"You Look...Yes Please"

Culture, history, and cuisine are among the many things in Turkey that I have greatly enjoyed experiencing. This trip has given me a unique opportunity to learn about a nation in its infancy and I have witness firsthand the ways in which it is searching for its identity. Meeting the people of Turkey has been an amazing experience and talking with locals was one area where I wish our trip had allowed us more time. There is an element to life in Istanbul, however, that I am not sad to say goodbye to. It may be a cultural difference or just my inability to effectively communicate, but I did not enjoy the constant hassling by local salesmen. I believe that Turkey’s economy is the key to its future, and the continuation of a free and competitive market is the best way to take advantage of the tourist dollars flowing into the city, but I will not miss the over aggressive way in which the shop keepers attempt to gain business from tourists. It seems that this is one more area of contradiction in Turkish life. The people are very warm and interested in talking to travelers. I am impressed by the tolerance that they have for the constant inwasion of their city by foreigners. Further, many locals know far more English than I know Turkish, showing their desire to interact with the many cultures that come to explore the city. I wonder how the competition for tourist dollars will progress as Turkey’s identity changes. The interactions between sales people and tourist surely must change if Turkey moves toward a more westernized identity. The hassle of tourist by shop keepers, restraint and club operators, and merchants is endless. They will shout to you, walk with you, and put items in your face in order to attempt to gain your attention and potentially make a sale. A tourist must at every moment watch for incorrect change given, misquoted prices, and techniques used to increase a sale once they have gained your interest. Some of these elements exist all over the world and it is common sense that tourists are targets for scams and rip offs. Turkey is just gaining ground again as a major tourist destination, and the number of American tourist is reaching pre September 11th figures. Will this element of travel in Turkey turn off American tourists? I think an overaggressiveness has the capability to negatively affect future tourism. I suppose that is a matter of taste. I personally do not want to encounter an endless hassle when I am on a vacation. My time in Turkey was not for a vacation so I consider these experiences to be educational and an opportunity to consider differences in behavior and culture as driving forces. To be clear, it is not the boy selling guidebooks at a tourist spot or the salesmen in the bazaar that give me a bad feeling about sales techniques in the city of Istanbul. Instead, it is the sneaky ways in which some people try to get money from unsuspecting tourists. Some of our experiences as a group illustrate the ways in which the sale turns into a hassle. First, we have experienced a quick change scam cab driver that possibly received double the fare by the end of the interaction. One cab driver drove along side of us walking and hassled us until he realized we would not accept the ride and then began insulting members of the group. Does that technique really work? Second, bar owners promise free drinks as you walk by. This is another technique that I do not understand and it makes me sad if there are Americans falling for this and giving the rest of us a bad name. One day during lunchtime we had decided on a cheap doner, and were told to go upstairs to order. We did not want to sit but after the insistence of the shop owner did so anyway. We found ourselves sitting in a nice restaurant with china on the tables, and quickly decided to leave as it was obviously a ploy to get us to eat at their nicer dining area. The last example of sales techniques that I did not appreciate in the city was an experience I had while visiting the Blue Mosque. I was approached by a boy of about five years old. He gestured me to buy tissues from him. I declined and watched him, because I wondered if he was really alone. I observed him approach his father for direction. The father was smoking a cigarette and talking with friends; telling the boy to approach tourist nearby. This was disappointing and I hope that it is a rarity. These experiences do not take away from the amazing time that I have had in Turkey. I truly believe that it is a wonderful place full of great people, and on its way to a successful future. I hope, however, that the pushy techniques of hassling tourists will subside, because they do not showcase the country’s true nature.