I arrived at Sahiba Gocken Airport in Istanbul exactly nineteen days ago.

There was not a long queue at passport control and luggage was delivered through the conveyor belt in no time. I must say, it was a rather pleasant experience after all the hustle and bustle of Gatwick Airport. At the arrival gate, I was met by my granddaughter and her friend from university. I was so happy to see her again.

On my second day, I was a late riser. I was exhausted. This was due to the long to-do list I had worked through in preparation for the three months travelling. As a result I had only a short afternoon to explore the local community. I used the nearby Medical Park Onkolij (oncology) building as the landmark for the area I was staying in, in case I couldn’t find my way back.

Medical Park Onkolij is an important hospital in Istanbul. From the apartment’s window, I could see hundreds of cars drive in to the hospital to drop sick patients off. I believe the patients suffer from respiratory diseases caused by pollutants from motor vehicles as well as cigarette smoking. Ironically, I could see the nurses at The Oncology Hospital sitting in the wooden shelter chain smoking for their 30 minutes break. Obviously medical professionals fail to be good example for others! It is a known fact that Turkey has 26,000 annual mortalities due to a combination of cigarette smoke and environmental risk factors.

My first destination was our local greengrocer, an excellent shop selling local produce, fresh fruits and vegetables. The pears were crispy and delicious, I had never tasted pears as good as these. I learnt from the smiling shop keeper to say Armut, which means Pear in Turkish and Muz, meaning banana. The shop keeper and his assistants were very friendly and willing to help someone who can’t speak a word of Turkish like myself.

On my third day, I decided to buy gluten-free products. There was a big French supermarket Carrefour about 40 minutes away by bus which stocked a large selection of healthy, organic, lactose- and gluten-free products. Though it was a bit far for food shopping it was a relief to know that I would not starve. Most gluten products seriously affect my digestion. 

On my fourth day, I took a bus to Kadıköy Ferry Port, which is roughly a 30-40 minutes drive. I took a ferry boat to Eminönü harbour in the European part of Istanbul. Istanbul has two parts; the city lies on two Continents, separated by the Bosphorus and the Marmara Sea. The Asian continent is located in the East and the European in the West. The ferry journey was very pleasant, the fresh sea air seeming to alleviate pollution from the roads. I was also pleased that the ferry crossing took merely 20 minutes to reach the European side. Exotic scenery came into view as the ferry boat approached the port. I could see Eminönü with its domes and minarets so grand they seemed to touch the sky. We, the passengers, were conveniently disembarked directly onto the main road leading to the spices market and the Grand Bazaar. It was time to explore.....but I was gasping for breath, as happens when a crowd of people walking to and fro in different directions squeezes and squashes our human bodies. A boy in the crowd yelled “Welcome to Hell” which brought a smile to my face. However, after a good two hours in the spice market, I had had enough and was exhausted. I decided that it was time head home.

On my seventh day, I took a ferry to cross the Marmara sea from Kadıköy to Eminönü. I wanted to visit the famous Hagia Sophia, a 4th century Catholic church built by Emperor Konstantios, which then became Greek Orthodox during the Byzantine period and later was converted into a mosque during the Ottoman Empire from the 15th century to the early 20th century. In 1985 Hagia Sophia was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO due to its rich history and artistic achievement.

As I arrived at the Grand Bazaar, something happened that left me feeling uneasy. For the first twenty minutes as I walked through the outer Grand Bazaar, Hussain the rug seller stalked me into his gallery to view his rugs collection. He tried to convince me to buy a magnificent rug for my son as a surprise present. Hussain showed me a large blue rug made of silk and cotton which he said was worth 5200 Euros, whereupon he drastically dropped the price to 2,300 Euros. I must admit it was a magnificent rug but certainly not worth the price. In order to escape from this uncomfortable situation, I had to disagree with Hussein in that a surprise present would not be a good idea at all as it would be likely to cause trouble in my son’s marriage — his wife does not like rug or carpet. Phew! Hussein let me go....Free at last, it seems my strategy did the trick.

As I continued walking past the Blue Mosque, a well-dressed young man appeared out of nowhere to firmly guide me in a certain direction while reciting historical facts. He introduced himself as Erwan. He told me that he had had several girl friends in the past including a lady from Jakarta. It was obvious that he was attempting to lure me God knows where. I tried to be polite to him and when he touched my hand, I pushed my handbag towards him to keep him at a distance. He kept talking, insisting that he wanted to see me on Sunday, but maybe before. He said “I can hardly wait that long”. In my mind I said to myself, “Hmm... I was not born yesterday, don't think you can fool me with that old ruse!!! It was obvious that Erwan was up to something. It was clear to me that he was gay, but alas the economic pressure is great and as a result, he must risk losing his dignity.

Travelling has its ups and downs, especially when you are a woman travelling alone. But apart from the usual stress of travelling and the burden of having to figure out everything on my own, nevertheless, I feel safe travelling in Turkey. As honest and negative as I’m being here, I don’t think all Turkish men are out to get single women such as myself. Turkey is an amazing country worth exploring...

Next week, I will visit the north of Istanbul. (written on November 15th, 2017) 

FΩRMIdea Istanbul, 6th December 2017.  Read this article in Turkish

Istanbul by Ida Rastini:

1. My first week in Istanbul

2. Lost in Istanbul