Couchsurfing Istanbul

Couchsurfing is the best way to ensure culture shock in a very foreign city. I got to drink Raki and play video games with real Turks! All of this for free, and on the Asian side of Istanbul no less.




Sidenote: Witness the magic of Raki. When water is added, white clouds swirl around until it looks like skim milk. Fascinating.

You may ask, "Is Couchsurfing.com really free- come on, what do you have to do in return?" or possibly, "It is some kind of network of idiot hippies and/or sexual predators?"

Well, that can't be ruled out, but where's your faith in mankind?

It may look, feel, and act like an internet dating site, but it's really easy to spot the creeps. Two pieces of advice: 1. chose someone you're not attracted to in an effort to avoid a drunken make-out session; 2. wait, nevermind- that person may have a hot roommate. (3. I shouldn't be giving advice in these matters.)



Turkey has an aggressive tourism propaganda machine and it is in full effect every year at Turkish Fest in Chicago. It worked on me. There's something about the exotic music, the terribly attractive people, the COFFEE... Oh god, I love Turkish coffee.





What I was surprised to find there was a mix of cool modernist buildings peaking through the ancient city.



Check it out- I actually learned something from Vice Magazine. This is a circumcision ceremony outfit seen on the medieval streets near the Grand Bazaar. Article here. And here.



Istanbul is the fourth largest city in the world. With 11.4 million people bustling around town, riding water taxis to my couch in Kadikoy was almost meditative. At night after the ferries have stopped running, the preferred mode of transport is a mini-van cab that only stops (a relative term) when someone requests one.



Prayer callers' gorgeous velvety voices compete six times a day on loud speakers from every mosque (all 2,961 of them).



The legend of Turkey's stunning flag goes like this: after battle a warrior sees the reflection of crescent moon and a star in the pool of blood beneath his feet.




In a lot of ways Istanbul is more livable and just as modern as the West. Then I found out Youtube is blocked. Hey Turkey- wonder why you didn't get into the EU?