Present day Istanbul. So much history. It’s a fascinating place. Basically, it’s chaos in the form of people. People from global origins being hassled by people of Turkish origins to buy shit…food, trinkets, jewelry, rugs, furniture, ceramics, any thing really. Sometimes the Turks are really aggressive. Inside of the Grand Bazaar, I told one guy that we didn’t want to buy his wooden boxes, and he said (imagine a Turkish accent)…”Okee, eexcuuse me, please, I fuck you and your country, okee.” He grabbed my arm, and said “fuck off, ” and then shoved me away. It happened so quickly. He had managed to contain himself for a few minutes while he tried to hook a sale, but when he sensed that it wasn’t going to happen, his wrath emerged in an instant. Up until that point in the day, everything was grand and fascinating. I was really flustered by this unwarranted aggression. It stuck with me. I just wanted to run to the safe haven of the hotel room and spend the remaining hours we had in the city on the internet behind the closed door. We hadn’t even bought anything yet, but I didn’t care, nor did I want to. However, we continued to walk through the chaos. It is a magical place. Dark. Underground. Narrow corridors packed to capacity with vendors and their various goods. People moving around, people talking. The smells and sounds and sights are all electricity to the senses. It is an enlightening place to visit, but not to spend a lifetime. I continued to think about my friend, and his need to articulate his hatred for me and “my country” over a fucking wooden box as we roamed. I was sad, then moved to anger, and settled on pity. My friend, hear me, I understand. You are stuck in the dingy depths of this ancient city peddling shitty souvenirs to tourists, like myself. You were probably born in this city, and have never been outside its wall’s, and you will die here. Now as I write this, far from the Bazaar, and even Istanbul, I wish that I had gone back and bought a box from him. After all, it is he that I came to see, not all these other people from everywhere else.
Turkish Flag
Sunset on Istanbul
The Blue Mosque
Entrance to the Grand Bazaar
The Grand Bazaar
The Grand Bazaar
The Grand Bazaar
The Grand Bazaar
The Grand Bazaar
Turkish delights at The Grand Bazaar
Tea
Ingrown car
The Blue Mosque
