Day 1-2

So we've gotten hit by every scam in the book.

Tourist prices, corrupt taxi drivers and the "shoe shine guy".

Yesterday, we went to see the Aya Sophia. Rob and are both all about the Byzantine art and were completely psyched to see the church. We both paid $15 to get in. Expensive but worth it.

Actually, no. The place was covered in scaffolding! To add insult to injury, there was a sign announcing that the work would be completed on January 31, 05. Riiiight.

We walked around but the scaffolding really ruined the experience as we couldn't see the dome. I got to see some nice Byzantine mosaics but I actually preferred the ones in Porec, Croatia to these.

Coming out, some shoe shine guys called to us. We ignored them. They called again. We ignored them. They asked for a cigarette. Rob gave him one. Then his friend asked for one. So Rob handed him one too.

"Shoe shine?"
"No thanks"
"Shoe shine?"
"No thanks"
"Free. Gift!"
"No thanks"
Present for you! Shoe shine!"
No thanks"
"Free! Present! Gift!"
"Ok"



Rob was about to walk off when the guy asked him for money.
"I thought you said this was free!"
"Babies! Five babies!"
"You said this was a gift"
"Hungry babies! Hungry babies need food!"
"I'm not paying for this. Here, have my cigarettes"
"Babies need food. Babies hungry"

Maybe he was talking about his grand or great-grand babies, as he was probably 70 years old. Rob offered him the pack of his cigarettes but the man batted them away.

"Hungry babies need food!"

I gave him 2.5 lira, which was all the small money I had on me. He seemed insulted but there was no way I was giving him more. He looked at it, looked at Rob, and then grabbed his cigarette pack. We laughed about the incident for the rest of the day.

Today, we went to the covered bazaar where Rob spent $600 on leather goods. What started out as a "Well, I'll just try the pants on" turned into a whole fitting session where, at one point, at least three different guys had their hands on Rob's ass/crotch.

I wandered happily around the jewelery section and tried on the most expensive piece of jewelery I will ever get to touch in my life: almost 2 billion (old) Turkish Lira. New Lira: over $2000.

I came *this close* to buying a beautiful gold and sapphire necklace and an opal pendant. I'll sleep on it and see how I feel in the morning.

Now, we're off on the search for adventure. Rob and I have been practice-lying all day (I'm Romanian, he's Bulgarian, we're vegetarians, etc etc). Now, we're going to put our skills to the test. We're going to tell everyone that he's an American second unit director working on a Kung Fu movie with Chow Yung Fat in Bulgaria about the Russian Mafia. We're in Turkey for a location scout and also to recruit girls for a belly dancing scene in which will take place a shoot-out. The movie will also star a Turkish actor, whose name Rob has forgotten but will immediately agree to as soon as one is suggested. We have high hopes for the charade.