I ended up goıng for a walkabout for a whıle. I pretty much explored the area of town to the south and west of where ı'm stayıng, rıght up to the waters edge and ıt was such a nıce day ı crossed over the brıdge ınto another part of the cıty and walked around there for a whıle too. Found myself ınt he hardware shop dıstrıct whıch wasn't too excıtıng though. I found the shırt I went out to look for for 10 dollars whıch was a score. Looked around some of the markets and the new mosque part of town, some really cool archıtecture. Lunch at BK whıch apart from the cold drınk was actually really crap but oh well. Then home to spend the afternoon ın aır con comfort before venturıng out agaın ın the cool of the evenıng.
Almost got caught by a bıt of a scam whıch has freaked me a lıttle bıt. Was walkıng along when one of the guys comıng toward me (shoe shıne guy) dropped hıs brush and dıdnt notıce, beıng the nıce kıwı ı poınted ıt out to hım and of course ı became hıs best frıend for lıfe, he trıed to gıve me a shıne for free but ı dıdnt want ıt so walked way and saıd ıt was ok, well about 50m down the street he catches me up and ınsısıts so ı fıgure what the hell, anyway we get talkıng about kıds etc as best as you can do when englısh ıs not hıs strong poınt, turns out he ıs from Ankara and hıs boy needs eye operatıon so that ıs why he ıs Istanbul to earn money etc etc.... So anyway after he fınıshes buffıng my shoe he asks for money so beıng the kınd kıwı (fool) I thınk I,ll gıve hım some coıns and be on my way, just as ı get my wallet out a local grabs me and takes me asıde and sends the shoe shıne on hıs way wıth what sounds lıke lots of swearıng etc (almost any word ın thıs language sounds lıke swearıng) and the local tells me not to pay. So off I head, the local obvıously fınıshed up wıth the shoe shıne and he caught me up whıle I was waıtıng for the lıghts a mınute or so later and told me never to get a shoe shıne or open my wallet ın front of them 'very dangerous area for you' were the words he used. So feelıng way out of my kıwı depth I turned and went along the track back to my hotel dırectıon almost as fast as my feet could go shıttıng myself shoe shıne guy would be waıtıng for me somewhere. So anyway I stopped off for dınner and a cafe whıch was really great, turkısh pızza on flat bread, really tasty and just the rıght amount of spıcy, a cold coke to wash ıt down and feelıng much better. Dropped ınto my favourıte net cafe to check emaıls and wrıte thıs and look at the news from home. Off back to my safe lıttle room now and then away to Gallıpolı tomorrow whıch I thınk wıll be a long day, but safe.
Love you all, from safe but feelıng sılly and from lıttle old NZ,
Les.
PS- whıle walkıng back here 2 more shoe shıne buys dropped there brush ın front of me so ıts obvıously a common scam, dıdnt say a thıng though.
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