Coming into the area where I am staying
It is a nice guesthouse for the price of $30 night (and pushing my budget some). It looks over the water on the 3rd floor/ roof top where I am now. It serves as a breakfast nook and lounge area. There are a few info packs, and computer here, two tables and a small kitchenette. Not all too inviting unless it were warm outside, then it would be quite nice to be out on the roof but still fine for my purposes. Instead of listening to the uninvited music from above my room, I am sitting here at a 4 person table watching ships come in and out of the pier in between blog thoughts. It is just me and a Spanish woman here. She must be catching up on her Skype calls...she's be on the phone to several friends for a long while. I think she broke up the bed-buddies whose door is no more than 3 feet from the computer...bummer...for them.
Speaking of intimacy I was a bit surprised to see so much PDA here. I think Turkey is a secular Muslim country which usually means they do not enforce or mix public law with religion which is not in alignment with Muslim tradition. But I was pleasantly surprised to see mostly same-sex friends affectionately hold onto one another when walking or sitting etc. And some of those same-sexers were obviously a bit more than friends...that REALLY surprised me. These gestures were subtle and not as open to the public but still ... that roof-top smooch I witnessed between two women across the street from the guesthouse this morning had me do a double take.
Msst of the women dress as a traditional Muslim women ... but perhaps more on the progressive side. Some where nice boots or shorter skirts with legging or jeans underneath. But about a quarter of the women dress and look very NYC like. I am sure they'd say NYC looks very Istanbul...but whatever, you get the picture. This group of women (men too) are very stylish and do not wear the head-scarf so I was certain I could find a good hair salon around to fix this God awful hair-cut I got in Seattle before leaving. I also decided to pull out my Mom's wedding ring I inherited and put it on to see if it would make a difference or at least shift the conversation. I put it on, put the square-pegged converter in my pack and off I went.
I made certain I took the guesthouse address card because I KNEW I could easily get lost ... and I did! I just started walking through a large park where vendors sell their goods. Who BTW, are WAY less aggressive than the Asian vendors I have met up with. These vendors only follow you for 5-10 feet whereas in India, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand they tug on ya, follow ya into the ocean (not kidding!), peer into your tote bag to assess your value, and even name-call, "Cheap American!" Here though...not so bad and 8 kilometers later--according to the taxi driver who kindly directed me back by tram--I was lost. No biggy...I like adventures.
Because these vendors were timid, I noticed my pace didn't need to be foot blister-making fast. I strolled along and even stopped a few times to greet the friendly hounds. Yesterday I wasn't so sure how it would be because when one vendor saw me (after dinner) he flew up his 5 stairs while zipping his jacket and began talking up a storm to "just come..." When I didn't stop walking he said to me, "Wait! I am not done talking." Since I already said no thank you a few times, I didn't feel too bad to spar back a bit. So without stopping, I turned to walk backwards a few steps and with a smile said, "But I didn't ask you to start!" Shrugged my shoulders and resumed my forward movement. I figured it was accepted when he smiled and I heard a few laughs from neighboring vendors.
But on this day it would be straight talk and full on honesty with vendors because I didn't have time to think up one-liners with every vendor I met as I walked through miles and miles of vendor streets...Well, I was honest at first...I told the rug vendor that I'd be happy to look (after he begged) but I guaranteed him I would not buy. Part of me was engaging because I had an agenda. I figure if I were honest and nice I could expect the same in return. I needed to find a good hair salon and well spoken English translating Turks are scarce. So though it felt a bit creepy to go into the small elevator to go up to the show room, there was no threat. He took me seriously about not wanting to buy so he only said that 'this is the show room' (large room with 100's of rugs) and handed me his card which is what he said he would do prior to going up. So far so good.
On the way down though, he softly took my left hand and peered at my ring finger and ring. The look he gave was really strange. Total dejection and a bit annoyed is the best way I can describe it. He let loose my hand, rolled his eyes and looked the other way and grew silent. I mean come on! I didn't loose my ground though and asked if he knew where I could get a good hair-cut. He politely led me 2oo yards away to a nice parlor where they were hungry for business.
Before he left back to his shop I asked him if he'd make sure they spoke English. He mumbled something and said back to me...still dejected mind you, "They know." Rolled his eyes one last time and left. The hair stylist were fashionable women so I figured the worse that could happen is that I'd come out looking a bit too girly-girl! Which is EXACTLY what happened! The stylist have 3 tools with which to work; a roll brush, scissors and blow-dryer. Let me just say, in order to look girly-girl with those 3 tools means scalp burning brush holds with the hair dryer beating scolding hot air to create the girly-girl curl. But it was fine. What's a few scabs on the skull ya know?! So since you will NEVER see me this curled out, take a down-load of these poses cuz it aint happenin' again!! I am totally doin' my best Vidal Sassoon hair bob pose here for ya so....
I know, I look a bit stoned and according to one of my prison guys I have "sister lips" and the hat wearing didn't bode well on the curls, but that's what YOUR imagination is for! I was really going for one of those unnatural movie-star poses. Good? Bad?! Other?!Try this one...better?!
I just blew the paparazzi a kiss on this one. I know, what a narcissist but really, if I thought I looked good in them I wouldn't send ya contrived, stoner looks right? It's all about the laughs for me ...Here...try this one ... that's more like me right? This is what I was feeling like after the 3rd very single Muslim man approached me.
That's the RING finger BTW!Ya know what was weird though, after I got my hair done I thought, ya know, other than the color of my eyes (blue) I kinda look like a Turk I think. And low and behold, when that third man approached me--which startled me some because I pride myself on being a very observant person, and this dude came out of the blue. But maybe it's because I didn't...I was leaving the tourist info center. Maybe he had a sting on the Info center and I was the red meat of the day.
Ya know what is really odd?! Gotta do my Info center tangent first... The Turks don't do well on selling their country. I went into the tourist center which was about 300 square feet where three men sat at their desk in a kind of triangle seating chart. They were gabbing away and had so little to offer me--the only guest--probably for hours. I wanted some maps of Turkey, the tram station chart and had a few questions. But they were way more into their own conversation. Only one guy was available to ask these questions but he had no recommendations upon my request and added zero support. Boring!! The next info center which was more of a travel agency, was even worse. When this young guy asked how long I'd be in Turkey and I replied "about a month" he said totally serious, "You'll get bored." I said, "no I won't. Why do you say that?" "Well, it's not quite high season so you can stay at a place for 7 days if you WANT but..." He ended his sentence with a shoulder shrug! I am thinking, there is more to life than high season activities come-on! I mean Rumi's tomb is Rumi's tomb all year long! It's not like Dervish dancing is in slow-mo in mid season. The Turkish hot streams don't freeze over and dry up?! Mosques are still titillating and beautiful. I mean Hello!! Do I need to sit in for ya here? Sell me somethin' people!!!!!!
Anyhow, the guy that staked me out did a pretty good job at being a gentlemen but when he saw I had a ring on in the travel agency he took me to, he suddenly changed his chatty tune and became bored with me. But what was interesting was that it wasn't but 1/2 hour earlier when I said to myself that I could pass for a Turk, when this guy said the same thing. I look a bit Turkish-American I suppose with my cap on...light-eye sensitivity requires that I where hats often. I had wondered how I would have managed that in Azerbaijan and I guess in some ways I will soon see the reaction in about a month when I meet my Peace Corps country and it's people.
So I didn't mention the second single Muslim guy did I? He was kinda creepy. I immediately showed him the ring and he started asking me a ton of questions. Like how long had I been married, do I have kids, was there are problem because I didn't have kids etc. Thank God for my acting background...but I totally was a big fat LIAR! Not an area I like to practice but hey...if this is what a chic has gotta do to keep those ferociously hungry single men away, then I am all over it. It's not like they have a lot of outlets here if ya know what I mean. Western single women are fresh meat and it's not like I am model material (though I gave it my best pose here)... but I suppose after so many months of desert ... I better not say what I was going to. But I am just assuming life is a bit dried up in certain areas of their life where even if I got hit by a tourist bus, I'd still look like Salacious Sue, to dried out eyes.
I think I am still too jet lagged to really feel the vibration of the country as a whole. I am not "feeling it" at all yet...at least not in the way I know I can and will.
I am not big on cities and Istanbul is kinda spendy. So I plan on staying here for 3 nights as planned, get a ticket to Denizili which is inland a bit. My guesthouse manager said to me with confusion and as if it was the least desired place on earth, "Why do you want to go there?"
In truth my primary reason I am going there is because it is the fastest and cheapest way to my intended destination Marimaris, which is 3 hours south by bus and on the coast from Denizili. But even this desired high season hot spot didn't excite the young lad. Of course I researched the in between city a bit to see if it was worth more than just a pit stop stay and it seems as though it is! Again, the Turks seem bored with their ancient city. I guess if ya see one ancient ruin, 7th wonder of the world, 3BC amphitheater, you've seen them all.
BTW, the striking good looks of these men and women (defined cheek bones, brown skin and stylish 'drobe have me thinking this is a country full of cat-walk runway models. Beautiful people but that is soon tempered with the men and the kind of boredom they let off. After concluding that fact, I later read about this borish way of life chararteristic in one of the guide book...so it's not JUST me. But the women are kinda sly, surreptitious and flirty almost. Little eye brow raises to punctuate a point. Tonight at the cafe where I was dining a Muslim woman accidentally belched and though she spoke Turkish I knew it was something of an apology /explanation. She offered up this little snarl and smile all rolled into one. She pointed at her upper chest and said something about the burning or discomfort in that area and that it was a relief to let it out. That part was gestured with her hand following the path of the burp from upper chest and out the mouth. She chuckled after the explanation. I just winked at her and gave her two thumb up...she laughed some more.
Now there is the language of love!
And on that note, I am heading to bed because it is almost midnight now here in Istanbul and I am actually falling asleep! I just may be acclimated!
I probably won't post again for a while but hope you've enjoyed the fun!
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