Darran Thayaparan

En route to Cyprus, my flight had a stop over at Istanbul and I thought this was the perfect opportunity to experience Istanbul in the short layover I had. I had to decide how I can get the most out of Istanbul in 24 hours. I naturally picked the famous attractions such as the Ayasofya, Grand Bazaar and the Blue Mosque. The following are reflections of mine on Istanbul during my short stay there

A pint of beer in Sultanamet which is a popular tourist destination among tourists costs 8 Turkish Liras. That’s about USD 6. Beer costs about the same in Toronto! Efes is a popular brand of Beer in Turkey.

One thing that I did not end up doing was go to a hamam or traditional Turkish bath. Some how the thought of getting massaged along with other dudes on a giant stone did not sit well with me. There’s got to be other things that the Sultans did that I could re-live.

I was shocked to see women and children begging for money in Turkey. The last time I witnessed anything like that was in Sri Lanka several years ago. I’ve seen people panhandling in Canada but the folks I saw in Turkey were begging for money by pleading and crying. Someone told me that these were people from the villages who migrated to the city in search of jobs.

I have to mention about the guys in the pic above and the cooks further down the post. I ate at this joint during my stay in Sultanamet. They were an interesting bunch. When they found out that I was on my way to Cyprus in a few hours from taking this picture, they all jokingly wanted me to hook them up with the pretty girls there.

I noticed several German made luxury vehicles in Istanbul. It could be the area that I was in but the number of Mercedes SUVs and cars I saw was impressive. BMW was not as popular.

There is a 110% tax on automobile vehicles imported in to Turkey. The tax depends on the size of the engine, year it was built and so on but chances are that you will spend more than what the car is worth in deposit money if you choose to import a car in to Turkey.

The rich are truly rich if they can afford to pay twice the price for a a Mercedes.

While we are on the topic of cars, I also have to mention about the driving in Istanbul. These guys are scary.  I was amazed how they cut off people and drive inches apart from one another.

If you are planning on visiting Istanbul I urge you to spend at least one whole week in the city. This is when you can experience everything the city has to offer.  My stay was brief but was a great experience to say the least.

Related posts:

1. A day at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul
2. Encountering a carpet salesman in Istanbul