Going to Turkey

M

Montez

So Old I'm Losing Radiation Signs
Two of my friends recently got married, and since one of them is Turkish they're going to have a "proper" ceremony there so that all her relatives can attend (Istanbul, btw). I'm going to be there for a week so I'm looking for some suggestions. What should I make sure to see or do while I'm there? Are there any customs or other weird stuff I need to be aware of? I've never been outside of the US apart from a brief trip to Quebec, so I really have no idea what I'm in for. Any advice or suggestions?
 
Piece of advice #1: don't tell anyone you're American.


Perhaps you could say you're Canadian - everybody will be way nicer to you.
 
Go back in time five years and have the wedding then.

Or, heck, even better: go back in time a thousan years and have the wedding there.
 
How soon do you leave?

I have a friend who is Turkish and got back from a trip there. I'll ask him if he can tell me anything and report it to you here Montez.

Sincerely,
The Vault Dweller
 
Jebus said:
Piece of advice #1: don't tell anyone you're American.
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Although this happened in a different region of Turkey, and about ten years past, I found that telling the Turks I was an American made them worship me. Seriously.

I've never been to Istanbul, or the surrounding region, but the one thing I miss about Turkey the second-most were the pools/bathhouses really high up in the mountains.

The only thing that beats that was the village of Incirlik parked outside Incirlik AFB.
 
there isn't really anything special for Turkey, i think. just the standard things that apply to all moslim countries (don't eat with your left hand, try not to blow your nose at the table & that kind of things).

Istanbul is a melting pot & very touristic as well, so they shouldn't really take offense to anything you do as long as you are polite & dont make fun of the natives.
 
Try some real Turkish coffee. That's a must.

Also, visit some of the major tourist attractions. The Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Catacombs and Topkapi Palace, for instance.
 
The_Vault_Dweller said:
How soon do you leave?
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I'm not leaving until September so I've got a while to prepare and maybe learn a bit of the language. Any advice or suggestions from your friend would be very appreciated.

It's good to hear that it's not very anti-American, to be honest it was kind of worrying me. All the same I don't think I'll venture to far from Istanbul, that's about as close to the middle east as I'm willing to get.
 
Montez said:
It's good to hear that it's not very anti-American, to be honest it was kind of worrying me. All the same I don't think I'll venture to far from Istanbul, that's about as close to the middle east as I'm willing to get.
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No, trust me, it is. There's a reason "Kurtlar Vadisi Iraq" was the most popular Turkish movie ever, and it basically gets worse every day.
Ten years ago might've been a whole different story - what with the NATO stuff and all - but in these Post-Iraq times saying you're American isn't going to get you much love 'n kisses in Muslim countries - or anywhere else in the world, for that matter.

So y'know, avoid it when possible.

Istanbul is bound to be more... metropolitan than the countryside, though, so I guess it'd be less worse there.
 
Jebus said:
"Kurtlar Vadisi Iraq"
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:look:

Yikes. One of my friends who is going looks a lot like Billy Zane too. Time to start working on my brogue, I guess. "American me fekkin arse, I'm Irish ye twit."

That sucks, hopefully it won't amount to more than a few dirty looks though. My friend and her brother are both Turkish, so maybe traveling with them will kind of mitigate any response stronger than that.
 
One interesting thing in Istanbul is the bazaar; there you can really test your barter skills. All the prices are inflated and as far as I know it is somewhat shameful to be unable to haggle with the shop keepers. Also watch out for the monkey trick: some dude with a monkey on his shoulder will come up to you and place the monkey on your shoulder. Now the question is how much are you willing to pay to get rid of the monkey :).
As for the whole anti-american business, I'm sure that if you are polite and nice to the people they will at least tolerate you. Besides, the relatives of your turkish friend will surely give you some pointers on etiquette and stuff.
Just have fun and don't get kidnapped and decapitated, ok? :roll:
 
Try the kebab. But from aserious citchen that the locals use, and where you can see a lot of traffic.

I heard once that 3 precent of the population are religious nutcases and that the rest are ordinary people. as long as you stay in istanbul you will do fine.
 
The Kebab is great. In some places they also add a kind of yogurt in every kebab portion that is very tasty.

And, bartering in the bazaar is indeed a must. Last time I was there, we found a Silver decorated dish (my father collects them) for 10 million turkish liras (inflation for the WIN!) and we eventually got it for something like 1 million.

Other sights would include, as stated, the Agia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi (which is built on top of the Byzantine Palace, so it is interesting to search for signs of Byzantine Architecture in it), Dolma-bachce (the other palace in Constantinople, where the last Sultans lived. Incredibly luxurious, even the heat radiators are covered with gold).
 
Damn, I just caught this thread. I think he is there now, no one told him not to go to the Turkish Baths!!! I geuss he will have to learn the hard way. Those boys like you to come out feeling refreshed and fully violated.
 
Fuck!!! It's too late now... I'm Turkish and might help with a few things here and there... Damn I could even give him a tour... There're some dangerous streets down in Istanbul... Had to warn him about that...

Well... It's too late now... I'll mourn for him :(
 
Montez said:
I'm going to be there for a week so I'm looking for some suggestions. What should I make sure to see or do while I'm there? Are there any customs or other weird stuff I need to be aware of? I've never been outside of the US apart from a brief trip to Quebec, so I really have no idea what I'm in for. Any advice or suggestions?
Click to expand...

Rule #1: Never flirt with an turkish women, her father might want to kill you with a looong knife.

Rule #2: They all have long knifes.

Rule #3: Dont look turkish people too long in the eyes, otherwise they try to kill you or punch you in the face. -> My advice: Run.

Rule #4: If somebody wants to punch or kill you, dont forget, that every turkish has a bigger brother, who wants to take revenge.

Rule #4: Dont say you are american to foreign peoples, change your identy, attach some hairs with glue on your face or let them grow, mustaches are always good, they love mustaches and speak not perfect english, speak little bit like some german tourist.

Rule #5: No matter what you buy, you always gonna pay double prices, so you need to gamble. -> My advice: Just say you dont have more money, and he will lower the price.

Suggestions: Eat their food and Smoke some Shisha.
Edit: Turkish tea is awsome, try that out.
...
And never show things like mobile phones or cars in front of her eyes, some of them have massive points on stealing skills invested.

Info: Those rules are based on personal expierience, no fake here.

Happy Traveling :)
 
My parents went there a few weeks back and apparantly people were constantly trying to rip them off (giving them the wrong change when the paid for drinks etc) so be on the look out.
 
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