Of Lost Bags and Found Cities

---

We finally arrived in Istanbul after a 24 hour whirlwind tour of the SFO, JFK, and Heathrow airports. Apparently our bags had a different itinerary since they arrived several days later. Thank you American Airlines for lightening our load!

It's a good thing we didn't need water filters and mosquito nets to enjoy Istanbul. In the only city that spans two continents, the collusion of cultures ıs everywhere: headscarves and Converse, tea houses playing hip hop, mosques hosting book fairs. The train from the airport took us through run-down neighborhoods wıth crumbling walls and kids throwing stones at the train. But those same high-rise apartment buildings had clusters of white sattelite dishes sprouting like mushrooms from every balcony and stable rooftop.

We spent our two and a half days in Istanbul exploring everything within walking distance, including the Grand Bazaar, the Blue Mosque, the Topkapi Palace, and lots of nameless streets off the tourist track where our presence drew more curious looks than hawkers peddling carpets.

Looking across the bridge that connects two sides of the city, we could see the tall parallel points rising from five different mosques. Loud speakers atop each mosque fill the streets with haunting, hypnotic chants five times daily.

To enter the famous Blue Mosque, we had to remove our shoes and Jenny donned a rent-a-scarf. The inside was huge and spacious with enormous dome ceilings and low-hangıng lights suspended all the way from the top. Every ınch of the walls was covered wıth Arabic scripture and intricate designs of red, blue, and gold. The carpet's rectangular patterns were equally detailed, and served a practical purpose: each rectangle was just the right size to fit a person kneeling in prayer.

We claimed our spots on the carpet in the tourist section, which was behind the prayer area for men and in front of the women. We happened to catch the 4pm prayer session and found ourselves entranced by the melodic chanting and synchronized movements (kneel, bow, kneel, stand, kneel). The whole experience was calming and refreshing, a welcome change from the busy streets outside.

On our third day in Istanbul, our bags arrived, miraculously intact, at the hostel. We hopped on an all-nıght bus headed south to the next "must-see" site--the Roman ruins of Ephesus. The ride itself was 12 hours but could have been 8 without so many long and seemingly pointless stops (the Turks really need those cigarette breaks).

The bus dropped us off at Selçuk, a city of 25,000 people just 3 kilometers from Ephesus. We were greeted by locals trying to get us to buy their tours or stay at their hostels. Falling for the promise of hot showers and a private bathroom, we followed one guy a couple blocks to the "Paris Hotel" where we spent about $10 each for a pretty nice private room that included, as promised, a bathroom with a hot shower, a private balcony (finally a place to dry our laundry!), and breakfast. Selçuk is friendlier, cheaper, and warmer than Istanbul, but still fairly touristy.

We arrived on market day, which meant the streets and squares around our hostel were filled with stalls selling everything you could imagine: fresh fruits and vegetables, pots and pans, scarves, skirts, sweatpants, jeans, socks and shoes, CDs, purses, carpets, garden tools, and miscellaneous trinkets. Jenny bought a headscarf but hasn't mustered the guts to wear it yet.

Yesterday afternoon we chose to walk the 3km to Ephesus rather than take the cabs, tour buses, and horse buggies offered to us at every step. Of course no one tells you that the walk is pleasant and shaded by rows of trees; they all want you to buy their ride-guide-and-lunch package for $40.

The ruins themselves were stunning--half-columns and broken murals everywhere you turn. We went like salmon against the tide of tour groups and admired the theater (which, in its day, could seat the current population of Selçuk), the library, and the rows and rows of tombs and pillars.

On the walk back, there was no one else in sight except for cars and scooters whizzing by. We stopped to take a photo of a particularly interesting house 200 meters from the road, and were suddenly greeted by the shout of a man who had emerged from the top of the building--"come have a tea! come, tea with me!" It was tempting, but we just waved and moved on. Perhaps we've grown too suspicious from our experience in Istanbul...hopefully we'll learn to distinguish genuine offers from sale hooks.

It's only day five and it already seems like we've experienced so much more than can be described here. The stray cats that crouch in every corner; the complete lack of pedestrian crosswalks on roads that resemble downtown LA at rush hour; the fact that no two headscarves look alike (as if they are more a fashion accessory than a religious symbol); the Internet cafes whose primary purpose is to cater to the under-12 crowd playing Counterstrike (ok, some things aren't so different from the US). Today our plan is to head to the train station and catch the next train that looks like it's going someplace interesting. Hopefully this time our bags will make it all the way with us.

---