The Labors of Bucephalus
No matter how tedious life at times could become, one look out the window was enough to remind me that not far away, the world-and adventure-were impatiently waiting.-R. Morse
Near Hustles in Istanbul
TURKEY | Sunday, 3 February 2008 | Views [3157] | Comments [9]
Istanbul is an amazing place. Wedged between the Black Sea and the sea of Marmara, this is essentially where Europe and the Middle East meet, and not just geographically speaking. There is a European feel here, yet the loudspeakers still belt out the call to prayer five times a day. I've yet to see anyone heed it. This was the capital city of the Eastern Roman Empire and where the subsequent Byzantine Empire rose and fell, Constantinople being conquered in 1453 by the Ottoman sultan, appropriately named Mehmet the Conqueror. Today it's a conglomeration of medieval and Islamic architectural styles, filled with stunning mosques, intricate arabesque patterns, and the fabulous Aya Sofia: First a church, then a mosque, now a museum. Our hostel is in old Istanbul, and it is hard to believe that this is a city of so many people, as the curving, cobblestone, streets and sweeping, verdant park avenues nullify any sense of the hurried throng of crowds so prevalent in most cities. So far, the people of Turkey have proven to be quite hospitable, but it is difficult to judge true hospitality when it is based upon a financial exchange. After a while, one begins to feel like little more than a target for income supplementation. At any rate, they are friendly, especially the guy who tried to hustle us last night. In Taksim (sp?), a section of the city known for its nightlife, we were approached by a young man resembling an extra on Saturday Night Fever, who was suspiciously friendly and knew of a great "disco" we could go to. Granted, this instantly had scam written all over it, but curiosity prevailed, and in five minutes we were in the den of the seediest, dingiest, hole in the wall I've yet seen. It's obvious there is a con coming, but what's the angle? A spiked drink? A swiped wallet? Maybe just a good old fashioned mugging? Too make a long story short, drinks are brought (I won't touch them), three girls join the table (who are incidentally WAY too interested in us) and after absurdly asinine small talk, we say it's time for us to go. Here's the fun part: The manager approaches us and begins tallying the bill. Andy had two beers, I had none, but the three shots the girls drank and the pathetic bowl of nuts on the table bring our bill to an exorbitant 600 Turkish Lira, around $500 U.S. This scam is ridiculous, but it must work, because it occurs frequently, as you will find out. We make it clear, no matter what, they will not get 600 lira from us. My cousin is a fun guy to be stuck in a scam with, because we're both simutaneously threatening the mananger and laughing at the sheer absurdity of it all. I've eyed the room, six guys, three who can't weigh more than 350 combined, the others all overweight and pushing sixty. I regret it now, but we agree to pay for OUR beers, at the price we determine. I hand him 10 lira, he pushes it back. "No, you owe 600 lira, that is price." What else needs to be said, except "do you know what this means?" as I shove a middle finger in his face. WE exit, and the chubby guy blocking the door gets the idea, and moves aside, actually opens the doors for me. This was, sadly, only the beginning of our education in Turkish Scams 101. More on this tommorrow!
Tags: scams & robberies
