July 20, 2008
Turkish Bath... again...
This morning, I went to the same hamam (Turkish bath) again. Because I'll be leaving Turkey tomorrow, I decided to go for the whole package including the oil massage at the end. It was great! I think I slept through the massage and then 30 minutes or so afterwards.
The woman who washed me this time looked very, very familiar to me. Then I realized that it was the same woman who works at the hotel I'm staying at. She had told me a few days earlier that she sometimes works at the bath. She also recognized me and said "sen (you), akdeniz (the name of the hotel)".
It might have been the same woman the first time I went there, too, but I'm not sure. That woman is stroooooooooooooong! This time, I asked for a soft massage because the last time, the "hard" massage nearly killed me! (^^)
After the whole thing, they served me some apple tea while I waited till I was completely dry. Then another woman came out and took me to a different room. There she used massage oil with a fragrance of rose and I became nicely oily. I could've been grilled under today's hot, hot sun!
Underground Cistein
After the bath, I walked to two more historical places. The first one is called "Underground Cistein (chika kyuuden)" and it was about a 5-minute walk from the hotel. It's right by Ayasofia.
This place is underground and when you walk down there, you see big poles and pillars with water everywhere. I remembered going there 20 years ago, but I didn't recall seeing fish there. I think I have already learned to appreciate the history, and this time I took more time reading the descriptions etc.
Before this place was discovered, people used to build houses above it and make a well and get water from this place. Now that this place has been established as a famous historical site, you can walk down to where you can see water right under the paths you walk on.
When you go all the way to the end of the area, you'll see two heads of Medusa. They are big, carved rocks. They're halfway in water. One head is upsidedown and the other sideways. As always, I am fascinated to think that people took the time to decorate the place when it wasn't necessary for the function it was supposed to provide.
Oh, I forgot to mention that originally, this place provided water to the sultans of the... well, I don't know what century that was!
Topkapi
The second place I visited was "Topkapi (pronounced like Topkapu) Palace". It is right behind Ayasofia, but when I got out of the underground cistein, I couldn't figure out which direction to walk to. I looked around me to see who might know where Topkapi was, but everyone I saw was waiting for their tourguides outside. So as soon as I heard two people speaking Turkish, I stopped them and asked how to get there.
They said "No English" and I said "Topkapi" and pointed one direction. They gestured it was the other way and they gestured further to say that they were also going there. So I followed them.
When I got there, it was crowded, but I managed to buy a ticket (10 YTL) and walked through every place. It was a great experience. I heard so many people speaking Arabic, and I was tempted to say something, but I decided not to. I was so tired from walking under the sun for so long!
This palace has so much jewelry and other historical items. The rooms are decorated with beautiful tiles. I'd recommend that you visit this place if you are ever in Istanbul. But I'd say it's better to go there when it's not so hot!
Arabic! Arabic!
I keep meeting Arabic speakers here. Yesterday I went to a store and the shopkeepers offered me some tea. I sat down and began to drink it when an Arabic-speaking family walked in and asked the workers where to visit in Istanbul. They asked questions in English, but the communication was very difficult between the family and the workers. So then I said "Maybe I can help" in Arabic. They got so excited and began asking me where to go and how to get there. I didn't have the answers myself, so I translated into English and the conversation slowly began to move forward.
Another time, my friend and I were at a cafe when I heard a Lebanese family next to us speak Arabic. I asked them where they were from in Arabic and they were surpried that I spoke Arabic. It makes me happy when I can use my Arabic. Tomorrow I'll be back in Egypt and I'll get to spend one more day with my Egyptian family. It'll be great!