Thoughts on Turkey
Wednesday 27th of June
In some ways, Turkey is much easier on the dollar than Greece. The Turkish Lira is worth about the same as the New Zealand dollar and you seem to be able to get a pretty good meal for two for about $20. Unfortunately, Turkey seems to have been hard on OUR dollars…
Last night we set out for dinner with the clear intention of not spending any more money than we needed to on a cheap dinner. Three hours later we returned with a brand new leather jacket for Marty. Turkey has a way of making you want to part with your cash and it has certainly worked its magic on us. I think we might be on bread and water for the rest of the trip!
In our brief time in Turkey, I have really noticed the lack of visible woman. I know Turkey is a Muslim country but I really have been quite surprised. Everywhere you go, men are trying to sell you things or wandering in packs… virtually every female we have seen has obviously been a tourist. While we were talking to Ali yesterday, he mentioned the upcoming elections. I asked who he thought would win and he said that he hoped the current government would stay in. From his perspective, the government has worked hard and done a lot of good: inflation is down from 20%-10% (!!!); they have made a number of the historical sites more accessible; and taxes are down to 8% (I can only assume that there is a fair amount of ‘user pays’ going on in Turkey!). You will probably know that there has been some trouble in Turkey over the current government. In particular, the conflict is over whether Turkey is and / or should be a Muslim state or a secular state. There have been a number of protests and the odd bombing (that may or may not be related) in this period leading up to the general election. From an outsiders view, I guess I had thought that the government was bad and that everyone wanted to get rid of them, but this certainly does not seem to be the case. The general feeling where we have been is that the government wants to be part of the EU more than it wants to be a fundamental Muslim state- I guess time will tell whether this is true or not.
Now, I have had some feedback about yesterday’s entry and some of you are desperately hoping that I made a typo… sadly, I did not… it really is predicted to hit 58 today.
In some ways, Turkey is much easier on the dollar than Greece. The Turkish Lira is worth about the same as the New Zealand dollar and you seem to be able to get a pretty good meal for two for about $20. Unfortunately, Turkey seems to have been hard on OUR dollars…
Last night we set out for dinner with the clear intention of not spending any more money than we needed to on a cheap dinner. Three hours later we returned with a brand new leather jacket for Marty. Turkey has a way of making you want to part with your cash and it has certainly worked its magic on us. I think we might be on bread and water for the rest of the trip!
In our brief time in Turkey, I have really noticed the lack of visible woman. I know Turkey is a Muslim country but I really have been quite surprised. Everywhere you go, men are trying to sell you things or wandering in packs… virtually every female we have seen has obviously been a tourist. While we were talking to Ali yesterday, he mentioned the upcoming elections. I asked who he thought would win and he said that he hoped the current government would stay in. From his perspective, the government has worked hard and done a lot of good: inflation is down from 20%-10% (!!!); they have made a number of the historical sites more accessible; and taxes are down to 8% (I can only assume that there is a fair amount of ‘user pays’ going on in Turkey!). You will probably know that there has been some trouble in Turkey over the current government. In particular, the conflict is over whether Turkey is and / or should be a Muslim state or a secular state. There have been a number of protests and the odd bombing (that may or may not be related) in this period leading up to the general election. From an outsiders view, I guess I had thought that the government was bad and that everyone wanted to get rid of them, but this certainly does not seem to be the case. The general feeling where we have been is that the government wants to be part of the EU more than it wants to be a fundamental Muslim state- I guess time will tell whether this is true or not.
Now, I have had some feedback about yesterday’s entry and some of you are desperately hoping that I made a typo… sadly, I did not… it really is predicted to hit 58 today.
3 comments:
Hi Rochelle
You two seem to be having a wonderful experience. I think that you day yesterday was a real bonus. You were able to get some real information about the local scene and that is invaluable.
Is the high temperature a dry heat or a humid heat. I have experienced 42 degrees in Queensland but it was unbearably humid as well. That is why we spend so much time in NZ even though it was such a cold day yesterday.
Gran will view this blog after lunch.
Love
Austy Bette
Hi Rochelle
You two seem to be having a wonderful experience. I think that you day yesterday was a real bonus. You were able to get some real information about the local scene and that is invaluable.
Is the high temperature a dry heat or a humid heat. I have experienced 42 degrees in Queensland but it was unbearably humid as well. That is why we spend so much time in NZ even though it was such a cold day yesterday.
Gran will view this blog after lunch.
Love
Austy Bette
Morning Rochelle,
It sounds like you and Marty are having fun. Please send some of the heat this way. It's Saturday morning here, wet, cold (6) and windy. Very misty and I'm going back to bed! NZ lost another race in the America's Cup overnight, now down 2 race to 3. No other major news, have a great holiday, love to you both Dad
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