We are Millionaires!

One million Turkish lira equals about 60 cents!

Istanbul is a spectacular and exhausting town. Imagine Turkish carpets on every available inch, salesmen around every corner and the scent of fruity tobacco and grilled meat everywhere. We arrived at the end of the Muslim Ramadam religious period. People fast during the daylight and feast when the sun goes down. On the first night we were here, we ran into a Ramadan festival around the enormous Blue Mosque. Lights were strung up and makeshift booths hawked all sorts of crazy wares and food. I saw a kebab spit (Americans call them gyros) at least four feet in diameter. I am NOT kidding. There were carts selling freshly-twirled lollipops, hot custard drinks, and popcorn popped in a pot right over a little fire container. I admire any culture who appreciates the fine taste of fresh popcorn! The streets were jam packed with people. At times I clenched onto Jim for dear life while we just followed the mob of people. We returned to the festival for the next three nights. What a ball.

On Monday, we joined up with a little tour group to see some of the sights around western Turkey. Bus is the main form of transport here, and the distances are great, so a tour seemed like the way to go. We visited the Dardanelles with their WWI battlefields where thousands of Australian and New Zealanders fell. We also explored the ancient cities of Troy (of Iliad fame) and Ephysus. Less exciting were the dynamics of group travel and overrated 4-star hotels (our cheap pensions are much more fun). We abandoned the tour group after a bus fiasco in Fethiye and made our own way back to Istanbul. We began the 14 hour night bus ride back on an enormous first class bus with the Ulusoy company (big thumbs up rating from us). For the first few hours, we were the only passengers on the bus along with the two drivers and a steward. Jim heard the bus driver who wasn't driving say something in German, and he asked if they spoke German. The bus driver replied, 'No, German, Modern Turkey, we speak English!' Well, he didn't really speak English, but he was so enthusiastic! For the next three hours, Jim and this driver communicated (with the help of our language guide) about everything from the guy's mistress ('I love you, yes?') to pizza (rolling his eyes when Jim showed how thick Chicago pizza is compared to thin Turkish pizza). After a few hours, they stopped the bus and motioned for us to get off. About eight women, fully covered in colorful scarves, came out to greet us and invite us into what I think was their living room, though it was just a concrete building with a few chairs and a TV. 'This is Turkey!' our driver said. They fed us tomatoes, cucumbers, turnips, peppers, yogurt, and some sort of fry bread with shredded potatoes inside. When Jim pulled out money to pay, our driver insisted on covering us. Crazy.