Turkey Travel Guide
5/19/2008 at 5:17 PM
Tags: Smoking, Bars, Cafes, Turkey Travel (all tags)
As of today, Turkey has banned smoking in all enclosed areas. But getting people to comply may be quite a task, as half of all Turks smoke at least occasionally, according to Gallup.
If you're not ready to quit, you'll find a reprieve at bars, cafes and restaurants: They'll have until July 2009 to go smoke-free. Until then, one waiter says, you'll be able to skirt the restrictions:
I don't think the Turkish people will follow this law ... They will find a way around it. But I think it's a good change. Even as a nonsmoker, I feel like I am smoking.
Maybe we shouldn't be so cynical, though. If the French kicked the habit, maybe the Turks can too!
Related Stories:
· Turkey, Smoking Nation, Tries Out Ban [NYT]
· Turkey without Tobacco? [IHT]
· Turkey Widens Smoking Ban to Enclosed Areas [AP, via Google]
· Places You Can't Smoke, from Bhutan to Uganda [Wikipedia]
· Smoking coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo from Istanbul: John Picken]
by pbb
5/01/2008 at 12:30 PM
Tags: Television Travel, TV Travel, Matt Lauer, Turkey Travel, Protests (all tags)
"The Today Show" publicity stunt/geography lesson that is "Where in the World is Matt Lauer?" continued today with a stop in Istanbul. We'll give Meredith Vieira a pass on her claim that "New Zealand is on a submerged continent" and instead focus on the cool info that Lauer had on Turkey, where tourism has doubled in the past six years.
The morning host was also joined by Lester Holt who did a quick tour around the country to Bodrum, Pamukkale, Cappadocia and Ephesus. We also got a look inside the famous Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
Oh, and it's a good thing Matt did his introductory stand-up on a boat in the Bosphorus. Helped him avoid those May Day demonstrations that police in Istanbul put down with tear gas and water cannons today.
Related Stories:
· Where in the World Is Matt Lauer? [MSNBC]
· Television Travel coverage [Jaunted]
by pbb
10/04/2007 at 9:30 AM
Tags: Crime, Europe Travel, Gambling (all tags)
We've long thought of playing bingo as a crime against common decency, but a real crime? Who would've thought? Certainly not the British tourists in Turkey who just got taken to the police station and fined for playing bingo at an Altinkum bar in the hope of winning a drink.
British holidaymakers Sarah Holland and Carla Harrison had this to say of their run-in with some Turkish police who considered the bingo game unlicensed gambling:
They seized the bingo ball and took our tickets away from us. It was a terrifying experience and very scary.
So if anybody in Turkey tries to talk you into playing bingo, just say no. Unless you're an elderly pensioner with a bingo addiction that shouldn't be too hard, right?
Related Stories:
· Tourists Seized For Playing Bingo [BBC]
· Dirty Bingo in the Meatpacking District [Jaunted]
· Turkey Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Hotels in Turkey [HotelChatter]
[Photo: sleepydisco]
by amandak
6/22/2007 at 8:52 AM
Tags: Turkish Airlines, Airport Security, Onur Air (all tags)
A loving Turkish wife tried to help her hubby out this week but only succeeded in landing them both under arrest. Since her husband was running late to catch his Onur Air flight, she called in with a bomb threat to try to delay the flight.
Of course, everyone got a bit of a fright, but soon figured out that it was a hoax. Instead of having to make an emergency landing in Ankara, the Istanbul flight continued on to Diyarbakir, where the husband missed the flight anyhow because he was busy with the police. We recommend simply getting to the airport on time or, in an emergency, finding a known bomber to make a more realistic hoax call. No, really, just get to the airport on time.
Related Stories:
· Onur Air [Official Site]
· Fake Bomb Alert No Help to Husband [CNN]
[Photo: iambigred]
by amandak
11/15/2006 at 11:54 AM
Tags: Travel Deals, Airlines, Turkish Airlines (all tags)
Looks like
it's a good day to either be a teacher in Turkey or someone with a genius plan to impersonate one.
In the age of non-sales and crrrazy discounts that somehow still leave us with $5,000,000 in extra taxes and fees, Turkish Airlines is truly slashing its prices. Of course, because of this particular sale's limited conditions, one can't quite pit them against other wimpy airline deals. For domestic travel in Turkey between November 24 and 30, or international travel on November 24 only, Turkish is providing a 50% discount to teachers and retired teachers. That means 50% off economy class or even business. November 24 is Teacher's Day in Turkey.
Because the deal does not appear on the airline's
USA-specific site, we're assuming that you must be teaching in Turkey in some capacity to qualify. Those taking advantage of the discount must have papers to prove their status. Tough parameters, sure, but what a deal!
[Photo:
Planero]
by djk
10/16/2006 at 8:47 AM
Tags: Istanbul, New York Times, Henry Shukman (all tags)
Henry Shukman does Istanbul the foodie's (or maybe just the hungry person's) way in this Sunday's Times. His search for the true Turkish stuff turned up a hidden, exquisite hole in the wall (the kind of place Tony Bourdain would probably bust an artery over), a formal hotel joint serving recipes born in 1539, a retro-minimalist place with six-storey ceilings, and an eight-decade old family business with out-of-this-world lamb.
He found that first restaurant, the Bourdain place called Tarihi Karakoy Balikcisi, not in the Kumkapi district (famous for its abundance of fish restaurants), but in Karakoy. It's lunch-only, and the owner is just the kind of guy you want to entrust your belly to: a fish-freak obsessed with freshness to the point that he only sources his catch from a secret bay "where the currents keep the water the cleanest in the eastern Mediterranean."
The hippest of Shukman's picks is Lokanta, the place with the mega-ceiling (it also has an outdoor space). With its club-ish atmosphere and hip, pretty clientele, this is where you go for a mix of style and substance that won't compromise your palette's cred: shrimp on chili spinach, and chocolate soufflé, anyone?
Related Stories:·
Istanbul: Fresh as the Morning, or Rooted in Centuries Past [NYT]
by djk
10/10/2006 at 1:35 PM
Tags: Istanbul, Crime, Travel Message Boards (all tags)
We read about travel scams and think such things could never happen to us. Often, we "know" scammers are "out there," somewhere, but no way are they right in front of us. Truth is, there's no unifying, world-wide petty scammer underbelly, and though we don't want to fear monger...it's more likely that a crook who's looking to rip you off will be sitting right next to you in a cafe, rather than in a fiery lair fifty feet below the surface of your destination.
With that in mind, here's a reminder that some of the world's more popular scams on travelers, including the classic "guy tricks you into paying for his friends' night on the town," can happen to the best of us. Yes, even Flyertalkers fall victim. PresRDC, a forum member with nearly 10,000 posts to his name, describes a sad chain of events in Istanbul in which he gives the benefit of the doubt to a seemingly friendly "Iranian" man, all in the name of diplomacy:
Soon enough, two of the women come over and sit down and, before I know it, my "friend" has ordered a bottle of champagne. At this point I knew I was in deep water, but felt trapped (because I probably was).
We were only there for less than an hour, when I finally said I am leaving. The bill comes and it is 2800 Turkish Lira, or slightly over $2000. Of course, this time my "friend" suggests we split it, but I protest that I don't have that kind of money on me (which I don't). The manager comes out and escorts us into a back office.
After wrangling police, he finally got out with $300 in the hole. By the way, this elaborate scheme started with the "friend" buying the victim dinner first. Click through for endless Flyertalker advice, and remember, it might not happen to you, but it can.
[Photo:
P and R in Oz]
Related Stories:·
Justr Fell Victim to a Scam in Istanbul -- God Do I feel Like an Idiot! [Flyertalk]
by djk
4/13/2006 at 3:32 PM
Tags: Flickr, Istanbul, Turkey, Transportation (all tags)
Istanbul! Bridge between East and West! Home to extremely thick coffee! City from whence you'd better not try to
smuggle hashish! And also the subject of some great photography.
Elif Ayse's photostream on Flickr of the Turkish burg is just stunning. And authentic--all the titles and comments are in Turkish. Anyway, we like this pic of the ferry, which is working cool light/seagull/public transportation trifecta in terms of photos that grab our attention. Only shiny objects can distract us now.
[Image via Elif Ayse/Flickr]
by AVB
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