People: Interviews,
Profiles, & Features
Istanbul Travel Logs
Text & Photos by Arlene
Calandria
Day 1
Merhaba (hello) from Istanbul, Turkey. This is our first day, took a while to
finally find the Youth Hostel - we have to follow poor street directions. Everybody
is talking to us selling carpet, food, hotel, taxi ride, etc.
Ate our first turkish food, the best - turkish kebab beef with rice and salad.
Planning to be at the baths tonite for some sauna & body massage.
Erkan, a cool turkish hostel staff, gave us discount because I'm such a 'charmer'.
Day 3
Today is our day to slum in Istanbul & buy souveniers. Leslie was up early to
meet up with her new South African fellow tourist for breakfast. I took my time
dressing up, checked my emails before I left the Youth Hostel.
Went to Grand Bazaar for the ultimate Turkish shopping experience. The merchants are
really pushy, but I was able to handle them. Hey, I survived Kenya. Got some
turkish apple tea by Hazer Baba, I guess it's the best brand.
The overnight bus to Kusadasi was a horror. Well, not really, it was just long.
Met Juan Jose from Mexico, a super cute gay guy from Mexico. The most
annoying part were the pit stops, in which we have to pay to use the bathrooms.
I didn't mind that the toilet was on the ground, but that I to cough up money!
I also met some cool dudes from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. They were in the ferry on their
way to Kusadasi (southwest Turkey).
 Day 4
By 8:30 AM we arrived in Kusadasi. Hotel Ozcelik was a super-duper hotel, it's by
the seaside! My friend Leslie lost her passport and was sent back to Istanbul to
contact the American Embassy.
I enjoyed a full day of touring: Ephesus, House of Virgin Mary, a leather factory, and a
carpet factory. At the carpet factory, I learned a lesson of carpet weaving. OK, I
can't do this as a life profession but it looks good enough on photo. At the House
of Virgin Mary, Mary supposedly spent her last 3 years there with Saint Joseph.
Ephesus is an arena built by the Greeks for art performances. When the Romans took
over it, it became a gladiator arena.
We took another side trip to a leather factory. I didn't buy anything because I have
enough leather jackets at home. But, they presented a Fashion Show for us, the
tourists. I was even pulled to join in as a 'model.' My years of watching MTV
finally paid off. I worked that run way baby!
Day 6
Here I come--Samos, a Greek Island. It was a 2-hour ferry ride and I met a British
couple on the way. They were both teachers and were on a month-long holiday.
That day was really hot. First thing to do after we got off the ferry: find a
foreign exchange cash center and eat some 'authentic Gyros.' The entire lunch cost
me about $5 dollars. Greek money is called Drachma. My food review of the gyro
- YUMMY!
I couldn't really rent a moped to travel around. By the time I could get to the
other side of the island, it would be time for the ferry to depart.
Now, I'm on my trek to find a bottle of Ouzo (an annize liqour which is good with
lemonade) that's on sale. Checked out about 6 stores and bought it at a small
vegetable stand run by two middle-aged Greek women. The bottle better not break when
I get to New York!
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