9/2(Mon) | sightseeing in Istanbul (Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar, Turkish Bath) |
Lodging | Petrol / 93,000TL (2,790Yen) per night |
[booking sites for you / agoda.com Booking.com venere ] | |
Major expense(s) | Topkapi Palace: 10,000TL=300Yen guided tour for the Harem: 5,000TL=150Yen Basilica Cistern: 10,000TL=300Yen |
Related Sites | General Links - Europe Turkey Istanbul |
Topkapi Palace (Topkapi Sarayi) was Ottoman palace to be built (1466-1478)
in the capital of the Empire.
We paid admission fee and entered the Palace,
and then we joined guided tour for the Harem
at once.
We were obliged to join such a guided tour
because all visitors could not visit inside
of the Harem without guide.
When we visited there by led by an English-speaking
guide, we found influence of the Empire in
furnishing goods with every luxury imaginable
everywhere.
In addition to there, it was pretty good
to visit the treasury section too.
Well, it seems to make a difference of your
impression whether you are interested in
history or not, but it would be better to
take time for sightseeing in the Palace.
If you go out on the balcony
of the Palace, you can look over one of the
most beautiful views of Istanbul, incorporating
the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn and the sea
of Marmara.
Unfortunately these views were not very well
due to rain.
We could have enjoyed to see views while
eating if it was shiny.
We moved to high-class hotel
near the dirty lodging for staying last night
after we checked out there.
This hotel also had a fridge and a bathtub,
it seemed to stay here on the rebound of
last night.
It may be said that it came to be ideal day
for sightseeing because the weather was fair
up at last.
However, we went to underground places cynically,
Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarayi).
Here is the vast columned cavern, which was
the water source for both the Grand Palace
of the Byzantine and for the Ottomans' Topkapi
Palace.
Well, we did quite the opposite, but we could
not help so because we didn't even imagine
stopping rain, right?
Galata Bridge is the main street
in Istanbul which connects old city, Eminönü
and new city, Karaköy.
The upstairs of the bridge has a normal carriageway
and a sidewalk, the downstairs has the hawker's
center.
Needless to say, many barker call in visitors
violently, and they sometimes speak ambiguous
Japanese words.
You know, like "There are some shrimp
and cattlefish, and everybody wanna make
love! (Minna yari-tai!)"?
What mean the latter, "Everybody wanna
make love! (Minna yari-tai!)"?
Here is hawker's center, not hooker's one,
right?
Grand Bazaar (Kapali Çarsi) has over 4,000 shops, there are many gold
and jewelry shops among them.
Visitors to Istanbul must come here, I guess.
There are a lot of risks, but you may find
an interest in bargaining very well.
It's a chief enjoyment there, but when it
comes to bargaining, sellers are a cut above
buyers.
There is no possibility of buyers' win, but
you will try to enjoy bargaining.
Carpets and turquoise stand in the front rank here, but it would
be better to just look them if not the reliable
locals take you to these shops.
If you would like to buy some souvenirs,
you might try to be looking for small articles.
Of course you must bargain without restraint
here, it's a tradition.
In addition, payment by USD bills pleases
shop owner, I recommend you to bring many
ace (one-dollar bill).
Needless to say, you must not think that you wish to get the change when
you pay in bills of high denominations.
Because it would be better to think change
to be tip for sellers.
By the way, you try to bargain
without restraint as already stated.
In fact, it is very important for buyers
to tell low the first buyer's price because
bargaining come to an end by any price between
the first seller's price and the first buyer's
one.
Then if bargaining is likely to end up in
failure, you break it off and go through
the motions of going to next.
And such things may bring buyers some benefits.
Therefore sellers always tell buyers "It's
a last price! (This is the best price I can
do.)," but this sales talk was not at
all true.
In addition, those who haven't been good
at calculation are handicapped in bargaining.
It is quite possible to get cheated into
wrong currency converting.
It would be better to become skilled in the
use of calculator at least.
Needless to say, travelers must check the exchange rate (own currency, US dollar,
Turkish Lira) before traveling.
You may think where trustworthy
shops are, but if you think scoundrel is
in the examples listed below, these facts
may prove any shop owner to be conscientious.
Sellers showed buyers a picture and said
"I have some friends in your country.".
Sellers allowed a great cut in price.
Sellers cheated buyers by wrong currency
converting.
Sellers wished to show buyers something which
was different from what buyers asked.
That just about does it, right?
Anyway you will try to mean shopping as a
gambling here.
When you get a quarrel with persistent guys in Japanese.
Nameru-na-yo! (I'm not so stupid!)
Mou-Unzari-da! (I've had it!)
Tsukimatou-na! (Get off my back!)
Finally, we went to Turkish Baths
(Hamam) at night.
For a start, we entered there at the different
doors by sex, and we sweated while we lay
down on the center stones with only small
cloth around our waist.
Then the personnel, tellak for men and natir
for women, massaged the skin with a roll
silk cloth (kese).
For the last time, we got them to wash our
hair.
Well, we felt refreshed after the bath, but
the fly in the ointment was that they worked
roughly.
One of Japan's red light, "Soapland" was called "Toruko"
formerly, which was something like Turkish Bath.
However, its former name "Toruko"
was changed into "Soapland" by
Turkish remonstration.
In fact, Japan's "Soapland" is
distinct from Turkish Bath, right?
In "Soapland", therefore, the "women
attendant" soaps all of her customer's
body, often applying the soap by first lathering
her nude body and acting like a human sponge.
She is then well positioned to take care
of any matters that arise.
9/3(Tue) | stay in bed all day due to traveler's diarrhea play casino games at night |
Lodging | Hilton / 186US$ (869,368TL/26,080Yen) per night |
[booking sites for you / agoda.com Booking.com venere] | |
Related Sites | General Links - Europe Turkey Istanbul Helth and Medicine |
I had endured suffering from
diarrhea before dawn.
I thought to have cholera or dysentery,
not food-poisoning in earnest because Japan's
digestive medicine "Seirogan" didn't remove diarrhea.
Its indications are diarrhea, diarrhea for
indigestion, food-poisoning, vomiting and
purging, water-poisoning, loose bowels, soft
feces, and diarrhea with belly ache.
What this medicine didn't take hold on me
was out of the ordinary.
Why didn't I see the doctor or go to drugstore?
I would have done that if I spoke English
well, right?
In fact, we stayed an exclusive hotel like
Hilton Hotel because there was Japanese staff
and with casino.
Therefore my friends went sightseeing in
the city, but on the other hand I only stayed
in bed all day.
We entered in casino for the
first time in our life.
There are some gambling in Japan, but not
such as casino due to breach of the law.
It is incomprehensible for us that even though
there are horse racing and pachinko, which is a kind of vertical pinball, there
is not such as casino.
Therefore it would not be better to dwell
on such things, because there are many exception
to Japan's rule.
By the way, it seemed to me that
Slot Machine, Roulette and Black Jack were
popular among the casino games.
All bets were in US dollars, not in Turkish
Lira in the casino.
Minimum bet was 1US$ (4,670TL/140Yen) on
Slot Machine, 5US$ (23,350TL/700Yen) on Roulette
and Black Jack.
I had been still in bad health, but I stayed
long time in the casino because even brandy
and cognac were unlimited available.
By the way, I gained 100US$ (467,000TL/14,000Yen)
on the casino games on the strength of winning
Black Jack.
Such things are called beginner's luck, it
happens in gambling.
Therefore how to play Black Jack is written
here, it would be better to visit.
In addition, It is best that you can talk
about global economy and history of own country
in English.
Because European casinos have sociable disposition.
9/4(Wed) | Istanbul(Atatürk) 14:55-Turkish Airlines(TK)592-10:55+ Tokyo(Narita) |
Related Sites | Japan Tokyo |
What the breakfast in the Hilton
cost 40,000TL (1,200Yen) was far from price
in the city.
When you come to think about that the breakfast
for the locals usually cost 1,500TL (50Yen),
you may know Hilton's price was very expensive.
Thanks to winning at casino games on the
previous day, I was able to have an expensive
meal.
As the Japan's proverb says, such things
is called "Lightly comes, lightly goes."
Well, my friends slept late and skipped breakfast.
I said "Let me pay for the breakfast,"
but...
I leaved for home with in bad
condition due to diarrhea.
I had no idea when Turkish flight attendant
asked me "Emergency?" because I
bothered to ask her to call Japanese flight
attendant for getting a medicine.
Well, let's study English words about disease
just in case.
Fortunately for us, I was diagnosed as having
only traveler's diarrhea, not cholera or
dysentery after homecoming.
By the way, Turkish Airlines
Flight 592 called at Moscow en route from Istanbul.
Besides Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
(USSR) was ruined and Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS) came into existence on December
21 1991.
In addition, CIS contained eleven republics;
Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
How would these countries turn out in 21th
century?
study about more countries, please click
here.
On the other hand, in Japan,
the average share price on Nikkei 225 Index hit an all time high with 38,915.87Yen (268US$
/ 1US$=145Yen) on December 29 1989.
After that, Japan's Babble Economy had burst
and it spread concerns over the course of
the economy.
At all the same, karoshi (death from overwork) have become an object of public concern; however,
government, each enterprises and labor unions all might hardly have made efforts
to solve this problem.
What is more, some Japan's company made a
statement "The Germans take a holiday
too much!" and retreated from Germany.
Many Japanese employee who have worked hard
without any days off, their life is only
for work and money, isn't it?
Should they say "happy"?