After dilly dallying in India for almost a year, I finally moved on. Today I flew from Delhi to Istanbul, Turkey. I had hoped to travel overland through Pakistan and Iran to Turkey. However, the Iranian embassy in Delhi told me flat out, that they would not issue me a visa. And the US embassy was strongly warning against traveling to Pakistan. So I figured I may as well just fly to Turkey.
Istanbul is expensive! I think. Or maybe I just got used to paying $5 for a nice private room with bath and cable TV in India. Here, the cheapest I could find is a 12-bed dorm room for $13. At least breakfast is included, and they have free wifi.
In India, I almost never had to pay more than $3 for a big filling meal – including a soft drink. Here, the restaurants seem to charge at least $10, plus another $3 for a soft drink. I had to start cooking again. Back to my standby bland chicken, pasta and vegetable. I will, one day, splurge and go to a restaurant, because Turkish cuisine is supposed to be very good.
I planned that my first day in Turkey, I would have a Turkish bath. But then I had a bad case of sticker shock. A bath could cost up to $65. I found one that charged $23, TARİHİ ŞİFA HAMAMI, which was built in 1777. I was the only person there, and after lying on a hot marble table for a while thinking they had forgotten me, a guy came in and gave me a Kese. Kese literally means “bath glove”. It was a good scrubbing with a rough mitt.. The kese was followed up with a Köpük Masaj. Köpük means foam or suds. Fifteen minutes, and it was over. This is the great Turkish bath? Later, I was speaking with some local guys, who go to that same hamam. They would spend 3 hours at a time there. They go with friends. It is a social activity.
I have not done any sightseeing as yet, but I am staying in the area where the two biggest attractions are. The famous Hagia Sofia doesn't look so impressive in person, but I need to see the inside before passing judgment. $13 is the entrance fee. Just across the street, the Blue Mosque looks really impressive. Entrance is free.
Sultanahmet Camii (Blue Mosque), the most famous mosque in Istanbul.
Ayasofia Muzesi. Used to be a church, then a mosque, now a museum.
They have a good metro & tram system in Istanbul.
There are many mosques, in the style of the Blue Mosque. The two closest here are Yeni Camii and Rüstem Paşa Camii.
There are churches here also. I have no idea what this one is.
Shimla has a real monkey problem...
...so people are kept in cages.
Shimla
This was the worse hotdog I've ever had. The bread was saturated with oil, and those were not strips of meat.
But I did have good food in India, and it was cheap. This meal was about $3.
I am going to miss the mountains of India.
And the mountain streams.
Women at Pressar Lake
Shimla was the summer capital of British India. It is very clean.
Christ Church
This is my friend Rakish at Pressar Lake.
Rakish making Puja at the temple.
The wood carvings at the temple.
Rakish's twin brother, Mukish.
Rakish & friends singing folk songs for me.
