The Locals View of Istanbul

Yesterday, we met up with Kiwi expatriates Pam and Ian - friends of friends. They took us on a tour of popular local haunts in Istanbul by foot/tram/fernicular/ferry.

Wow! What a city. We got to see things we would never have found without their help. The ferry rides were spectacular. It is a busy waterway - full of ferries like Sydney, and with vast convoys of freighters waiting offshore for their turn to move up the Bosphoros to the Black Sea. The skyline is fabulous, with the mosque minarets giving it a romantic exotic look.

My god the Turks smoke a lot. If you are a frustrated smoker chaffing under the anti-smoking laws in NZ then Turkey is nirvana. Turks smoke constantly. Everywhere. Yesterday, I saw a bus driver smoking while driving passengers (!) and a Turk smoking while eating and drinking (quite a logistical exercise).

The local joke is "Who smokes more than a Turk?"
Answer: Two Turks!

We braved a local bar last night because we were desperate for beer after hours of walking. It was incredibly smoky, but there was a window I could sit beside and the beer was cold and the company was good. The smoky atmosphere reminded me of the bad old days before smoking in pubs was banned in NZ.

We ended the day at a little restaurant eating Urfa Kebab with our new good friends. That's us with Pam and Ian in the pic. (And yes, there is a sheep on our table - long story, but the waiter thought it was hilarious.)

The leftover food in the middle of the table is dessert, made out of cheese. Yes cheese. Kind of like taking a plain feta and covering it with caramalized sugar. After surviving the salty dried madarin peel in Malaysia, I'll try most things once. And if my intestines don't reject it, I may even try it twice.