Time Winding Down In Istanbul - June 17, 2010

Yesterday, I did a little bit more sightseeing but also had a chance to iınteract more with Gökhan in his personal life.

I got to see his team play soccer, and his team won. The stars must have all been in allignment because Gökhan scored the winning goal. Afterward, Gökhan said, "You would not have a chance to see a local soccer game staying in a fancy hotel."

He was probably right. My best travel experiences have always been while I was staying with a family. I enjoy tourist sites like anyone else, but I always prefer the chance to get to talk to and to know the people in the places I visit.

I have nothing against fancy hotels and fancy restaurants, but in those environments a tourist runs the risk of being isolated from the very people he or she is visiting. A tourist runs the risk of not interacting much at all with the culture.

With the soccer game behind us, we headed to a local gathering of CouchSurfers. Thousands of people participate in the program in Istanbul. Within about five minutes of walking into the gatheriıng, I had met travelers from several countries and received two invitations to visit Egypt and Morocco.

Today, I will spend more time seeing the Asian side of Istanbul. A teacher friend of Gökhan is going to show me around.

Tomorrow, I will head to a new city called Canakkale. I will give you more details when I get there.

As my time in Istanbul winds down, I leave you with a couple of reflexions. If you are ever thinking of visiting, do it. Istanbul reminds me a lot of New York City regarding the diversity of the people, the tremendous cultural options available here, and the great energy and excitement of the place, but unlike New York, Istanbul also has hundreds of years of history.

In addition, I could never think of Istanbul in the future without thinking of Gökhan. He is one of the most generous, peaceful individuals who I have ever met. Gökhan is a great ambassador for his city but also the very embodiment of benevolence. Thank you for everything, Gökhan.

I will have more when I arrive at my next destination. Thanks for reading my blog as we all continue the journey to see if a person can spend a month in Turkey relying on the goodness of others.

Afternoon Update

Today, Gökhan's friend, Büşra, graciously showed me around one of the outlying areas along the Bosphorus River. What a beautiful spot nestled on the waterfront. I'm sorry I forgot to take my camera.

Then, Büşra introduced me to some traditional Turkish cuisine. Earlier, we sipped Turkish coffee at a sidewalk cafe (It was like cappachino on steroids).



Later that evening, she cooked a traditional meal of Yufka Börek, which is a giant flour wrap stuffed with meat and vegetables; Cacik, a combination of cucumber, yogurt and water; and Şakşura, which is a dish with eggplant and pepper.



Wow! She is a fabulous cook. I am in danger of gaining twenty pounds in Turkey, but what a problem to have.

Financial Update

Earlier, I told you I would keep you updated on my expenses. I started out my trip with $350.54. Here is a breakdown of my expenses from June 13- June 16: Food = $22; VISA to enter Turkey = $20; Transportation = $8.51; Money exchange fee = .83. The grand total is $51.34.

That means I have about $300 left to spend over the next 26 days. Turkey is by no means inexpensive, but Gökhan assures me Istanbul is the most expensive city I will visit.

Still, I would have spent much more if not for the generosity of Gökhan.

Yesterday, I tried to show a small token of my appreciation by cooking him dinner. In the process, I learned a very important cultural lesson - do not always trust the pictures on labels. Since I do not understand Turkish, I bought a can of what I thought was tomatoes. It turned out to be tomato paste. Fortunately, there is always the magic of water.