- Hamam – Turkish bath
…I have been bugging the people here (whoever had ear to listen) that I want to go to a Hamam. A hamam is a traditional Turkish similar to the sauna concept but different in the sense that you undress totally then wrap a sarong around your waist but high above your knees (unlike Nordic saunas where you sit-in naked J) – by this time you should look like you´re wearing a mini-skirt (something a lady of the night would wear), then you walk into a hall-like room cemented with ceramic tiles around the walls and on the floor and head straight for the tap where you will see a bowl for you to soak yourself…and I mean pour hot/luke-warm water on yourself as if taking a shower. After this period a heavy looking half-naked guy would come in and ask you to lie on a table-looking marble and you would get a massage i.e. you will be soaked with shower-soap/foam and given a thorough massage while wet, after 15-20 minutes of the massage you head back to the tap and soak yourself more. When tired of having water running into your ear and nostrils - head for a section where you lie on an extremely warm floor and reminisce. This process can take an hour to ten hours, just depends on your enjoyment, schedule, company – I would not recommend that you go alone, it can be a social thing, that’s if you prefer socializing half naked…it was funny just writing that J. Remember though that this is a traditional-conservative society so the baths are separate for men and women but they have mixed ones for all you kinky people out there.
After that experience – I felt light for a whole week.
- Food
The cuisine is generally great much to my surprise, I had no expectations so I have been really impressed – hasn’t made me sick yet but it is a bit awkward that at some restaurants I have to point at what I want cause the menu is not in English and the waiter can’t do much in assisting as they don’t speak English either, so I point at what I want and hope it’s not an endangered animal on my plate as I take a dish with meat 90% of the time. Fortunately the dessert is super good and pointing it out is no problem at all.
- City’s busyness and energy
I live in Johannesburg, a city of about 10 million but the busyness, energy & traffic is different and at another level here, there are about 15 million people living here so that makes the routine to work in the morning and back a bit of a trip. Another city I have been to that would equal this kind of human energy is Cairo, would love to go to Lagos – Nigeria & Shanghai – China to feel the vibe there aswell.
Big cities usually give one a wider variety of choice in consumer goods & services and the manner of deliverance is usually efficient, but the down-fall of this life is the human contact/relationships – they are kept at a minimal range because people are either too busy working hard and/or making money…hence city people usually die alone if they don’t have family from the outskirts.
- The fusion of two seas engulfing the city
…summer is going to be amazing. Now you know that the city is divided by a Bosporus/strait from the black sea into the Mediterranean sea and that is that why İstanbul is said to be ´east meets west´ i.e. has a European side and an Asian side.
After picking up a colleague from Morocco from the airport and partying until 5am, we woke up at 10am, took a boat over the Bosporus to the asian side where the other expats were waiting for us for breakfast – can´t remember how many nationalities where present at that breakfast table but it sure was many and I sure was hungry. The city´s areas around the Bosporus are amazing even in winter so you can imagine what I will see in summer.
- Troy
The events that happened a couple of hours before this theater play were very dramatic – a topic for another day!
Anyway we were invited for a theatre play of Troy, my first theater performance since I arrived here and I strongly recommend it – the belly dancing part of the show was amazing, I fully understood what they mean when they say belly dancing is an art of seductionJ. I guess in summer this city will be alive with more arts and I am certainly looking forward to that.
- People
Once you break the barrier and get to know people, they are very much hospitable and nice. I have spent afternoons with some people who could not speak English but their welcoming note was humbling and much appreciated – it reminded me of home where you are offered food even if you are not hungry & you don’t dare refuse as it may seem impolite. You do basic things like get off a chair in a public place for the elderly and you will have someone cancel their schedule just to show you around town and places you need to go – thanks Hande for the bank favor….much appreciated :)
- Mistaken Identity
Ehehmmm….I have had incidents where people (esp teens) would pass-by and call out Obama in my direction, a bit surprised and frowning at the outburst, I usually think to myself maybe I should tell them that he is my uncle and lives down the street from me…wonder if they would believe me…it would be extremely funny if they actual did. The outbursts have gotten to a point of irritation but I will take it in good faith as I am not sure whether they’re friendly remarks or not….
Dislikes
- Getting Sick
There is nothing as bad as getting sick in a foreign country and having nobody to babysit & spoil you ….but serial travelers like us have learned to survive I guess – crying is not an option. A colleague got sick and the response given was very offensive to me as it made it clear that people have very little knowledge about Africa & its people – the very same region they claim to represent & ‘think’ they know something about…never mind the insult of being called Africa like its one country instead of the 50-odd number of countries it represents.
- Opening a bank account
It took me a month just to open an account; the English language is a serious problem & I think the city needs to address it especially in business areas. Something which could have been done is less than a week took that long cause I kept on being referred to someone else. The latest incident was when I walked in a branch – it was empty – 5 tellers doing nothing and I asked for assistance and nobody spoke English and the bank claims that they are international and English is a language of usage…I was expected to do a 360 degree turn around and just walk away…which I did, it’s useless to have tantrums they wouldn’t what you are going on about & you don’t want make a fool of yourself either. These things prompted me to ask a colleague to come along to translate and I really don’t think that should have been the case.
- No proper pavements for pedestrians
I live in Osmanbey area, which is alright but every rainy morning I get to work wet not because I had no umbrella but because there are no proper drainage systems and the water just stays in the middle of the road and the pedestrian part of the road is taken by hawkers and it was worse when it snowed…I got to work with the bottom part of my trouser wet like I was crossing the nile river during the rainy season…the pedestrian crossings we see are too few aswell – and cars here don’t have wait for pedestrians – pedestrians wait for cars….otherwise you will be minced meat before you know it… if dare and walk across oncoming traffic at your free will.
- The intensity of being looked at
I have been looked at for no apparent reason in many of my travels – I guess I will have to get used to it, it’s fine when a child just looks as if to have noticed something out of the ordinary – atleast I am content that it’s a child at its all innocent but its usually strange when an elder looks the same way as I am not sure whether its genuine interest or dislike when they are facing my direction so I try to avoid the gaze at all costs.
Chocolate/caramel skin is a sense of attraction as I have gathered - sometime receiving a positive welcome and mostly a negative reaction. Countries in Africa; South America; some European countries e.g. France and the US + Canada should not be surprised as diversity is their middle name.
- Communication is a big obstacle
This I don’t mind, my first days in Lugano – the Italian speaking part of Switzerland were the same, it just means that I have to adopt and be open enough to learn enough to communicate my needs…but I must add that certain places really have to upgrade by using the international medium of instruction i.e. English …it needs to taught to employees especially at banks because this is such a tourist city and because of the fact that the country wants to be part of the European union.
- Being ripped off by taxi drivers
This seems to be a continuous phenomenon and the drivers pretend to not understand when I show them that they are cheating me – this I absolutely hate!
How do I tell a 50 year old odd guy that he is being a dick by cheating me…there should be enough old age sense of respect to know that what he is doing is wrong…
- The dirty water from the geyser
Obviously we order water and it comes in a bottle …you know…like the water bottle you find at work! But I cannot go to the bottle everytime I want to brush my teeth or rinse my mouth. The thought of that water every morning taking a shower gives me shivers but when you have had a 5 hrs sleep and are late for work that is the least of your worries and besides it is extremely hot – would have killed all the germs as everytime I walk into the bathroom the geyser temperature is usually 100%...anyway I am being too dramatic – the water just looks like it had a brush of dust only. The only other times I was not to drink from a tap was İndia and Egypt and I could see why :)
- Invasion of privacy
When withdrawing money from an atm, people are just behind you like you are in a queue for a vaccine and have the audacity to want to view the screen while you are busy withdrawing & have a conversation while you are at it – the only thing missing is an offer to put my pin on my behalf...i really don’t get that especially when I am broke :) There is no personal space none whatsoever.
....I was sitting at filicor café on istiklal – busiest street I think in the whole of turkey and browsing the internet when suddenly Lira (a South African soul singer) started playing in the restaurant – that just made me patriotic and proud of her as I know how she battled to get into the business and now the recognition & distribution is very much global.
