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 | Turkey Warnings or Dangers | Tips 1 - 10 of 171 |  |
 Baghdad Pavillion in Istanbul by deecat
Even if it is justified, impatience is thought to be rude. People who use a loud voice or do finger pointing are thought to be very rude.
If you are polite and respectful, you will be amazed at how warm and welcoming the Turks will be.
When contemplating what "proper" behavior is, just remember that in most situations, use your common sense. For instance, check out what locals are doing in a given situation and mimic that behavior. [they take off their shoes before entering a mosque so, of course, you should too!]
I know that it is not polite to stare, but do not be offended by the Turkish children who stare at you. Their staring is only "eager curiosity". Be warned:
it is thought to be rude if you object to being stared at.
Also, be aware that the Turks sometimes address you by your first name; it just means that most Turks are comfortable dealing with first names.
By all means when you meet a Turk for the first time, use dignified courtesy rather than backslapping and hand shaking. Leave a Comment
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 Millions and millions... by Maria_75
After a long while one of the waiters working there told us he was going to Marmaris so we could come with him in his car. We were so happy for this offer and jumped in his car. After a long and sleepless night on the bus, plus waiting for the dolmus for hours, we just longed for a bed and some sleep.
When we got to Marmaris the driver suddenly wanted A LOT of cash! And we had thought he was just being nice to us (duh!)... After a lot of arguing we got the price down under half of what he wanted, but it was still quite expencive. Normally we wouldn't even sit inside a taxi without agreeing on a price, but I guess we were just to tired when this happened.
Anyway, there are plenty of nice and helpful people in Turkey too. This was one of the worst experiences we had, and after all it wasn't really that bad. But just take care, and remember that not everyone are what they pretend to be. Leave a Comment
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 Map shows Number of Quakes in
Turkey Since 1965 by deecat
You should be aware that the majority of these quakes take place on the western branch of the Anatolian fault that is located in the eastern Marmara region. Even though the government was well aware of these facts, they were completely unprepared for the 1999 disaster in Izmit. Turkey had to rely almost completely on volunteers for most of the rescue efforts. This particular earthqualke [if you, no doubt, remember] was the 2nd strongest recorded earthquake. It measured 7.0 on the Richter scale and lasted for 45 seconds.
I remember reading that 500,000 people were left homeless and about 20,000 were killed. But what I found most terrifying was that there were 1300 aftershocks, and in November of the same year a nearby area was hit with a stronger quake. This time 900 people died!
Sadly, in 2002 another quake hit Turkey in the province of Afyon, which is southeast of Istanbul. Less than 50 people died in this milder quake.
I'm not trying to frighten people; instead, I think we all need to know the facts. Hopefully, because of the criticism from all over the world toward the Turkish government's slow response for relief efforts, something will be done to improve the situation. Leave a Comment
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 by hasthetravelbug
The SCAM: Hot girls come over and order a few expensive bottles of wine, they get the cut from the bar... I've heard horror stories like a bottle costing $200 US! If you don't pay there are huge bouncers waiting to beat you up.
We got out of the situation without any harm but I hope that this warning helps you out and it never happens to you.... Leave a Comment
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There are a few words and signs to avoid in Turkey. See "Insults" for clarification.
- Never use the word Peach, it means "bastard" in Turkish. VT is not going to let me post "bastard", so don't say "female dog" derivative.
- Never use the work "sick", it translates to "dick" and will lead to some serious misunderstandings. VT will probably try to edit that as well. So, "dick" = a prominent part of the male anatomy.
- Never use the "OK" handsign that us Americans like to use. It means, oh heck I'm gonna get edited again. I'll switch to the queens English and hope for the best "I want to bugger you". Leave a Comment
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I was in Turkey during the months of Oct/Nov 2003. While shopping in the many, many markets of Side, Turkey, my friend, Kim and I had a difficult time with the men. They were extremely aggressive towards us and wanted us to come into their shops to buy things. Be careful of this. Even though they were kind at times, it became very uncomfortable for us and all the fun was taken out of shopping. Leave a Comment
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 Guard at entrance to
Topkopi Palace by deecat
Throughout Turkey, the military police are on guard. The picture shows such a guard in 1995. We were stopped and searched that day at the gate to the Topkopi Palace because of the bank bomings by extremists.
Because of the strict laws and the abundance of guards and police on the streets and at the major sites, there is little crime. Today, the fear would be of terrorist.
It is sad that these world-wide terrorist are stopping so many people from traveling to such wonderful countries such as Turkey.
Use your own judgment; we went ahead on our trip to Turkey in 1995 even though many banks had been bombed just before we arrived. Leave a Comment
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 View from Sarduri - Hinili by MalenaN
During my trip the bus/car was stopped on these roads:
Erzurum - Dogubayazit
Dogubayazit - Van
Van - Hoshap Castle
Van - Diyarbakir Leave a Comment
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 by MalenaN
Comming back to Istanbul I heard the whole day had been sunny. Some other people I spoke to had also had rain on their visit to Anadolu Kavagi. Maybe it rains more there as it is close to the Black Sea coast? Leave a Comment
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It's against the law to insult someone in Turkey. You can end up in jail or very hurt.
Even if you feel like you're getting the bad end of something, please control your temper. Trust me, you don't want to cross the law in this country! They have automatic weapons, are most likely conscripts and well that sums it up... Leave a Comment
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