Another Side of Istanbul...

On Wednesday, Michael and I joined "The Other Tour" for a different tour of Istanbul not involving the centuries old mosques and tourist-heavy areas. At 9:00 AM, we met up with our "tour guide," Bulent and his cousin/co-guide, Hakan, for a day of seeing, learning, and experiencing the "real" Istanbul. Lucky for us, (maybe not so lucky for Bulent and Hakan), Michael and I were the only two participants that day.

This was the last photo of the night and we are all buddies after a long day. From the Left: Michael, Hakan, me, and Bulent

Bulent and his brother, Fethi, created The Other Tour to give visitors to Istanbul the opportunity to see the Istanbul that tourists rarely see.  The concept was something Michael and I never heard of, but we were really excited to go beyond the typical tourist route of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia and the Old Town.  You can find out more about the Other Tour here.

The Tour started off in the New Town near the Bosphorus. After a quick Turkish Breakfast and Turkish Coffee (which is delicious and thick and crack-like) at a local cafe, we boarded a large yacht all to ourselves to cruise the Bosphorus with 2 bottles of wine for the four of us at 11:00 am.  At this point, we knew we picked the right tour, and Bulent and Hakan knew we were ready for anything.

The view from the yacht. 

Baller status right here.

After our boat ride, the four of us took a stroll down the main drag in Istanbul's New Town, İstiklal Avenue in Beyoğlu, near Taksim Square.  Here we indulged in some baklava and great conversation about the current situation in Istanbul and how good we have it in America, save for the quick access to baklava and Turkish coffee.

It tasted as delicious as it looks.

The protests and rising unrest in Istanbul is more complex than this relaxed globe-trotter can explain on this blog. However, I will give it a quick try. The short story: the Turkish government attempted to develop, thereby destroy, Taksim Square Park to make way for a shopping mall. Mind you, the area immediately surrounding Taksim Square is a giant shopping/restaurants/hotel area and Taksim Square Park is one of the only green-spaces in the area and is the hang-out place for many young people, including artists, political activists, and LGBTs.  

The government basically made the decision to demolish the park without any public hearing and many people were against the destruction.  A sit-in took place on May 28, 2013 and it was violently disrupted, which, in turn, resulted in a public outcry and the protests begun. The protests have evolved from the preservation of Taksim square to a more general protest to the actions of the current government, including the government's moves to make Turkey's laws more Islamic based thereby ignoring the secular state that has been in power for many centuries.  Unsurprisingly, the government, namely Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan,who has been in office since 2003, has responded with violence and military and police forces to stop the protests and basically silence any of his opponents.  In fact, it is now a requirement to pledge that you will not publicly protest at soccer games in Istanbul or risk being fined or imprisoned!

tldr; Protests are now about the government and the government is fighting back with an iron fist.

Here is an Turkish Police Officer patrolling Taksim Square. I think that gun is meant to intimidate... 

People enjoying the beautiful weather in Taksim Square.  The policeman in the previous picture is facing this statue.

After visiting Taksim Square, we went to Bulent's house where his mother cooked us a delicious traditional Turkish lunch.  We stuffed our bellies and traded some good music with Hakan.

While walking around some of the more local areas, we came across these three boys who asked me to take their picture.  They were very flirtatious!

Another cat, ruling the world.

We ended up at a very cool cafe to play some Okey, the Turkish name for Rummy Cube.  I kicked ass and won at least 6 rounds.  I stopped counting at 6.  One of the locals, Mr. Ali, helped Michael and I play.  He told us Michael was, how do I put this gently, "a loser!"  I think I found my new sport...

This was after one of the many rounds I won. 

After we played Okey, we experienced a Turkish bath. And what an experience it was! Since this was a co-ed bath, Michael and I were able to relax in the expansive marble room together.  Some requisites for a Turkish bath: 1) disrobe and hang out in a sauna in a very thin cloth that barely covers your bottom if you want it to cover your boobs; 2) for about 20 minutes sit near a faucet on a marble step and frequently douse yourself with warm to hot water to open your pores; 3) lay on a marble slab and be scrubbed down from head to toe with a rough sponge by a big burly man (as shown below), or in my case, enter a private room with a big burly woman; 4) after losing all of your dead skin, get covered in bubbly soap and oil and massaged to the point of tears by said man or woman; 5) get splashed with freezing cold water; and 6) bask in the lightness and your new-found appreciation for life in the sauna for another 10 minutes. 

Michael with his masseur, or the cub and his bear... this really happened.

After our Turkish Bath, we enjoyed some cold brewskies and watched the sunset over the Bosphorus and Old Town.  We ended the night at a very hip rooftop restaurant and enjoyed some Turkish meatballs and pizza.  We truly had a remarkable time with Bulent and Hakan on the Other Tour and would recommend it to most of our friends and family.  I only say "most" because it is definitely not for everyone. How about this, you call me if you want to go and I will let you know what I think? All jokes aside, we really hope we can see Bulent and Hakan either in the states or in a second trip to Istanbul, which I would love to do again in the future.

After the massage, Michael's butt is sending us a message in graffiti. 

A final look of Istanbul from the Galata Tower in New Town.