Bridging

We decided to hire a car and driver for the trip from Agra back to New Delhi airport to avoid having to deal with luggage and taxi’s twice plus the train ride and it was surprisingly close to the same price. For an extra 300 rupees, about US$6.00 the air condition would even be turned on. With a temp. of over 40 degrees Celsius that was a nice option to have and use. The car trip was not 4 hours, closer to 7 but we had allowed for plenty of time after seeing New Delhi’s traffic from close up the week before. The drive gave us an opportunity to observe life in India in the smaller towns. Not too many of the cow pictures we took turned out while many, many cows were seen walking by and on the road. We asked our driver; who took care of the cows, who fed them? We learned that the cows take care of themselves. They look overall quite well and happy as they saunter in front of cars and buses whose drivers take greater effort avoiding the cows than the pedestrians. After checking in at the airport and clearing immigration, India had one more surprise which did not sit well with foreign tourists, including us. With 3.000 rupees left, the equivalent of $60.00 we stood in line at the foreign exchange counter and were made aware that rupees could only be changed into another currency if one had an Indian passport. The same held for all the stores in the departure hall, including the ones selling Indian souvenirs/merchandise, rupees only for those with an Indian passport otherwise US dollars. The only exception was the coffee shop but how many cups should one drink before boarding a plane for a 6.5 hour flight to Istanbul. Moral of the story, get rid of your rupees before setting foot in the airport and do not buy too many.

In Istanbul foreign tourists have to buy a Visa upon arrival. No paperwork is filled out, no one asks how long or where one plans to stay in Turkey, all the visa entails is an exchange of money (Euros) for a pretty stamp in your passport. Mine, for a Dutch passport cost 10 Euros and the identical stamp affixed in Tom’s American passport cost 15 Euros. Payable with a credit card. While waiting for our luggage I tried to exchange Indian Rupees for Turkish Liras, and was not surprised when that did not work. Turkish liras could not even be bought with a credit/debit card at the exchange, cash for cash only, and the only ATM was once again outside. All we wanted at that time was a 1 lira or 1 euro coin since that was what would unlock the chained dolly’s and we needed one for our luggage before hauling it through customs. Sweet revenge came when we wondered if a coin…is a coin..is a coin, and stuck in a 2 Indian rupee coin (worth an American nickel) and lo and behold it worked!!!
Istanbul is an absolute, delightful city. People of all walks of life live together in the mystery of the East and the practicality of the West. Our hostel is on the Historical Peninsula, steps way from the walls of Topkapi Palace and a couple of cobble stone streets up from the Bosphorus Strait which connects the Black Sea with the Marmara Sea and divides Europe from Asia. It is there where we headed to upon arriving last week. It was a great place to sit and be while inhaling fresh sea air and smelling the flowers which can be found throughout the old city and beautifully offsets the old, grey stone from the ancient mosques and palaces. We spent the better part of our first day inside Topkapi Palace, which was built in the 15th century but like a living organism it continued to grow and change. The palace was turned into a museum in 1924 with many treasures and relics stored inside. It was interesting to see side by side the arm bones of John the Baptist and inside jeweled casing the beard of the Prophet Mohammed with on the opposite wall, the staff which Abraham used to part the Red Sea. The biggest building, with 8 domes, houses the rich collection of old weapons, many adorned with precious stones. We walked inside the council room where the government held their meetings at which the Sultan could not be present but could listen through a window opened on a high point of the Harem section and covered with a curtain. The Palace has been beautifully maintained and the grounds were ablaze with the many colors of blooming tulips and pansies. Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia are separated by a park where the tourists gather throughout the day and evening for tea, Turkish coffee and the great pastries from the many bakeries surrounding the square. The Blue Mosque is one of the most famous monuments of the Turkish and Islamic world and the only mosque built with six minarets. The interior is a big hall where the men still gather in prayer 5 times a day while the women kneel in a separate, enclosed area in the back. It is one of the mosques which wakens us each morning long before the sky’s lightening with the muezzins call. This ancient call to prayer beckons a sleeping city and throughout the day it is heard again, from all the mosques surrounding us. Prayer is part of the day, part of life and it does not disturb. We were outside the New Mosque during an afternoon prayer meeting and watched hundreds of men, as one, bow their heads to the floor and after rising, leave and continue on with their day before gathering again later in prayer. Hagia Sophia, once a Christian Church (for 926 years), a mosque for 481 years , now sustains its historical function as a museum. It served as an example, even if on the basis of ideas and it is a product of the synthesis of the West and East. Upon entering, high up a mosaic panel can be seen depicting Jesus and his mother and throughout Hagia Sophia there is blending of Christianity and Islam, wonderful to see.
Old Istanbul has lots of charm and walking the narrow cobbled-stoned streets even without stopping at the many museums, mosques, palaces and bazaars is highly entertaining. Many wares are displayed, especially the rugs and the walking- by tourists will be encouraged to stop and take a look. Not being fueled by desperation, aggression is not present here and with a friendly wave one can walk by. One of our favorite walks is by the water of the Bosphorus where a bridge within minutes can connect one with Asia. It is a great people watching place where especially on a Sunday evening families take a stroll and stop to eat a doner sandwich which is fast becoming a favorite of ours. It is refreshing to see men and women walk hand in hand with their children hopping close by. The Muslim women are dressed in full length coats with their heads covered in brightly colored scarves . We have seen few women donned in the full black with scarves covering their faces. On one of our walks, when taking a picture, a young man stopped us and asked if we knew the significance of the statue which picture we were taking and we did not. He happily explained while walking next to us, hand in hand with his girl friend and the pride this young man took in his city Istanbul, the cradle of civilization, was evident. He was a young student and while pecking a kiss on her nose told us of his plans to marry this beautiful girl after completing his studies and mandatory 6 month tour in the Military, even if her father would not approve. In one of the guide books we read, the tourist is reminded that Turkey is a laic country where the Turkish people enjoy eating, drinking and dancing and that religion and government do not walk together like some other Arabic countries. Istanbul draws many tourists, especially the young, and throughout we hear Bulgarian, Romanian, Dutch and English spoken as well as many other languages. The traffic once again drives on the right side and with our many months seeing it on the left , at first this came across as being on the wrong side. As far as we are concerned after seeing the traffic in Thailand, Nepal and India; Pick a side and then please stay on it!

Tonight we will board a bus and travel through Turkey for 7 days stopping in Cappadocia,Pamukkale and Ephesus before returning to Istanbul for a couple more days, where there is till plenty more for us to see and do.

Gule-Gule

Tom and Els