Day 59 and 60 One Stop, Two Shop, New Mosque, Blue Mosque

The Europe Istanbul from the ferry.

Hello! My abominable Dr. Seuss parody attempts non-withstanding, I´m good! I spent all day with Annika wandering around the Grand Bazaar before getting fed up with the constant pushing of the merchants and bailıng. The weather was gorgeous, though in the mornings it often seems like it´s going to be cloudy, so we caught the ferry to the Asian side of Istanbul, where the real Turkey is. After some hiking (it´s all hills...), and hilarious attempts to ask directions from locals who spoke only Turkish, we found a little bulk shop where I picked up loads of, you guessed it, Turkish Delight. I hope it makes me sick so I won´t want anymore, I swear it´s like crack. I actually browsed a book in Dubai that equates sugar with cocaine, so maybe I´m not far off! We caught the ferry back, and I ventured once more into the spice market. I grew bored quickly - same things, same faces, more candy - and we decided to stop at the nearby New Mosque, whose name is very misleading.

Me outside the New Mosque.

It was completed in 1663, and boasts over 60 domes and semi-domes. The inside is incredible, all the mosaics and painting is preserved, and it is still used by Muslims today, so we saw some prayers being conducted. It was really interesting to witness, and there is a constant reminder of one´s being in a Muslim country as the call to prayer sounds five times a day. They furnish tourists with scarves to cover your head and shoulders if you are without, and though I was dressed conservatively, I still haven´t adopted the hijab... I got over the fact that hundreds of other tourists wear the same scarves pretty quickly though.

The inside of the New Mosque.

We wandered back to the hostel, and I picked up a bunch of postcards to send to the lucky few over in Canada who gave me their post addresses before I took off. I decided to visit the Basilica Cisterns, an old Roman structure under the city comprised of many columns, two of which are famous for bearing representations of Medusa´s head at the base, though sideways and upside down respectively. Though the lighting was pretty bad for photos, the eerie atmosphere adds to the whole experience. I luckily just missed prayer time upon emerging, as they close the Blue Mosque to tourists for those times, and walked the short distance to the edifice.

Once inside (again wearing the ubiquitous scarf) I took a seat against the back wall and wrote a little in the quiet. It was busier than the New Mosque, but most people bear a certain respect for the building and it´s history. It really made me angry actually to see some tourists flippantly discard their head coverings and walk about. This is not a religious matter, it´s about respecting someone else´s rules while in their house! I don´t very much mind a silly scarf if it means I can enter another country´s heritage sites while showing my appreciation for the invitation.

one of the Gorgon heads.

I was pretty full from all my snacks, but that didn´t stop me from getting an amazing fish meal in the kumkapi district. Shrimp and starters went down quite nicely, and then I headed back to the hostel for a much needed rest - it was a long day! I passed many cats on the way, and noticed again how well-fed and sleek they look! Truly they take better care of themselves than most of the house variety!

The ceiling of the Blue Mosque.

Today I am going with two Down Under girls who I have met to a traditional hammam, where I´ll be dipped, doused and scrubbed raw by skillful attendants until I shine and feel like royalty. Ahh, this is the life! This evening I take an overnight bus to Goreme, a town in Cappadocia home to "fairy chimneys" and rock churches hidden in the many caves. I have a nice little hostel booked there for tomorrow night, and given my experience sleeping on buses, I´ll sleep like a rock. The whole area is a big draw for tourists, and I`m going to see where some more experienced travellers will encourage me to go after that. I´ll try to return to Istanbul  on the 9th to shop a little more and see the archaeology museum before my flight on the 11th to Krakow.

I think I´ll be a tired little bunny after all this bouncing around! I have a few local friends once I reach Prague though, so it will be nice to have them direct me around for a while!

The hammam was amazing! Kind of surreal, we walked there without knowing exactly what we were getting into. Once there the attendant, a huge Turkish lady, told us to strip down completely and emerge wearing a gingham towel thing. We kept our skivvies on, and were beckone though to a marble room with taps and basins on the wall, one cold one hot, from which you douse yourself with water. There were little bowls to scoop the water out, and it took some clever gauging to get the right amount of hot and cold in the same sluice! I burned/froze myself a little at first, but he contrast was kinda nice.

Next the woman entered (we never learned her name... She spoke no English!) and base me lie down on a slab in the middle of the room, where she proceeded to use a rough mitt all over me. This was my particularity hygienic, as she didn't switch it for us, but my go it felt amazing. A lot like being washed by a large cat, and it took a whole layer of grime off me. I watched the other girls go through he same ordeal, and then we were scrubbed in turn. She uses a large sheepskin-type thing and so much soap, which she massages into you as she goes. It felt so good, especially on my legs which are cramping from al the walking! At one point though she sat us up and worked our neck, but from the front, meaning my face was basically in her cleavage... She was also naked.

Rinsing off once more, she washed our hair for us, and left us to chill for as long as we liked. We wrapped up and dried off after about 45 more minutes, and were served water as we cooled down from the heat of the marble room. Ahhhh, Kenya is finally scrubbed off! We all walked back pretty tired and quiet, and I think despite the challenges of sleeping on the bus, I'll pass right out!