random Turkey thoughts

A few other random tidbits and then I promise to stop talking about Turkey. Unless you ask me about it, in which case, I'd love to prattle on. 

Turks are probably the friendliest people I've ever visited. They were helpful, warm, and inviting. I did get sick of seeing men everywhere and often found myself wondering where the women were...I'd never really thought about that until the women are missing and then I missed them. 

I hate being an obvious tourist even when I am. I'm usually loathe to reveal my camera and pose for pictures because I don't want the locals to so easily spot me as a foreigner. But since I obviously stuck out as not even a little bit Turkish, I decided to embrace my tourist status. And it was a rather refreshing...I'm not saying I'd do the same in Norway or Spain or elsewhere, but in Turkey it worked. 

We didn't encounter many Americans in our travels, and most Turks assumed we were Europeans (more specifically Germans for me and Zillah...Phin a Kiwi?). I think it was partially because they don't see as many Americans as Europeans, but I like to think that maybe we didn't stick out as anything in particular. I prefer anonymity when I travel. 

The public bathrooms in Turkey are plentiful and generally quite clean. Some charge, some don't, and I was only left without toilet paper once (luckily I carried some with me everywhere). However, there are often more "squatter" toilets than upright ones. I got really good at squatting and might have even perfected my technique. ;) 

If you want to buy a rug, don't even think about in Istanbul or Kusadasi. They're way way expnsive. Selcuk seemed like it had reasonable prices, and they were even cheaper in Bergama (though I think Bergama had more of the tribal-esque rugs rather than the Persian style, so it depends on what your preference is, I suppose). 

Never go to Turkey in June or any other month near the summer. I'm thinking January might be nice. 


The fantastic sites and scenery aside, it was marvelous to be with my bosom friends, 24/day for 13 days straight. After years and years of dreaming about taking a trip when we graduated, when we finished our grad degress, when we have money...we actually managed to pull it off. Phin, Zillah, M: You are the best and I love you! 

Would I go to Turkey again? Definitely. There's still an entire half of the country to explore. I'm thinking of starting on the eastern border and ending in Cappadocia or maybe Patara next time...