The Friendly Turks

Istanbul, Turkey, is easily one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. The historical locations, the rich culture, the mouth-watering kebabs and the comparatively cheap accommodation have made it a tourist favourite. I'll be sharing two experiences in Istanbul.

#1
Our hotel was in the Sultanahmet Square. The hotel itself wasn't much but the location was perfect. The Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque were all in the vicinity. The Topkapi Palace was only a few minutes of walk away while the Grand Bazaar had direct tram from Sultanahmet.

So, we were out, walking and enjoying the scenery when a man approached us.

"Assalamualaikum. You are Muslims, right?" [Obvious from my mother's appearance].

"Ah! Me too, brother." He gave us a broad smile.

There was something in it that was very comforting. It seemed like he was genuinely happy to see fellow Muslims. 

"We live a simple life. Five times praying. Halal earning. Masha'Allah."

When we asked him what he did, he said he was an agent for the Bosphorus tour cruises. We were planning to go on one since it's something you should never miss out on. So, we gladly bought a ticket for four with 70 Turkish Lira.

After our new friend had left, waving his hands and saying we'll meet again soon, we walked ahead. It hadn't even been 5 minutes when another person came to sell us the same tickets.

"Oh, we've already bought ours."

"For how much?"

"70 Turkish Lira."

"I could've given it to you for 40."

#2 
The Grand Bazaar of Istanbul, similar to our New Market, is always worth a visit. There isn't a better place for you to buy souvenirs and gifts for the relatives back home who'll be circling you like vultures when you're opening the suitcases. The piled up goods in the shops, the shopkeepers calling out to the customers to check out their stuff, the crowd; I think it even kind of smelled like New Market but I'm pretty sure that was my imagination. But the following incident that I had encountered is what makes it like New Market the most.

When we were walking through the aisles, a pretty vase caught our eyes.  The expert shopkeeper, naturally, noticed it. He invited us in and asked us where we were from. He was overjoyed when he heard we were Bangladeshis. He himself, turned out, was a South Asian.

He leaned in close to us and softly said, "If you were a European or American, I would've asked for 200 Turkish Lira. But Bangladeshis, Indians are our brothers. You can have it for 100."

But we were wiser. We weren't to be fooled by his charms. So, when we walked away with the vase, we had only paid 30 for it.

P.S: The intention of this article is not to generalise. The Turkish people, in general, are very friendly and amicable. Just don't believe everything the businessmen say.