Bursa

Alhamdulillah, I was able to go to Bursa yesterday. One line item ticked off of my to-do list. I kind of already knew this, but it is a bit of a bummer to go to this kind of neat place by myself. I was never one who like to go and see things for the sake of seeing them. I would much rather see people. However, it would still be a shame if I spent so long in the country and didn't do at least a little sightseeing, given that I don't really have a whole lot else going on other than work and applications.

Bursa is more or less the "Detroit" of Turkey - a very automotive city, although it has agricultural roots. It was the first capital of the Ottoman empire, and many of the early sultans are buried here. It also is dominated by a mountain called Uludağ, kind of like Qasiyoon dominates Damascus. Lots of history here, but it is also a very green and beautiful place.

I got up and about a bit earlier than I had been on weekends, at around 8:30 or so. I got ready and went to the office to verify a couple of things and identify some must-sees in Bursa after the agricultural fair Erkut wanted me to go to. I made a list: go to the Uludağ mountain, see the Emir Sultan (Gazi Osman) Camii, see the Muradiye complex, visit the Yeşil/Green Mosque, visit the Ulu Camii, and check out some local Mevlevi lodge. Also, I had to eat Bursa Iskender Kebab at an authentic place and, at Erkut's suggestion, buy some Bursa towels. Alas, I forgot the list at the office, because I hurried back the apartment to get my passport - I wasn't sure if I needed ID during the trip (I didn't). I wasn't sure if I was going to spend the night in Bursa, but if not, I didn't want to get back to Istanbul too late. I wanted to get out relatively quickly, because I wanted to get back early enough so that I could take public transportation back to the apartment and not a cab after midnight.

There are a lot of bus companies in Turkey. In Istanbul, there are two big "Otogars" or bus stations. One is in Europe (Esenler) and the other is in Anatolia (Harem). Most of the buses go from Esenler and stop in Harem anyways, so I just went directly to Harem, since the trip from Esenler to Harem is an hour. At about 10:20 or so, I took the first bus I could see going to Beşiktaş, which is a ferry hub. I guess the ferries are called "motors", pronounced "moe toe rz". I reached Beşiktaş in about fifteen twenty minutes. However, I waited at the ferry station to go to Üsküdar on the Asian side for another twenty minutes, in part because when the ferry came to drop off its load, it pulled back off and made room for a larger Tourist/scenic Bosphorous ship to come and load people before it came back to pick up people. I felt quite discriminated against. It is always about the money (that ticket was 10x more than my ferry ticket). The ferry ride took about fifteen minutes.

At Üsküdar, I asked around but did not find Harem to be within walking distance. One Sufi looking guy I asked didn't know, so he asked an older Turk, calling him Haji. That guy seemed offended by the title for some reason (must be a staunch secularist), but he spoke English and told me to take a cab, which I did. It was a bit of a hike, but I think there might be a dolmuş to Harem from the ferry station.

At the bus station, I jumped on the first bus leaving; the company was ironically named Uludağ, Erkut's last name. There are buses leaving for Bursa every few minutes, since Bursa is on the way to everything in Southern Turkey pretty much (e.g., Izmir, etc.). Just a couple of minutes after I bought my ticket, we were on the way at 11:30.

The bus was rather full. I initially sat in the front right seat, but was escorted by the stewards to the back. I couldn't find a seat number on my ticket, but they told me to sit somewhere. Oh well. I guess they needed the front seat for themselves.

Shortly after leaving the city area, the terrain became really hilly. There was lots of green. After about an hour or so, the bus got onto a pretty big ferry and everyone got off the bus and walked around. The ferry even had a bustling store in the middle - I finally decided to try some Simit. It was a rather foggy day, but the weather was still nice and it was a pleasant ride. If you plan on taking a bus to Bursa or anywhere in the south, I would take a look at the weather report - I would not want to take that half hour ferry ride in stormy weather. Here is a picture of me on the boat as well as another (crooked) one with me eating simit:

The bus drive was pleasant enough, and they served drinks and snacks. I did doze off a bit. I had to be cafeful with what I ate, since my stomach wasn't feeling to great. I went in to travel mode. At about 1pm, we got off the ferry, and a little over an hour later (~215pm or so), we reached the Bursa station. The Bursa station was pretty impressive, with a masjid, shops, restaurants, etc.. Maybe that is what Esenler is like - Harem was just a bunch of bus companies and buses and a fenced in parking lot. Here is a pic of what is in the Bursa station:

I couldn't figure out how to get to the Butarim 2008 farm fair, and I forgot the directions, so I asked the taxi guys. The first guy didn't know, so I went to dispatch and showed him Erkut's message about it and that Turyap organized it, so he understood. It wasn't too far from the bus station, in a place called Buttim. By about 245 or so, I was at the fair.

They had a lot of big machines outside:

The exhibition was mostly people trying to sell stuff to farmers, which is what I expected. Lots of machinery, seeds, and the like. I picked up a lot of material and business cards - not much else I could really do. The fair itself was quite large. Over 100,000 people attended last year. Lots of farmers. You could tell they were rather more religious people than the average Istanbulite. However, the mosque didn't fill up at Asr time by any means. Lots of travellers I'm sure. I certainly was traveling. There were quite a few more women there as attendees than I expected. I figured that the exhibits would have their share, but a lot of people came with families. There was an Ataturk exhibit for some reason as well:

I felt a little bad about one thing. Some exhibit was handing out bags. I figured I would get one to hold all the material I had collected. Everyone was standing around the guy, and he must have said something in Turkish about forming a line, so everyone else did. I didn't notice this, and felt like a bit of an idiot after he asked me if I was foreign and I said yes and he gave me the bag, but when I turned around I saw the long line. The Turkish farmers made a line, but despite being such a proponent of lines, I did not participate. Quite embarassing.

On my way out, some vendors were selling stuff. I decided to buy a colorful rug. I think it might be a prayer rug, but I'm not sure. It looked neat.

I went to pray at the Buttarim mosque, which is relatively new, from the 1990s I think. It had an interesting shape. I prayed a shortened prayer, as I was travelling. Here is a pic of the Buttarim mosque:

After leaving the prayer area, some kids decided to harass me and kept asking for money. I told them I would buy them chocolate, not give them money, so we walked for about a kilometer until we came across a stall selling candy and I got them some. It was rather annoying - they most have said "money" over a hundred times between them. Here are some of the urchins:

Now I tried to begin the tourism part of my trip to Bursa. Unfortunately, I was in a rather remote area, so I didn't see too many taxis or a variety of buses. However, some people told me which direction everything was, and by looking at the map, I figured out what bus I should take to see the mosques. However, when I got on the bus, I was foiled by the lack of a ticket. Unlike Istanbul, you cannot simply give the driver coins. You need to have some kind of physical ticket! I was forced to take a taxi. Later, by pure chance, I found out that you could buy a ticket at one of those corner magazine/candy stalls. I don't know where else you can find them. Make sure you have one though. I suppose you could probably get one at the bus station, but I hadn't known that I would need one.

The taxi ride took about 20 minutes, to get into town. You can see Uludağ mountain in the background, but there are a couple of other mountains as well I think. The taxi took me to Ulu Camii, as I had asked him. It is a pretty big mosque, built in 1399. Not terribly beautiful or anything, but as big as the Blue Mosque I would say. I think there is some reconstruction in the middle - possibly the central dome. There was light coming in from where the dome should have been - there was a dome like structure, but I don't know if it permanent or temporary. There was a walled off area in the middle. The walls were surprisingly plain - just some painted designs. It is worth seeing if you are in Bursa - I wouldn't come to Bursa just to see it though. Here is a couple of pictures:

I did a little bit of shopping as I walked around the big complex. I bought a couple of 500-piece tasbeehs (I hadn't seen anything like it before that I can remember - I might not use it, but I can give it to someone who will). I also bought a winter kufi.

I asked one of the guys where I could get some Iskender kebab. He told me to keep going down the street. I did so, and found a place on the same side of the road as Ulu Camii. It dated to 1867, so I figured it would be decent and authentic. I don't know if it is the oldest place to get Bursa Iskender Kebab, but I figured it would be good enough. I noticed there aren't too many places proclaiming to sell Iskender in Bursa - lots of places sell it in Istanbul, but I guess they can't do it in Bursa unless they are established, or else no one would go there. There was a twenty minute wait to get in - the place was packed. Once I did get in, they had some other guy come in and sit across from me on my table. That was a bit wierd, but what can you do? Here is a pic of the place:

My target to leave back for Istanbul was about 8pm, so I could be at Harem by 11 and take the public transport back. I was still debating staying the night, but I figured I had things to do back in Istanbul. That meant I had to leave the downtown area by 730pm or so. After eating, it was maybe 6pm or 630pm, so I still had a bit of time. Yeşil Camii, or the Green Mosque, was nearby, as was Emir Sultan Mosque, so I figured I would try to see them. I only made it to the Green Mosque though, since by the time I made it there, time was running low, and I was tired. Once again though, I was affected by the unfortunate habit I've seen of people giving directions but not really knowing. The guy who ate next to me told me to go back towards Ulu Camii and that the Green Mosque was beyond that (I found more people to speak English in Bursa than in Istanbul, which was wierd - I guess it is just where I am staying). I asked another guy, and he told me to go back the other way, which is what my inner compass was telling me anyways. Eventually, I found the place, alhamdulillah. It wasn't too far. I also found some towels - a bit pricey, but I figured, what the heck. Some tourist shop - probably paid double what I should have. The Green Mosque was also old, from the 1400s. It wasn't as big. It wasn't spectacular either - a bit smaller than the Istanbul ones. It wasn't even really green - the outside was white/gray, and the inside was blue, aquamarine, and a little green. It had some side rooms and an interesting layout though. I wish I could have seen the Muradiye complex and the other mosques and climed Uludağ - in sha Allah another time. Not this trip though - there are too many other line items. Here are a couple of pics of the Green Mosque:

Alhamdulillah, as I asked the newspaper stand guy about buses, he asked if I wanted to buy a ticket and I remembered. The bus stop was between Ulu and the Green Mosque, on a side street - I had to take bus 38. It took me right back to "Terminal," which is what the Otogar of Bursa is called I guess. There are a lot of buses that go to the Terminal - I don't think you need a taxi to get anywhere from the bus station, but you just need a ticket!

Alhamdulillah, I got back to the station right at 8pm. Uludağ company didn't have one going at 8pm, but their rep pointed me to another company - I don't even remember the name. They were leaving in a couple minutes, so I hopped on, found a free seat, put my bags in the overhead compartment, and off we went. This bus was pretty high tech - it had a live satellite feed I think - except it kept freezing up. That is alright, I needed to rest anyways. Once again, there was a snack and drinks offered.

On the way in, we got on the big ferry and it departed within a few minutes. We got to the ferry area in just over an hour, at 915pm or so. Unfortunately, this time, we missed it - it was full as we approached, and we waited about forty minutes before we could board another one. There were some just waiting there, but perhaps they didn't have a crew. I got out of the bus and walked around and got some juice to drink.

The night had gotten colder at this point. When we got on the ferry, I walked about the deck with my hood on. There was light on the land on both sides, but when I looked out to sea, it seemed like I couldn't tell where the sky began and where the water ended. It looked like a big black void, and was a bit disturbing to contemplate. If I looked to the sky or the sea, I could see the horizon, but if I tried to look at the horizon, I couldn't find it.

Instead of being 15 minutes ahead of schedule, we were now about 20 minutes behind schedule (the schedule being my ETA of 11pm based on my outbound trip) due to the delay at the ferry. I wonder how much time going on the ferry was supposed to save anyways (as opposed to driving around). I had asked the bus personnel where I should get off - Harem, Atasehir, or somewhere in the middle - they told me they would let me know. We reached the Atasehir area at around 1130 or so. We never stopped in Harem. We crossed into Europe and went to some place past my area actually, on the way to Eyup. There, this company had a station where I was told to get off - apparently, they have little microbuses that take people to different areas at no charge, so I took one to Mecidiyekoy. Had I known this, I probably could have taken a later bus out of Bursa, since I didn't have to worry about public transportation after midnight. Khayr in sha Allah. So, I reached home at 1245 or so - there was still traffic, even so late!

As for costs, I spent YTL 1.5 on the bus to Beşiktaş; YTL 1.4 on the motor/ferry ride; YTL 6 on the taxi to Harem; YTL 20 on the bus to Bursa; YTL 0.5 on some simit on the bus ferry; YTL 1.5 on some ayran on the ferry; YTL 1.5 for a chocolate bar on the ferry; YTL 10 on the taxi to Burtarim; YTL 5 on the rug; YTL 9 on chocolate for the kids; YTL 10 on the taxi to Ulu Camii; YTL 7 on the two tasbeehs; YTL 7 or 8 on the kufi; YTL 19 for the iskender plus water plus some sweet grape juice; YTL 22.5 for two Bursa towels; YTL 2 on the bus ticket; YTL 20 on the ticket back to Istanbul; YTL 1 on the juice cocktail waiting for the ferry; YTL 2.25 on chocolate and milk on the ferry for a total of YTL 147.65. Given today's exchange rates, that is about USD 100. Not bad.

Today wasn't as productive as I had hoped. I slept in to make up for yesterday. I Skyped with Mom and Osman. Alhamdulillah, my dad reached Hyderabad okay. I paid YTL 25 for the monthly association fees (I didn't know how to do this, but the neighbor knocked and asked me about it, so I just paid her). I did some laundry. Not much else.

Once again, I saw this open market today. I guess it is on Sunday only - it kind of reminded me of Souq al Jumuah in Shaykh Mohiuddin where I lived in Damascus, with the kind of stuff they were selling. The only difference was that this was only once a week, as Souq al Jumuah used to be I guess. I was cheered by that thought, thinking hey, this is a real Souq al Jumuah, until I remembered it was Sunday! They had all sorts of things there - fruits, vegetables, wooden spoons, clothes, trinkets, plastic stuff, etc. Typical Souq al Jumuah fare. I even smelled fish every few hundred yards. I decided to walk the length of it. It was between a kilometer and a mile long. Unfortunately, the way back was uphill. The stalls repeat content, so I won't really have to venture down again. I bought some potatoes (1 kilo for YTL 1.25, bananas and grapes (3 YTL for a bunch of each) today at this market. In the few weeks since Eid, I've noticed the effects of eating the kind of food I've been eating, not just around my waistline, but also in the complexion of my skin. I don't need Morgan Spurlock's 30 days to figure out I should reintroduce the other parts of the food pyramid into my diet. I made some noodles and soup and had that together. I boiled some potato and added that. I cut up a bit of banana and tried adding that as well. It turned out interesting. Certainly edible, but also certainly not my best work. I'll have to think about if I want to get serious - I haven't even bought cooking oil or any spices. I might stick to boiling things for now.

First pictures

Alhamdulillah, the mail my mom sent on September 29th finally arrived yesterday, October 15th. I am not sure what caused the delay. Perhaps the authorities did not like the tube like shape (she sent a camera wire, an umbrella, and my absentee ballot form [I ended up just printing and sending one out last week, and I hope it gets there soon]). I do not know. The US post office had initially estimated one week. They were quite off. I paid YTL 40 last Wednesday to send an envelope to my work first class so it would reach this past Monday. Regular post the US was only YTL 1.

Alhamdulillah, I finally got out my HBS, Kellogg, and Chicago apps - what a relief. Stanford is due on the 29th, and Berkeley on November 4th, so I have a little bit of a breather. Jennifer Momani and Tipu Mamu came through in terms of reviewing. We'll see what happens. Khayr in sha Allah.

Work is okay. I might take a trip to Bursa to go to an agricultural fair this weekend for a proposal we are working on. I wanted to go anyways, so this way I will kill two birds with one stone.

Anyways, I will post a few pictures now. I will probably keep my text to a minimum and just post a few pics with commentary until all my apps are out.

These first pics are from the 20th of Ramadan/September. I took these my second weekend, as I went back to the Blue Mosque after seeing such a neat scene the previous weekend (see my blog entry). Unfortunately, it had rained this day, but there were still a lot of people.

This picture shows the approach to Sultanahmet at iftar time - lots of people and temporary shops:

Here I am in front of some temporary shops:

Here I am in front of some permanent ones:

Here is another shot of the crowd:

Some people loitering:

Rather interesting (I think) Ramadan only sweet shop:

The stuff was quite sweet, and quite gooey:

Essays and Suleymaniye

Alhamdulillah, I'm pretty much done now with the first three B-school applications. Jennifer Momani and Tipu Mamu gave me a lot of good feedback yesterday in a Skype session, and I made the relevant adjustments today. I hope to submit them all tomorrow, two days before the deadline. That rarely happens for me - I'm more of a last minute guy. Alhamdulillah! Now I just have to get rolling on the next couple.

Osman, Mom, (and Sulayman) and I also had a Skype teleconference yesterday afternoon. Alhamdulillah, it worked pretty well, although unfortunately, we could not make it a video conference. I wonder if we can also see each other on Yahoo Messenger.

After making my to-do list yesterday, I decided to at least tick off something this weekend. I made it out to the Suleymaniye last night, alhamdulillah. I was not exactly sure the best way to go, since public transport does not really go up there. I initially thought to try and take the Metro down, but I saw a bus that said Eminonu, the 74A, and took it down from Mecidiyeykoy. It took about 45 minutes to reach Eminonu both ways (in the evening). About half an hour was stuck in traffic around Taksim - the rest of the trip went quick enough each way. On the way back, I took the 74 bus.

It was around Isha time, so as I got off the bus, I heard the adhan and quickly walked up to Suleymaniye. You can see it from the Eminonu bus stop. It is about a 15 minute (fast) walk up the hill. It can be pretty tiring, as it is a tall hill. I certainly broke out in a sweat in order to make the jamat, but I made it alhamdulillah. I did recognize a bit of the walk, as Omer and I had walked arond the area. The place is huge, but still under construction. Interestingly, a young kid gave the iqamah this time, from that strange platform all these mosques seem to have. He also led the post-prayer dhikr/dua ritual. I wonder if he is the full time guy, if he just was the first one to the mic, or if he is being groomed for the future or what. He know what he was doing though.

I had Fasuliya for dinner at the same place Omer and I ate earlier this year. It was only YTL 6 for the Fasuliya, rice, and some Ayran - not a bad deal. Afterwards, I saw some interesting colored prayer rugs, so I bought a couple - one for YTL 5 and another for YTL 15. I need to figure out how to bargain. I did not want to wait, because there were only a couple of units in the colors I liked (blue/orange and light purple). The walk down was a bit more confusing, since you don't have a huge landmark to guide you anymore.

Unfortunately, I could not get to anything other than laundry and essays the rest of the weekend. I had some Dunkin Donuts for breakfast today - YTL 2.25 per donut (I had a Boston Creme Pie and a Caramel glazed) and another YTL 4.5 for a hot chocolate. I don't think I would repeat - they weren't so great. I keep on getting up too late for McD's breakfast times though. Maybe I should try during the week.

For Lunch/Dinner, I decided to try a smoothie type restaurant near my work and across the street from the masjid close to work (Haji/Haci Namath O-something). Unfortunately, they were not offering smoothies when I went, which was a bummer. The place was a bit overpriced - the Adana Kabab I had was YTL 15 (compared to YTL 7 at the place near my house), and the Ayran was YTL 3.5. Unforunately, I didn't have any change, so the tip I left was only the YTL 1.5 I got back. I think tipping is applicable in Turkey, though I don't know the normal rates - maybe 10%. I've seen my coworkers tip about that much, so I wasn't too far off maybe. I probably wouldn't come back to this place. It was a nice terrace I sat in, but during the next few months, it will be too cold anyways.

To do's

Alhamdulillah, I am pretty close to being able to send out three applications, and I think I should be able to knock out the other two fairly soon, in sha Allah, now that I am in the essay-writing groove. They are pretty excruciating though.

Anyways, I only have about nine more weekends here, plus the next Bayram, so I've got to start planning on when to do/see all of the recreational activities and attractions. Based on my own research and input from Maryam, Mushir, and others, this is a list of to do's in Istanbul (along with my priority level):

Topkopi Palace (high - I've seen it years ago, but it has been a while, and had a lot of neat stuff)

Dolmabahce Palace (medium - I don't think it was as cool, but I might as well see it)

Abu Ayyub/Eyup Sultan Mosque (low - I've seen it already this trip, but I'm not sure if I saw the whole thing - it was packed on laylatul Qadr)

The Suleymaniye (medium - I went earlier this year, it still under construction, but I might go again - there was a nice fasuliya restaurant just outside)

Sultanahmet/Blue Mosque (low - I've been there a couple of times this trip, I might return to do some touristic shopping)

Fatih Sultan Muhammad/Mehmet Mosque (medium - I've been there earlier this year and again this trip, but I think the area has a good selection of scarves to buy as gifts coming back - you really can't buy the scarves at most shopping mall stores that I've seen)

Hagia Sophia (high - I saw it years ago, and it was undergoing repairs then - I should see it this trip, but I don't think there is much to the museum part of it - it is just a building I think; these old Turkish mosques/churches start to look the same after a while)

The Nizam (medium - he lives in Istanbul, and it would be interesting to meet him if he would see me; maybe I can visit him with Yousuf Uncle, or take him Sheer Korma during Eid; I'm not sure what I would say to him though; maybe I could just encourage him to do something with the rest of his life and make a difference - it is never too late)

Rumali Hisari fortress (medium - I saw this years ago, I think, and if memory serves, it was the better preserved one)

Anadolu Hisari fortress (low - I saw this years ago, and I don't think it was in as good shape)

Grand Bazaar (high - I need to check what is available and start comparison shopping with non-scam places)

Galata Tower (high - I don't think I've ever been, and it provides a great view of the old city area)

St Savior Church/Kariye Mosque (medium - Erkut's suggestion, to check out this church turned mosque because of the unique architecture)

Marmara Sea (high - I should see it before it gets too cold)

Princes Islands/Buyakada Big Island by ferry (high - I should see this before it gets too cold)

Other random old mosques in the old city (low - I'll stop by as I see them, but as I mentioned, they are all pretty similar)

Galatasaray/or Fenerbahce match - (high - I live right across the street from the Galatasaray stadium, so it would be a shame if I didn't go to at least one match; I need to find out how to buy tickets)

Whirling Dervish show - (medium - I saw a poster near the Blue Mosque - I think there are shows on Tuesday and Saturday)

Some of this I might be able to pull off during the weeknights, but a lot of it will have to happen on weekends. In sha Allah, hopefully I can knock out some of the items this weekend. Let me know if you can think of anything else I should do in the city!

I also hope to make some trips outside of Istanbul to the surrounding areas - here is where I hope to go:

Konya - (high - it would be a shame if I was in Turkey so long and didn't go to the place where the heart of Islam in Turkey is; also, it will be nice to visit Rumi)

Bursa - (medium - it is pretty close, and it used to be the Ottoman capital before Adrianople or Constantinople; also, I hear that is where Iskandar comes from, not Antakya or Iskenderun, strangely)

Izmir - (medium - it is also not too far is supposed to be a much nicer city than Istanbul; one of my coworkers is from Izmir and is always talking it up - perhaps I can get him to show me around on a weekend trip)

Ankara - (low - I'm sure there are a lot of interesting modern buildings here, but I'm not really so interested; Erkut mentioned one street worth seeing though, we'll see)

Samsun or Trabzon (high - the Black Sea coast is something to behold, I've been told and I can imagine; while I can't see it being quite as warm or sunny as California (not Mediterranean anymore!), it has similar elements - water, trees, mountains)

Antakya/Iskenderun (low - I've seen it before, but Antioch is an interesting place, near Syria)

Antalya (low - I've seen it before, but it was very beautiful, plus, it would be a shame not to see the Mediterranean while in Turkey)

Athens (high - I need to leave the country anyways for visa issues, and it is right across the water)

Cyprus (medium - I've never been, and could probably only see the Northern side, but I'm sure it is pretty neat)

Troy (low - I've heard they discovered a strong candidate recently, and it would be neat to see, if I have time)

Ephesus (low - I'm not such a fan of ruins, but if I have time)

Bektash (medium - I've always been a bit fascinated with Haji Bektash, and though apparently the place has become a center of Alawites who revere him, I think it is worth a look-see)

I have a feeling I won't be able to get to everything, but we'll see in sha Allah.

Sidewalks and more Finance

Alhamdulillah, I've almost been in Istanbul for a month - I arrived on 9/12, having left the states on 9/11. Subhanallah, time flies.

I've been busy with essays. Alhamdulillah, I think the Kellogg and Harvard apps are near completion, pending feedback from Ali and Mian. Chicago still needs a bit of work, but I've got a week to finish these things.

I've been noticing that while Istanbul has been endowed with more sidewalks than my city of Bloomfield Hills, I haven't been really walking on them as much as I would have thought. Too many ups and downs - the sidewalks typically aren't smooth and don't end with inclines into the roads - there are lots of steps. Also, lots of cars, garbage, and other obstaces dot the sidewalks. Another thing I've noticed walking around is that you really have to keep your eyes on the ground quite a bit, and not just to follow Allah's instructions. I've stepped in quite a few puddles (given the rain, although alhamdulillah, the weather has been better lately) while wearing sandals, I've missed random steps, I've barely (thankfully) avoided dog do-do, and have almost tripped on low lying chains. Beware pedestrian - you have more than the cars/traffic to keep an eye on.

As I went on Sunday to get my money changed, I discovered that my favorite doviz/exchange place was closed on Sundays. I had to go to mall for an exchange - that doviz was still open. The bigger the mall, the worse the rates you get. Anyways, so I changed USD 40, if I remember correctly, as rates had improved, I got back a bit over YTL 50. Ironically, as I am taking a pounding in the US stock market and the world economy goes to hell, I am actually benefiting perversely here in Turkey. People are fleeing to the dollar in these bad times I think, so last week I got YTL 1.2 for each dollar, today I changed YTL 1.4 for each dollar of my USD 160 - a big jump! Perhaps they are using the dollars to buy US treasuries as a safe investment. What a wierd world. Another week like this, and my rent might actually fall below USD 1000 per month. By the way, my favorite doviz was also not open after 8 when I went by earlier in the week.

Alhamdulillah, I got my phone exchanged today as well. I hope this one doesn't have any problems. The last one had a tempermental microphone.

Finance

Alhamdulillah, my spending isn't too bad so far. Aside from the USD 1500 deposit I gave for the apartment, I've converted USD 2010 (350 + 1500+ 60 + 100) into YL 2508, for an average conversion rate of 1.248, which isn't bad. I only have about YTL 20 left in coins, so I figure now is as good a time as any to calculate how much I'm spending each day on average. My target is to stay below USD 10/YTL 12.5, aside from rent. YTL 1500 went to rent, and another YTL 450 went to the commission. I spent YTL 60 on the cooking gas, YTL 20 on the fan/heater, YTL 55 on the phone, and lets say another YTL 15 or so on other one-time items (umbrella, chappals, spoon, etc.). That comes to YTL 2100 for the non-daily expenditures, leaving about YTL 408 that I've spent on food, transportation, and other daily costs. I've been here 24 days so far, so that comes to YTL 17 per day more or less, not including utilities, or about 40% more than my target. In sha Allah, once I start cooking more on the weekends, that should come down. Khayr, in sha Allah. Now, I am off to go convert some more cash - the dollar has been on an upswing against the lira this past week! Alas, it seems the like the traveler's cheques will stay where they are.

By the way, I was not hit with any ATM fees for withdrawing dollars from the TEB ATM. I think that might be because my Chase account is set up so it does not hit me with non-Chase ATM fees at all. I'm not sure. But this appears to be a good strategy - just get the dollars, and convert where I get the best rate. I am trying to minimize card transactions to avoid the 2-3% overseas charge they tack on. So far, I haven't used my cards, alhamdulillah. All cash, all the time.

Eid/Bayram!

It has been a few days since my last post - I've been a bit busy over here, but hopefully I can make up for it now. I took some decent notes on my phone to fall back on, so in sha Allah I won't miss too many good details.

Turkey celebrated Eid, or Bayram in Turkish, on Tuesday, September 29. It was announced ahead of time, per my coworkers - I guess they must do some kind of calculation. I did not know for certain however, until I went to pray Isha on Monday night at the mosque near my house (this mosque is called Konyalı H.Tevfik Ağazade Camii by the way, so I will call it Konyali from now on). When there was no taraweeh after Isha and instead everyone broke out for sunnah and witr, I figured Ramadan at ended. However, I did stumble a bit when I was walking back home and saw through a window that the second jamat in the basement was still going on and they were still praying! I couldn't figure out what was going on - for a second, I thought that they were praying taraweeh and I thought to myself, sheesh, at least in America, each masjid does Eid on one day - here in Turkey they were going to have two Eids in the same mosque! - but, thankfully, I was wrong. After watching for a few minutes, it became clear they were praying salat ut tasbeeh in jamat. I haven't figured out yet if this second jamat will continue throughout the year - if so, that would be pretty wierd. So alhamdulillah, Eid for everyone on Tuesday in Turkey.


Another wierd thing about this mosque I've noticed a couple of times - when the iqamah is said, the imam starts the prayer as the muezzin says qad qamat as salah. I haven't seen that in other mosques here, but just Konyali so far.

On a side note, right next to the masjid, there is a cafeteria type setup underneath a larger building - it says iftar salonu or something like that. There are always a bunch of guys in there just hanging out. I wonder what the deal is behind that place and if it is affiliated with the masjid somehow, like the social hall or something.

Also, I don't remember if I've mentioned it before, but I had read about drummers going around and waking people up for sahoor. I didn't hear it for the first week or two. I figured maybe they were only in the old city and not in the business area. However, in the last few days of Ramadan, I think I heard them making noise around 3 am, or about two hours before suhoor.
Speaking of suhoor time, I'm no longer sure when that was exactly. After Ramadan (I think it was eid day actually, the adhan was given over at least a twenty minute time span by the different mosques, all significantly later than when they gave it for suhoor. I haven't found a prayer schedule yet either (I'm not really sure what to make of the online ones, since I never know if they consider daylight savings, etc.).

Anyways, I woke up pretty early on Eid day, about 5:30, so I could get ready and get down to the Blue Mosque on time. Unlike in America, I don't think I could have lucked into a second, third, or fourth jamat if I missed the first one. I boiled the milk, added the sheer korma mix, and cooked it until it was ready. After I shut the stove, I took a shower and got ready. Alas, I didn't have any of my preferred eid outfits, so I took out my nicer looking kurta pajama, added a relatively new black sweater vest, and went out like that at about 6:30 after having a bit of sheer korma (it came out pretty good).

I walked over to the Mecidiyeykoy metro station and took what must have been the second train to go that morning down (the trains don't start before 6:30, I think). Alhamdulillah, it only took about 45 minutes, but I was still worried I might be late. I didn't leave the subway system this time - after taking a close look at the map, and consulting with the tram token guy, I figured I could just stay on the rail system the whole way. There is something called the Funicular Subway that takes me to the same tram I would have hit had I taken the Aksaray dolmus, so I just took that. It comes out to the same price in the end almost, but a bit more efficient perhaps. Unfortunately, Erkut's tip about the free rides on Bayram had proven to be inaccurate. At Kabatas, I hit the tram that goes to Sultanahmet from the other end. See below.





There was very little traffic on Eid. Indeed, looking at the few people who were on the trains, I couldn't tell it was any sort of holiday at all. I heard the "allahu akbar, allahu akbar..." chant through the windows at one point, but that was it. As I got off the tram, my fears about missing the Eid prayer intensified a bit, because it seemed like another mosque on the way was already giving the khutbah. I made my way through an empty plaza that had been completely full for iftars. That seemed a bit wierd. There was a truck-full of police to keep the peace just standing around.


When I finally reached the Blue Mosque, it also sounded like they were giving the sermon. However, it was just like jumuah - a pre-prayer lecture in Turkish. The bottom floor was already full by the time I got there, and I really couldn't have made it much earlier than I had. I followed the flow and made my way up some narrow, winding tower to the second floor. Alhamdulillah, there was relatively more room up there. Alas, I think the men crowded out the women again for the most part - a few small areas had women. I coudn't tell how many people prayed outside, but at least a few did. Be careful if you go up there though - the guard rails are quite, quite low.


There was a few nasheed mixed in here or there. A little of the khutbah was in Arabic - when he said, "kabbirullah," the crowd broke out into the takbeer. It happened a couple of times. The takbeer was a little different from what I am used to - "allahu akbar, allahu akbar, la ilaha illa allah, hu allahu akbar, allahu akbar wa lilla hil hamd" instead of "allahu akbar, allahu akbar, allahu akbar, la ilaha illa allah, allahu akbar, allahu akbar wa lillahil hamd." The eid prayer itself had three takbeers at the start, and three more before the second ruku.


I think within an hour or so, everything had wrapped up, so by 8:30 or so, or maybe even a bit earlier, I could leave. I hung out for a few minutes to see what would happen and look around. The mosque emptied pretty quickly. I didn't see too much random hugging going on - mostly just between parties, I think. I only hugged maybe one or two people. One group did want to take pictures with me, given my clothing I think. I haven't seen two many people wear this type of clothing. Just one or two. I was really happy when I saw someone wear "Islamic" loose type clothing for the first time that wasn't an Imam. There was this really old guy wearing a kurta type top - must have been Ottoman era by the looks of him, ma sha Allah. Coincidentally, I met desis for the first time today, at the Astoria mall - some brother from New Delhi working for Coca Cola up here.


I made my way down and out. The municipality was serving some refreshments. Initially, I thought there were coffee, tea, and dates. Closer inspection showed it to be soup, so I helped myself. It wasn't bad, or maybe I was just hungry.


I decided to walk back, at least to Taksim. It took almost a couple of hours. I pretty much followed the tram tracks back. About 75% of the stores were closed, even in the tourist areas. I noticed quite a few tourists walking towards the Blue Mosque as I went out. They seemed oblivious that it was Bayram, but I guess the attractions were open, and that is what counted.

When I finally reached Taksim, I decided I wanted more breakfast. Burger King didn't appear to have a breakfast menu, so I went over to McD's - even though they still had the breakfast menu out, at 10:35 or so, they decided time was over. I saw a place called "Waffle" something, but it was closed. I was a bit bummed out. I took the metro back home, saw Starbucks, and decided, what the heck. I'm usually not a Starbucks guy, but I was hungry. I had some kind of tart for YTL 4, and a hot chocolate for YTL 4.5 I think.


I went home and went to sleep for a few hours.


Istanbul as a whole did seem emptier than normal over Bayram. My colleagues had told me it would be like this. There were a few interesting articles in the Turkish Daily News about the split between traditional Muslims (Bayram of Ramadan) and the more secular ones (Bayram of Sweets). Erdogan is a Bayram of Ramadan guy. The secular ones treat Bayram kind of like how we treat Winter/Christmas break in America - sometimes, we see family (Thanksgiving is more of the family break though, in my view), and sometimes we go on vacation. A lot of people left town for vacation.


I went to the office after I woke up and spent most of the next 48 hours sending out a few hundred Eid greetings. In sha Allah, I reached just about everyone. I hope I didn't miss you if you are reading this. I need to figure out a better way. I think I might have to start making drafts ahead of time so on Eid I can just hit send.


In other notes, I noticed that the barber shop next to my house was packed and open late the night before Eid. The hair salon, of which there seem to be way to many, was closed. Odd.

I will have to make a separate post about the Malls in the area. Also, about food, now that Ramadan is over.


I finally bought a fan today (YTL 19.9). It is a cheap Chinese make, very poor quality, low powered. It is also a heater though. Hopefully, in sha Allah it will help me dry my clothes at least. I don't know how effective the heater is though. I think I smell burning plastic whenever I put it on that mode. It vibrates on a flat surface too. I got it from a nearby mall. The problem was, I couldn't find fans easily. The store that used to have somewhat cheaper fans in my building had apparently sold out when I went down today. They had two in use, but none for sale. I found that a lot. Lots of store used fans, but few sold them.


Alas, I saw my first cockroach the other day. At least, I think it was a cockroach. I haven't gone close enough to the dead body to be sure. It was a bit rounder than the varieties I know from Damascus. At least it didn't appear to be equipped for aerial assault. I try to have a soap solution spray ready so I can safely blast them from far away until they are dead. Unfortunately, I haven't seen any spray bottles for sale. Luckily, or ominously, the previous tenant had left a bunch of stuff, including some Raid (and some Raid Plug-in type things), so I used that to smoke it out from under the fridge and then knock it out. I will brush it out the balcony in a day or two, in sha Allah. I hope that was it.


I'm not quite sure where it came from. There is a very poor ventilation system in the bathroom - the air has nowhere to go but a side room. That side room has no ventilation, unless I open a window that has no mesh. I opened it a tiny crack the other day, so it may have entered through there. I won't make that mistake again, even though the bathroom starts to smell really swampish otherwise (no evaporation). Another possibility is the massive renovation effort that appears to be happening in the flat below me. Lots of construction and upheaval could make a nice entry point for the wretched roaches. We'll see. I am now on my guard!