Departure for Istanbul

Express train of Balkans, it is the name of the train. One can indeed call it this way with 3 hours 30 of delay. I met Mexicans and two Portoricains. It is a great animation when four Mexicans finds themselves by chance. Carlos, one of the portoricains, offer a flag of Puerto Rico to me.
Here me is at the Turkish border. Until now it is the only border where it is necessary to move train to go to the office to receive a seal (it me encode nevertheless in a computer). Not easy to rise so early

Istanbul

On arrival in Istanbul, as I expected it, I was accomodated by people for me refiler a housing. Finally I selected to follow the Mexicans in their hotel. That enables me to place in a decent way during two nights. With 1100 francs the night after two nights in the train, that made 550 francs the night: it is a good average. Today I visited the blue mosque and Holy Sophie described so much by the professor Noël (professor of history with the U.C.L.) Eight years that I wanted to see it. An accomplished dream. I also traversed the Large Bazaar. I find there of Levi Strauss to 900 francs, apparently authentic. " The same ones " in the district of Tacsim: 3000 francs.

Hardest to swallow in Istanbul, it is that I was made prick three thousand francs Belgian. Not by a pickpocket but in front of me because I trusted these lemonade carriers. It took its had in my purse and me I did not look at the number from " 0 " of the ticket. (There exists in Turkey of the tickets up to 5.000.000. There above, I râlé, I pesté, I am say that the Turks they is all of the robbers. And puis... I had left my guide of routard all the afternoon on a table at the entry of the hotel. The evening it was there still, finally that compensates.

The evening, it is not terrible. I wrote my postcards and I went to sleep. Tomorrow is programmed the visit of Topkapi. It is not easy when one is in a group, one must always wait. Here, if I were alone, I would be already in Topkapi since 9h30, it is 12h00. In spite of this delay, the day was marvellous. The palate of Topkapi is marvellous. Much treasure but also much of tourist. The Mexicans tell jokes. I does not include/understand all but what imports, the contact is there I discover a restaurant with the Mexicans. I also visited the underground basilica and I made a turn known the Bosphorus. There I regretted not being in couple.J' also saw the Galatta tower

The evening, one leaves. The idea is of going out of box (thus I do not take my apparatus photo:dommage!!). A guide is with us. It seeks a connected box initially, with the third it finds. Glass is drunk. It is about as on our premises: Even music, majority of boy, one drinks and one dances. Then, one moves in a Turkish coffee. Raké (local alcohol) is been useful to us with fruits. Turkish starts to dance. A dance on line with identical steps. It there has in this coffee only men, little discusses, little dance, it listens to the music. It would be said that it spends just time. The taxis Turkish are not expensive. Two hundred francs Belgian to cross the city.

A kid with still tried to mislead me on the " 0 " of the tickets but taken once, I am not any more to let make.

I decided to remain one day more in Istanbul. Therefore three nights. Today I visit the mosque of Soliman the Magnificent and I would go from the other with dimensions of the Gold Horn. I would have seen what I wanted to see with Latinos-American. At a little slow intervals, but I saw. I also have make things which I would not have made only (left the evening for example). I think of making Asian bank tomorrow.

I visited only the mosque of the Soliman sultan - Beautiful mosque -. I joined a group of French with a guide. What taught me not badly from thing as that one does not smoke in a mosque and that to turn to Mecque one can choose to turn to a mosque. I went in top of the Galata tower: Marvellous sight. Then in the district of Tacsim and finally I lost myself in the suburb of Istanbul. I learned that Galatasarai is the club of foot of Istanbul. It was still a Marathon day!!

Today, I visit Asian bank. July 7, 1998, I posed for the first time the foot on the Asian ground. A small step for me and it is all. The Asian part is not different from the European part. I visited a Moslem cemetery. Which difference, which of tree, which tombs and paths asphalted to traverse the whole.

Once again my way of travelling allowed me to re-enter in liaison with the population. Ah, if there were not the obstacle of the language. I returned in a mosque where nobody as tourist puts the feet. Moreover people wondered what I did there. I met there Smaïn which kept the toilets. It was made a pleasure of guiding me, after the prayer, in the mosque. Showed me the room of prayer, Mirab, the coranic school and the place of the women. It clearly showed the place of alms to me (on) and asked me money for his/her son who collects the foreign currencies. I give him 10$ by charity more knowing that the foreign tourists are not current currency at this place of the city.

Once again, one tried to swindle me with " 0 " tape selling of the tokens of bus wanted to make me pay ten times price 1.500.000 in the place of 150.000.(Soit 140 francs in the place of 14 francs) It is nevertheless incredible the number of dishonest person. He was even annoyed on me when I smelled swindles it.

I went to make photographs lay down sun on the Galata bridge. I sought the best seen when a large Turk man with a moustache and hairy asked me for the hour. After a few minutes of discussion, it proposes to me to go at his place for kissing. After I refused, it proposed even money to me. Ca does not go not! I had the fun of my life, I wondered what it occurred.

 

Me revoilà at the Turkish border. Thinking that they were only some formalities, I give my passport. There is a problem. They need a visa. It is the office further. I run. The customs officer sleep. Normal, it is four hours of the morning and my train which is leaving. It tells me " Visa Belgium 300 francs Belgian ". But I do not have Belgian money on me. The guy is annoyed. No the Belgian money on a Belgian that seems to him abnormal. But good blood, I have dollars, marks, raised, of the lei, the Turkish pounds, the Shilling... and him it makes a drama because I cannot pay in Belgian francs. Finally, I give him ten dollars. It makes me a visa with ten dollars by saying to me that it is the visa of Spanish. I of insane, I have my visa. I can finally make seal this foutu passport with a visa which enables me to remain three months in the country whereas I leaves there.