June 15th - Goodbye Istanbul & a friend from Jordan

Today was my final day in Istanbul so I decided to spend it walking about. There was so much of the city that I still needed to see. I walked from my hostel over to the spice Bazar and then across the Golden Horn to Galata Tower.  I then decided to try and get near Takism Square despite the ongoing protests. A number of locals I had met suggested that this would be completely safe during the day. I ended up in Takim and it was very calm. You could see the protesters camped in the park with police nearby. The craziest part was that tour buses were bringing people to Takism.

At 4pm, I headed back to the old part of town to see Ay again. She wanted to wish me well before I departed. We then connected with a friend of hers from Jordan, named Munir, that was staying at her apparent through Airbnb.  He works in Internet retail and was visiting Istanbul for a few weeks. I throughly enjoyed talking with him because of his knowledge concerning the Middle East.  As an American, I will be the first to admit that I harbored a strong uncertainty against the Middle East. I have concerns about militant and fanatic Islam, terrorist attacks and kidnapping of western people that travel in the region.  All of these predispositions were challenged in the three hours I spent with Munir.  What I have learned through travel, over and again, is that most places never match their reputation. I also firmly believe in cultural exchange because there is no greater ambassador for a nation than its citizens. It is my hope to travel to Jordan someday to meet with more Middle Easterners and I challenge more Americans to do the same. Traveling to learn their culture and share ours would help remove the misconceptions and pave the way to a more lasting friendship rooted in mutual understanding (Also not propping up dictators in the region would help as well).

Finally thank you to Ay for the parting gifts!! They were wonderful. And I really enjoyed the fish sandwiches and pistachio desserts.

Photo: Galata Tower

Photo: Protestor tents in Takism

Photo: Tour bus inTakism 

Photo: The three of us! - Ay, Munir and I