Friday, August 19, 2011

Getting Acclimated

After our relaxing dinner we wandered around town to get our bearings and take in some of the night life. One big tourist attraction is to see "The Whirling Dervishes"... this photo is as close as we got, as going to one of the shows is fairly expensive and the dancing is supposed to be meant for a religious ceremony rather than a gawking audience. Its still hard for me to picture such a stoic human whirling around... I guess I'll never really know how they do it.

Do you want to smoke some shisha? (Water pipe) We partook only twice while we were there. Apple-mint and Watermelon Flavors. I will say that the first couple breaths taste exactly like a jolly rancher, but then the tobacco starts to sink in and its not quite so yummy.

Before heading back to our hostel (Tulip Guest House) for the night we hit the shopping scene.  All around there were a variety of 'pants', skirts, and dresses... I thought this looked like a one piece, but apparently most people wear it as pants. Julianne thought this was hilarious and so did the store owner. However, (to my credit) I will say that I saw a another woman trying on the same thing in the same way... she was also a shorty!

*A word on the hostel-- We very much enjoyed our stay at the Tulip. Matin & Enis were welcoming and helpful. In fact, Matin was the one who took us to see how the locals hang out. He thought it was odd that I would rather have wine than smoke, and I settled on drinking sage tea that evening. 
However, the accommodations were simple. Julianne and I had our own room, but it was quite small and we shared a bathroom and shower with the other guests (which was never a problem).  
There were 3 floors and the stair well was rather tight and scary for someone who stumbles. *I do not think they have the same building codes that we have in the US... But, breakfast looked out over the Bosphorus and held a beautiful view for our morning wake up session. 

No comments: