"The Other Tour", August 24

August 24, 2012


"The Other Tour"

On Friday August 24th we went on a tour called "The Other Tour", it's a very odd but enjoyable journey through Istanbul with a local called Fethi. It's very different from other tours because it doesn't cover the typical tourist hotspots but rather takes you behind the scenes to places you don't see and meet people you don't normally meet on the usual tourist programs. We learned a lot about the Turkish culture and traditions, its people and of course its awesome food! The tour lasted about 14 hours and we were absolutely exhausted when we get back to the hotel.

Fethi (in white shirt)

Here's what we did

• Drove through a very rich neighborhood, along the water of course. We were told houses here cost several million dollars each, and there were a lot of cool restaurants and stores.

If I was a rich man...

• Afterwards we got on a boat and went along the Bosphorus, under the Bosphorus bridge and over to the Asian side of Istanbul where we had fresh yoghurt with local honey. You can only get this type of yoghurt at a place called Kanlica on the Asian side, it was absolutely delicious.

On the boat

Enjoying Kanlica yoghurt and honey

Rumeli fortress (on European side), built in 1452 by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II to protect the waterway from advancing ships before he conquered Constantinople

 Beylerbeyi Palace (on Asian side), an Ottoman summer residence built in 1860s

• After heading back to the European side we drove to then walked through a poor neighborhood called Gecekondu which means "buit overnight". There were hundreds of small structures literally built secretly at night. The Turkish government has tried many times to remove the people living there, if you see the views of the Bosphorus from these houses you'll know why, but it seems that they've now just let people be. 

A Gecekondu - Much nicer than the shacks we've seen in the townships of South Africa

• We then went to a local farmers market where we saw the freshest fruit and vegetables for sale. This is where local people buy their groceries, prices seemed very cheap and the displays were all very neat and tidy We bought some peaches and they were super sweet!. At the end of the day the stall owners sell whatever is left over to the local supermarkets. These markets move to different parts of neighborhoods each day.

Fresh, fresh fruit

All kinds of beans

• One of the highlights of the day was a home made Turkish lunch cooked for us by Fethi's mom at her house. It was all traditional tasty Turkish food like lentil soup, rice, yoghurt with mint, zuchini cakes, chicken and lamb...and of course baklava and Turkish coffee.

Lunch at Fethi's mom's house

Delicious home made food by Fethi's mom (fresh yoghurt with zuchini, grape leaves with meat, salad from market vegetables and chicken with sauce)

Fethi always entertaining us - showing pictures of all his girlfriends

The Moms - mine and Fethi's

• After filling our bellies we needed a walk so Fethi took us through several low-income neighborhoods where we interacted with some of the locals and saw how buildings were constructed very long ago. We first went through a neighborhood that was originally Jewish during the Ottoman Empire. Many houses had bay windows which helped neighbors communicate with each other and look up and down the street for security. Over time Jews left this neighborhood and it is now mostly a Muslim area. Most of the houses were built from stone or concrete and some had been painted in very vibrant colours. We also saw a few wooden houses built by religious Rumi (Romans) who believed that only churches, hospitals and schools were permanent structures for God, which needed stone, because humans are mortal they needed to be humble so their houses were made from wood. 

Bay windows, different coloured houses

 A local girl, she liked to pose for pictures

 More bay windows

Banner put up by a family whose son started his compulsory military service. It's a tradition that you host a going away party for your son before he goes to the army, apparently this party happened the day before we came.

Rumi wooden house next to concrete

• We then walked to a high school that only takes in 55 of the best students in Turkey. It reminded me of Hogwarts from Harry Potter, in fact it seemed as big as Hogwarts. Must be nice to have a big school like that all to yourself.

Hogwarts of Istanbul

School with a view...

• Fethi then took us to a local cafe where we played a Turkish game called Okey, pronounced "ohkay". It is very similar to Rummikub for those familiar with the game. You can learn more about it here. Okey is very popular in Turkey, especially in coffee bars. Of course we needed more food and it wasn't long before we were enjoying a nice hot cup of Sahlep which is a drink made from dried orchid flour. It's mixed with milk and served with cinnamon. Really yummy!

Me playing Okey

 My sister after she won. You must show your pieces to prove you've won.

• Another highlight of the day was a Turkish bath. We went to a really traditional local bath house that has been around since 1475. I wasn't sure what to expect, it was a really interesting but relaxing experience. Here's what happens:
• First you enter a main lobby area where men and women separate and make their way to change rooms.
• Once you've put on a bathing suit you enter a kind of large steam room which is covered from floor to ceiling in marble. You're told to rinse your body with cold water. There are several taps coming out the wall with constant running water, I think they've been there for a few hundred years. 
• You are then instructed to go into the sauna. It was very hot, I lasted about 5 minutes. Afterwards you rinse your body again with very cold water.
• Then some big hairy guy comes and tells you to sit down by the tap, he then puts on a big scrubbing glove and proceeds to scrub you down to remove all your dead skin. He then pours hot water all over you and tells you to go lie down on the marble platform in the main steam room.
• He then covers you in bubbly soap and cleans your body while massaging at the same time. He then rinses you off by splashing you with hot water. I was literally squeaky clean when he was done. After the massage you go to a dipping pool to cool off. That pool has been there for 537 years, I hope they changed the water.
• When you're done you go shower again and go back to the lobby area where another man covers your head in a towel and you're done. I was ready for a good nap afterwards.

Entrance to the Turkish Bath we went to

• We ended the day with a great meal at a Turkish restaurant with traditional Turkish music. We only managed our way through a bunch of appetizers before being too full for the main course. The music was nice to listen to, there were violins, a guitar ("Bouzouki"), drums and a Turkish harp. I don't know how the man on the Turkish harp managed to play so fast, it was quite amazing.

Getting ready to eat more traditional Turkish food, which kept on coming non-stop!

 Turkish band, man on left is playing the Turkish harp

Video of the Turkish band

If you are ever lucky enough to visit Istanbul I definitely recommend you ask your parents to have Fethi show you around, it was an amazing day and a great experience. 

Tomorrow I'll update you on my visit to the Grand Bazaar and Egyptian Spice Market.