. So...play the game well ! 1 to them and  0 to me.....ouch !!

now...these..are.....big people's toys.......

what a wonderful accessories.....these will definitely go very well with the leather jackets......not ? !!!

my neighborhood baker....its so authentic as they still use 'woods' to burn the kiln. it smells sooo nice when you pass thru his bakery. someday when i can communicate with him, im gonna ask him to bake for me a special bread. i was told that the Turkish government subsidize all breads in the country. it only cost 1TL a piece.

business done for the day...all sold out! note the beautiful tiles on the wall of the kiln....

                                                

          despite all these tiny setbacks , it still is . . .  a beautiful city......Istanbul'u, cok seviyorum !!!