Miscellaneous tips for travel in Turkey
 

I wrote this up after my trip 2 1/2 years ago; some of these are applicable for general travel and some are specific to Turkey. Hope it helps someone!
------------
Miscellaneous thoughts and suggestions:

- Bring dollars and travellers checks for large purchases. We used dollars to pay guides and purchase a carpet.

-Credit cards usually work, but not always (even when the store accepts cards).

-ATM?s don?t always work. We were surprised how hard it was to find ATM?s that worked for us, after travelling for years and never once using a traveller?s check.

-Bring a small bottle of shampoo. Not all hotels provide it.

-Bring ear plugs! I bring them whenever I travel, but it?s especially helpful in Turkey where the 5:00 am Call to Prayer may wake you up.

-Bring immodium (or you can buy Ercefuryl at a pharmacy). We, unfortunately, did need something during the trip and it did help.

-Bring tissues. The pleasant surprise, however, was that almost all toilets were very clean, and usually had toilet paper. And, most places had standard toilet bowls as well as the ?hole in the ground? type.

-I found it helpful to have wet wipes with us, especially helpful in hot and sticky weather. I also bring SHOUT (stain remover) but in packaged ?wipe? form-- VERY helpful!

-DRESS: Neat, but casual. We travelled in August and early September, and I (40+ very casual female) wore either capri-length pants or a midi length gauze skirt in the cities or in Cappadocia & Konya; I wore shorts on the coast, which is primarily a resort lifestyle. I found the capri-length pants perfect for almost all my travels, and would say that it?s a perfect piece of clothing: not too short or too long, neat, comfortable, and cool enough in the heat of summer.

-Shoes: Again, I travelled in the summer, and ended up wearing my grey Merrill shoes (open back) about 75% of the time. Very very comfortable, and I often have a hard time with shoes. I also have a pair of Wolky sandals that I wore the other 25% of the time.

-Learn a little Turkish! My small attempts seemed to be greatly appreciated (or a great source of amusement!).

Sorry about all the question marks; cut and paste doesn't translate well, and I should've put in the quotes or apostrophes. But I think you'll be able to make sense of it all. Let me know if anything was "lost in translation"!

Thanks!

Duly noted and appreciated.

Ditto, thanks
I have arranged a bundle of small demonination USD and a bout a billion in turkish lire....jeez that sounds like a lot !!!

At last Turkey talk!! I'm so excited about my up coming trip and this thread is sooo welcomed. Please who else can add to it...I've noted all the comments so far. Thank you all!!!!

Leannat,I know there hasn't been much just lately, Where are you going ?

Hi Marko. Im going for 31 days and we'll be touring all over. I'm traveling w/ Cultural Folk Tours and we really do seem to be hitting all the major points. Im soo excited! I've already started packing! :) I leave April 5th.....now how about you? When, where, what etc! :)

Istanbul 3 days, fly to Urgup 2 days, back to Istanbul and then onto Gallipoli 2 days, Kusadasi 3 days, Bodrum 2 Days and then Marmaris 1 day and then to Greece. Can't wait !!

oh and a day and a half back in Istanbul before flying back to OZ.

Ramdon tips? Hmmm.

- Watch for pickpockets around the bus station across from the spice bazaar
- Enjoy a freshly grilled fish sandwich at at the quay by aforementioned bus station
- For the ladies: always have a headscarf handy for seeing mosques
- For the men, wear clean socks - same reason
- Never drink Raki straight, as you will be considered a lush. Add water
- The best way to shake off a carpet salesman is to tell him you just bought one
- At a turkish bath, tip the attendant before the ordeal, not after. It will be greatly appreciated and enhance the service
- All seating on ticketed travel is reserved (obviously planes, but buses and long distance ferries as well)
- To experience a short ferry ride (roundtrip) take the local to Harem but don't disembark. The boat will return in just a few minutes.
- With rare exception, there is no such thing as a no smoking section
- No matter where on this planet you're from, the carpet salesman will have a cousin who lives there

One more thing tourists in Turkey should know, if you engage a "guide" make sure you like him - Other guides will be very reluctant to take you one should you prove dissatisfied with the one you have. Either go it alone, or be careful who you pick!

More ? All very usefull, it has extended the number of usefull(?)phrases that I am learning in Turkish !

Beware-what is sold as "saffron" often is actually Marigold petals. Also, "Turkish Delight" is a really yummy confection much like our Cotlets or Applets here.

Don't forget the $65 visa fee at the airport.

According to my tour guide to be...the Washington Cotlet Co is/was owned originally by Turks. Intersting thought! Wow so many good tips. Now some ?'s of my own.

Did any one get sick from eating the food? I am taking Lomotil but just wondered how paranoid I need to be.

I plan on carrying my $$ in a soft wallet next to my skin so should be ok w/ that. I only carry a small amount in my purse/travel vest/fanny pack or whatever I"m using for the day.

The scarf I have packed and always carry one as it has soo many uses. A carry all for extra stuff, a wash cloth if needed, a cool cloth to wear around my neck if its hot, a warm cloth to wear for the opposite, a cover for dirty seats to protect my clothes etc etc etc. I once read an article 100 Things to do w/ a Cotton Scarf when you travel....I learned a lot.

Marko...so you're going on to Greece. How exciting. I wanted to go there last year but my tour was cancelled. This year it wasn't offered so hopefully next year. But now that I've studied up so much on Turkey I wonder if it isnt wiser to go there first anyway. Whatever I guess......just go!!!

Oh also.....for the baths, are the towels really ample enough for coverage? Is total nudity necessary....and I am only talking about the totally female side!!

Ok thanks all!

$65 visa fee for who? Visa for Americans is $100USD, unless it has changed recently.

Visa fee for Australians is $20 USD for multi entry Visa.

Yeah,

The US visa was 100$ when last I was in Istanbul 11/03. It's good for three months, multiple entry.

- Regarding the baths: At the Cembralitas the women's side is all nude, the men's side is towel manditory. It fact, the no nudity sign on the men's side is so emphatic that I take it as an attempt to avoid any possibility of gay cruising.
- More on division of the sexes: It is unusual to see Turkish women at night unescorted by either a man, or several other women. Also, coffee house society is almost exclusively male. Both these observations are slightly less true in the cosmopolitan area of Taxim.
- As for food: First, I got a Hep A shot (with booster) before traveling. Then, I ate everything every where, with the exception of mussels, which are likely to be polluted. Turkish food is very fresh, and very good.
- Food to try: Ayran (a yogurt drink), turkish pistachios, gozleme bread, turkish wine (purchase at the source in Goreme), arugula (often served as a garnish), blue fish (any fish),guvec (single serve casserole), and the hot drink sahlep (served in winter).
- The sun in central Turkey is VERY bright. Sunscreen and shades manditory.
- The bazaar behind the Blue Mosque is far less of a pain than the Grand Bazaar, and more artsy.
- There is a large area just off the Hippodrom that is devoted to shoes, all types, wholesale.
- Right next to the Galata tower is a great open air cafe where you can smoke a waterpipe.

...the joys of Turkey are endless

"- No matter where on this planet you're from, the carpet salesman will have a cousin who lives there"

How true! It was the greatest single line I heard everywhere we went.
----------
And I liked the bazaar behind the Blue Mosque, too. I ended up doing my shopping there because it's so much more manageable.
-Inexpensive gift items to consider-- small
painted bowls.

Anyway, to add to ncanavavan's food recs, we liked lahmacun, a flat, thin bread with ground meat on it, like a small meat pizza. Try it in the modest cafe/restaurant outside the entrance to the Sirkeci Train Station.

Leannat-- in answer to your question about getting sick, both my husband and I did get sick when we arrived in Cappadocia. We ate food that had been prepared at the hotel we were staying in and we arrived late, so it was reheated. No one else got sick from it, so was it that the food was reheated? Or is there something in the bacteria of the food that our body wasn't used to? I prefer to think the latter, but we don't know.
Anyway, we both got very ill; I, fortunately, bounced back the next day, but my husband was pretty miserable for 2 full days (and weak for several more). On the other hand, most people we met did not get sick, but there were any number of people we met who did. And believe me, I was surprised-- I rarely have any kind of problems with food when I travel, so I really didn't expect to experience it. After that first bout, however, we were both fine; and we ate pretty much anywhere and everything after that.

Regarding the visa fee-- I read that the US increased the visa to enter to $100, so countries have responded in kind.

More great advice, all being printed and collated, thank you. I am very pleased that our visa fee to enter is only $20 each, there will be five of us !!!! and $500 USD would put a hefty dent in our budget !

Yep yep...copy, paste,print! I get sick everywhere I go w/ what ever the local revenge is called. Tuts curse, Montezumas revenge, Maos whatever...sigh!!! So this is why I"m so paranoid...so thanks progal for the tips you sent. I have had my A shot too...so should be safe on that level. NCanavan..you make my mouth water w/ all the listing of good foods. And thanks for the tip about the bazar behind the B. Mosque. I"ll have 2 days on my own before the tour...so hopefully I can scope it all out. All this stuff is just super....thank you all sooo much!

I , personally have cast iron guts, never picked up a tummy bug anywhere !!
Terrible question leanne......do you travel with vegemite ? ;?

Also, the visa fee must be paid in CASH. No credit cards.

visa fee to Turkey is 100 Usd and only payable in cash at imigrant desks in airports.
regards
Nejat incedogan
guidein ephesus
[email protected]

Dining tip: Be careful about all those appetizers the waiter may try to put on your table. Yummy? yes, but they cost extra. It is not like the bread basket they put on your table in the US. We just loved Turkey 10 years ago. I assume it is still just as wonderful. I didn't mind the early prayer calls, I thought they were really cool-- like I am really experiencing foreign travel. Pardon my country mouse attitude.
Also- please give me a porcelain toilet!

It is soo good to have this active thread going.....every nite I'm so excited to see more chat!!! Its helping to pass the days before I go.

Now Marko..Does Vegemite help w/ tummy problems? I know Ozzies eat it all the time....but I think its an accquired taste! :) I hear eating the local youghurts is a good idea...but that is a milk product.....so to me it would not be good to eat. But others say no it can help. Hmmmm?

I will have the $100 in cash when I land....now is one bill ok....or should I have it in $20s etc. Im being met and I guess they will help me process thru and in.

Im quite w/ you Janeg about porcelein! I like it too.....and managed to tour china for 26 days and searched them out!!! As for the Muzzeims....I think its such a romantic sound....I know also sacred....but romantic non the less. In egypt as we were riding our camels they were doing the call and it was just too fantastic. I was yelping w/ the excitment of it all...thank god my Camel stayed calm!!!

I have a huge passion for travel and love the romance of all the different places in the world. Its why I travel. My job, as I see it, is not to judge but to just observe, appreciate and come home, save my $$ and go again!!!!

Leannat
I really wanted to enjoy my camel ride in India, but I hated it. I ended up with a boil where the beast & I met.
Whoops, better go back across the border, this is about Turkey, isn't it?

"visa fee to Turkey is 100 Usd and only payable in cash at imigrant desks in airports"

Sorry, but this is not true. You can easily send your passport off in the States to the Turkish embassy and have your visa attached to it. No standing in line at the airport when you're tired and grouchy. When we arrived in Istanbul, I was glad we already had our visas. The line to buy them there was horrendous and not moving.

Definately only $20 USD for Australians,
Vegemite can cure almost anything !!!
I find that drinking the local alcohol instead of the local water always helps.....just gotta get the dosage right ;) I have actually just arranged to attend a Rotary meeting in Bodrum where we are spending 2 days of rest and relaxation, the person I corresponded with has invited all of us to stay with him and his family. I love travelling especially to places that are outside of the comfort zone for the majority, I would much rather visit a place where I don't speak the language because it makes me think !!
I want my children to be adventurous !

Yep, you can send your Passport to the Turkish embassy, there are also companies that process them for you for a fee. However, my passport goes with me. I don't want to deal with a replacement when someone loses it. (I had one lost at the Singapore Embassy. Once was enough)

Good evening folks. Janeg: Ouch! A boil...not fun! I have to admit I was hysterical w/ fear the entire ride...and kept saying.."ok ok..you're ok!!!" My guide was cool though and really kept close to me, I think he knew he had a hysterial old lady on his hands. Later in the tour I bought a camel necklace...sort of a totem to my conquored fear! :)

I actually have a Turkish embassy here in LA...so could go down. I've done that before w/ both Egypt and China. But somehow it just seemed easier to do it all when I get to Turkey..but Patrick says there are lines....hmmm..something to think about.

And Marko.....brilliant idea!!! The local beer should keep me straight & healthy huh? Infact I think there was even some notes somewhere around here I can double check on. Course it might take me a couple of days to get that dosage right? :):) Fun!

I posted else where but should say it here also. I have found a couple of terrific books I"ve been glued to all weekend. "Towers of Trebizon" by Rose Macaulay...fabulous and great fun to read. Actually some wise comments, I thought, about Muslims and conversions, educating the women and all that. Also "Turkish Reflections" by Mary Lee Settle.....Im almost thru w/ this and have really enjoyed her poetic love of her tour. Its always nice to read authors who like what/where they are writing about!!!

Also Marko...what a special and fabulous experience you will have. You are lucky indeed!!! I so agree about "exotic" travel compared to what is thought of as sane and safe. I want the culture to be different, I want to experience new "stuff!" Travel is just too cool!

Two cultural recommendations:

Read My Name is Red, or The Black Book by Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk. Read Red for a flavor of the Sutan era Ottomans, and Black for an experience of modern Istanbul.

Also, the new film "Distant" (in turkish with subtitles) shot in snow covered Istanbul; Winner of several film awards, including the Grand Prix at Cannes. This film will give you a sense of the daunting economic situation in Turkey, as well as the everyday lives of cosmopolitan Turks (cigarettes, Efes beer, tea, cigarettes, um... more cigarettes)A bleak film, but subtle and moving.

One more practicle tip: never allow anyone, especially cab drivers, to rush you when paying for services. Turkish Lira denominations require a bit of attension. The five million note and the 500,000 note are easily confused.

When we were there the $ was worth about 32,000 lires. I wrote the $ amount on each bill in pencil. No one ever complained & I kept some sort of value idea.

janeg,
If you were paying about 32,000TL for a dollar, no one would ever complain! Today, a dollar is worth a little over 1,300,000TL. When I was there, the dollar was worth a little over 1,600,000TL.

ncanavan is very right, though, to remind travellers to be aware of paying for things with the right bills and making sure you get the correct change. It can be very confusing, since the denominations are so large.
Paule

oops, should read "32,000TL to a dollar"

Well, I was there in 1994. What is the diff between "for a $" and "to a $?" Both mean lots of TL for $1?

janeg,
Not much difference, really, between "to" and "for"; I was just being picky.

But what a difference between 1994 and 2001! I know that the Turkish economy plummetted between those years, but the numbers really say it better.

Thanks NCanavan for the book & movie ideas. I'll see what I can track down.

Gad all this $$....plus I hear I need a few extra $1 & $5 in US as well. We had to do the same in Russia a few years back. My waist just gets a bit bigger w/ the money packs tied around it!!!

21 more days before dept for me!!!EEek!

More reading material:
"A Fez of the Heart" by Jeremy Seal; his offbeat exploration of the history of the fez and his travels in search of it.

Mary Lee Settle wrote a fictional book, Blood Tie. A very dated but interesting book about several expats living on an unnamed island in the 70's and their relationship to the locals. Don't spend money on it, but read it if you find it in the library.

Leanne, 16 days a go. One of my EX ;) friends suggested I hire Midnight Express !!! He won't be getting a postcard !