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How I'm Spending My Time

What this page IS: a record of how I'm doing.  I want to show that I am busy and being responsible with my money.  I am not lounging by a pool and spending lavishly for several months.  This is a major life project and requires some "project management" to maximize experiences while minimizing costs and adhering to time constraints.

What this page IS NOT: a well-written blog with nice stories or thoroughly-researched travel guides.  There are lots of great blogs out there, and you should read those for inspiration and information.  I have a limited amount of time so I don't want to put a lot of effort into writing.

Note:  For safety reasons, I will only be updating this AFTER I leave a place.

Istanbul - First, the Bad

9/5/2021

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I can't lie.  It took me a few days to like Istanbul.  I loved it once I got the hang of it.  As a solo woman, there is ZERO room for small talk.  I stayed in Sultanahmet, the old town, and salespeople will pounce and harass you.  One friend described it as "hunting".  My very first day in the city, I went to Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.  They are close together, and in between there was a long line of people purchasing museum passes (they are way over priced).  I was looking around trying to figure out if I needed tickets for either the Hagia Sophia or the Blue Mosque, and immediately a man in a tie moved in.  He answered my question about not needing tickets, and he said he would show me the entrance to the Blue Mosque.  As we were walking that way, he said he has a carpet shop nearby and asked if I was interested in purchasing a carpet.  I said I wasn't, but I might stop in later in the week to look around.  Well, the Blue Mosque was closed for prayers (I'm sure he already knew that), and he talked me into "just looking" at his shop, and then I can return to the mosque after prayers.  
I should have known.  I've been to carpet and textile shops in India.  It was the same thing.  Some guy claimed to be the first guy's uncle, laid out a bunch of carpets on the floor and kept saying there was no pressure to buy.  But of course there was a lot of pressure.  They were pushing me to buy two $1000 (US dollars) carpets.  I said I don't make large purchases like that without planning ahead.  He said if he were me he would buy the carpets and then adjust my budget for the rest of my trip.  I said I had to leave, so then they tried to talk me into leather handbags in the $400 range (again, US dollars).  I got myself out of there, heading to the mosque, and the guy tries to get me to see he friend at a travel agency to book a tour to Cappadocia.  I did mention to him that I was planning to go to Cappadocia, as lots of people do from Istanbul, but I said I wasn't ready to book anything.  Something in my snapped, I said I had to leave, and I walked out the door.  The guy followed me into the street, yelled at me, caused a scene, and called me a dishonest American.  As soon as he walked away, another guy walked up to me to ask where I was from.
All over this part of town the men are pretty aggressive in selling things, getting people to come to their restaurants, and even just talking to women.  One block advertised a "harassment-free zone" as they didn't have men shouting at you trying to get people to eat at their restaurants.  Walking through the grand bazaar a guy at a carpet shot asked me to look in his shop.  I shook my head no and kept walking and he called out "Why not?"  I had two different men at two different restaurants make roses out of napkins for me.  I quickly learned to make no small talk at all.  Absolutely none.  As someone from the midwest, this is not easy, and it feels a little rude, but it's just the way it is.  You need to make eye contact just for a split second so they know that you know they are there.  Any longer and the men think it's an invitation to talk, flirt, or sell you something.  And no smiling AT ALL.  Also hard as a midwesterner, but it's a necessary skill to survive Istanbul.
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