| Username |
Post |
| SimpleGal |
Posted
on 27-Oct-02 02:17 PM
Dear all,
I am posting to inquire if anyone has been to Istanbul (Turkey) recently (let's say within the past few years)? I am applying for an important and highly interesting conference there and would like to gather pertinent information about the place before wrapping things up.
Of course, I can get info. from travel guide books and websites galore. Nevertheless, I would like to hear from anyone who has had first hand experience being there. Yes, people may have varying stories to relate. However, it's more reassuring to hear from "real" people than to stare at black and white on some generic travel book, or websites with the annoying pop-up windows.
Your response is greatly appreciated, both from me and my research committee.
In peace.
SimpleGal
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| kalankisthan |
Posted
on 27-Oct-02 02:43 PM
Nope!
But I read "Murder in Mesopotamia" by Agatha Christie, and I have real fascination for that place. Do you have room in your suitcase for me?
I am a good listener and hope you are a good talker.
;)
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| slipknot |
Posted
on 27-Oct-02 02:48 PM
All I know is:
Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Now it's Turkish delight on a moon-lit night
Every gal in Constantinople
lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople
so if you've got a date in Constantinople
she'll be waiting in Istanbul........
Even old New York
was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way
So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks
Istanbul...................
(They Might Be Giants, Album : Flood)
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| SimpleGal |
Posted
on 27-Oct-02 05:07 PM
Dear Kalankisthanji and Slipknotji,
Thanks for your input.
Hmm...It seems Istanbul inspires the mystique in most of us. :)
*Well, I am still anticipating some "genuine" information in this regard, nevertheless.*
In the meantime, it is interesting to note the meanderings of this thread as a mirror of the meanderings of the mind. From the adventures of Christie's characters to the historical "relics" unearthed in lyrical renditions. My my! ;)
In peace.
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| paramendra |
Posted
on 27-Oct-02 05:10 PM
"..so if you've got a date in Constantinople
she'll be waiting in Istanbul........ "
LOL
Slip, when did you slip!?
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| Harvard_Dropout |
Posted
on 27-Oct-02 07:50 PM
Simple Gal:
I did visit Istanbul very recently for approximately two weeks as part of the Health Secor Reform Study Group. I was in Geneva when I applied for a visa for Turkey and one has to deposit the passport for over night at their embassy or Business Promotion Bureau. It is not at all difficult for Nepalis to receive a visa if you have sufficient supporting documents. I assume you will be travelling from the United States so there are many direct flights into Istanbul.
Istanbul is one of the most beautiful cities I have been to, perhaps with the exception of Vancouver, BC; Aucland, NZ and Sydne, Australia. Try the fine food and stay away from the French wine and try the more rarer Romanian as well as Georgian varieties.
There are several Nepali families there that run small businesses there. I also met a Nepali student who was doing her medical training there. If you write to me I would be very happy to provide more information.
Perhaps this bit of information will help....
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| SimpleGal |
Posted
on 27-Oct-02 08:05 PM
Dear Harvard_Dropout Ji,
Thanks So very much for your response and information. Good to hear that there are Nepali people there as well. :) Despite the close to a decade that I've been here in the States, it's always reassuring to know of Nepalis residing where I travel.
Yes, I have heard a great deal about Vancouver and will be traveling there as well for another conference. Been to Toronto before, but am not too fond of it!
Thanks for the info. once again.
In peace. :)
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| oys_chill |
Posted
on 27-Oct-02 08:21 PM
haven't been to istanbul.....
all i can say taking today's world in context is that don't use the term "It's all Greek to me in here" ;)....all the best!!
toorkey sounds fascinating though!
oys
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| Paschim |
Posted
on 27-Oct-02 09:57 PM
Oys, that was one of the most clever quips I've heard on Sajha. Great!
Slipknot, the new witty romantic on Sajha, welcome! And yes, of course, I know you :)
Simplegal, I haven't been to Turkey yet, but a pleasant friend of mine from my graduate school days is a native of Ankara. She will give you helpful pre-arrival tips. Email me for her contacts. Also, I've always been fascinated by Turkish history -- from the fall of Constantinople to its "secular" present. Do share with us after your visit your perceptions of that fascinating Eurasian nation. Bon Voyage (if you end up going).
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| dirk |
Posted
on 27-Oct-02 10:01 PM
Sounds like a fine place.....the crossroads between Asia and Europe....but don't land in prison there...Midnight Express, remember? Another Christie classic...."Murder on the Orient Express"
Vancouver, BC is the gem of the Pacific Northwest, the Canadian Rockies, Whistler for skiing and snowboarding, whale watching in the San Juans,mighty Vanvouver Island for hiking, salmon fishing, native culture and arts..beautiful, quaint Victoria. Probably the most cosmopolitan city in the West Coast after LA and SanFran is Vancouver. Wow, don't miss it if you get a chance.
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| czar |
Posted
on 27-Oct-02 10:39 PM
Simple gal, all I can tell you is...
- sit by the Bosporus and drink the thick treacly coffee
- try a Turkish delight ;)
- make time to visit Suleiman the Great's mausoleum
- be prepared to bargin like crazy if you enter the markets
- keep your hotel window open to hear the muezzin at dawn calling the faithful to prayers, and the mournful honk of barges chugging by at midnight
I am afraid I can't help out much with visa procedures n such, given that is was many many moons ago I was last there (as a teenager).
The Turks have had a profound effect on history, and for good reason. Share with us your experiences when you get back.
Bon Voyage !
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| paramendra |
Posted
on 27-Oct-02 11:17 PM
Cosmopolitan destinations: LA, San Fran, Vancouver, Sajhapur ....... going by the postings to this thread.
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| SimpleGal |
Posted
on 28-Oct-02 07:25 AM
Dear all,
Many thanks for your forthcoming gestures! Certainly and with pleasure shall I relate the events/observations during the visit.
Happy Tihar to all.
Slipknotji, read your posting on Fate's Bride by Sitara. Beautiful writing and brilliant observations there. Your use of religious allusions was quite a delight. :)
In peace.
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| SITARA |
Posted
on 28-Oct-02 08:53 AM
Simple Gal;
You can see what the words "Turkey" , "Istanbul" and "Constantinople" evoke in most of us.... Like you said, you can get the traveller's tips but you can't find the romanticized version of what Turkey "ought to be".... :)
Have a good and safe trip!
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| SITARA |
Posted
on 28-Oct-02 08:55 AM
Slipknot ji
Midnight express to Istanbul was it, with the Arabian princess re' ????????????? ;)
hehehe!
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| slipknot |
Posted
on 28-Oct-02 03:39 PM
Paschim: Of course, how could I forget the prank about marriage at your office in ktm, and the cold in DC? Glad to see that your're a prolific writer here. Hope you will not transform this skill to andha dhundha procreation after marriage... Keep it coming bro, I like your posting. Thanks for your welcome.
Sitara: I'd love to ride the midnight train, but where would the princess be, in Constantinople or Istanbul?
SimpleGal: Thanks for the compliment. I guess the trickle that collects into a pool in my mind sometimes bursts its banks, its flow giving an illusion of a little current.
Peace :)
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