Sign in with Facebook"Now it's Istanbul not Constantinople" Istanbul by ManOfLaMantra
Istanbul Travel Guide: 8,966 reviews and 18,403 photos
Words fail... one of my favorite locales in el mundo. Sublime. Sights... eats... history... politics... religion... ethnic pride... emotions... anger... laughter... big smiles... carpet touts... beautiful generous kind people. Oh... and the shopping kicks ass too.
It's Grand, it's Bizarre. And yes, I did the buy the thing. You should have seen the scene at the airport when security discovered this thing. After an OK from the airport police, I was asked to put the helmet in my checked luggage. Damn. I wanted to wear it during my 10 hr flight to New York.
Istanbul is a great place to shop, but beware... Old Sultanahmet, where the most popular sights are, is infested with all manner of professionals adept at separating travelers from their cash.
Your travel time is precious, so don't be an idiot and spend time looking at merchandise you're not interested in -- said professionals will grind you down, and you will soon wonder how you managed to live without a marble chess set (even though you can't play chess).
Seriously people, respect how hard and long you have to work to earn enough to travel. Unless you are interested, don't enter these shops. Don't even say hello or answer questions. Smile and walk on by. If he follows you, ask him to please leave you alone.
Westerners often think that ignoring another person is rude, unkind. Not at all. You are there to do things other than spend hours being worked on hard and soft. There is so much to see in Istanbul -- don't waste precious minutes, energy and cash.
- Pros:Inexpensive, fun, beautiful, historic, expansive
- Cons:Be too soft and the touts will eat you alive
- In a nutshell:It's rather habit-forming
Reviews (2)
The Carpet Pimps of Sultanahmet
Warnings Or Dangers
(1)
We are brought up to believe that it's rude to ignore someone who makes outwardly friendly gestures: "yes please, which... more travel advice
Hotel Kybele -- Magic Land of Hanging...
Hotels
(1)
One of the most unique, friendly, magical places I have ever stayed in. Lovely hidden garden in the back. Colorful and... more travel advice
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Comments (4)
I wanna be in the 60's again in Mike's caravan-like room. Have fun you guys...I'll stare at my single lantern her for now. I'll be in Hong Kong for NYEve BTW. Hugs, A
NewYear's in Thailand for me this year ... not been to Istanbul *yet*, but WILL BE (soon) :-)
Looking forward to reading more about your Istanbul travel. Indeed, Mehmet is a saint. Happy Thanksgiving, too.
Of my limited scope of total el mundo Istanbul beckons too. I don't know why. All of the above is a start. Word to the wise: don't wear your sex toys on your head.
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