A Ferry to Asia Next we walked to the piers (following the tram lines) along the Bospherus River which runs through Istanbul. We got a barbecued fish sandwich, from a fishing boat on the pier, The very fresh fish was stuffed into a hunk of thick bread, with some tomato and a green chili pepper; very tasty. We didn't want a 'tourist cruise' up the river, because we'd read that it is much cheaper and better to take the ferry that runs up and down the river in about 3 hours. We asked for the ferry and people sent us to pier 3, where we purchase a ticket for 175,000 tl. (I tried to pay only 20,000 tl, because I'd seen a sign that said "Jeton - 20,000", but that was just for the ferry across to Asian side of Istanbul, not up the river. Anyway, 20,000 tl is only 50¢ so that was ridiculously cheap; as it was, it cost about $3.20 for the whole trip.)

It was a fabulous cruise. The wealthy homes, Sultan's palaces, the Roman structures and medieval forts along both shores were stunning to look at.

Roman Fort, Black Sea and Toilets We all got off the boat at the northern-most stop, on the Asian side, at a little fishing village called Kavagi, which specializes in seafood restaurants (inexpensive ones). However, it wasn't lunch or dinner time, so we choose to climb the hill behind the village, up to a Roman fort. It was a picturesque climb and a gratifying view from the fort of the Bosphorus flowing into the Black Sea. After much picture-taking we climbed back down the hill and got on the return ferry.

The only negative thing on this public ferry was the Turkish (hole in the floor) toilets -- revolting -- the smell was too much to bear. My fear that all the toilets in Turkey would be like that was unfounded, the "modern tuvalet" or WC was almost everywhere.

A Real Turkish Bath Experience The Çemberlitas Hamami (Bath) was built in 1584 and is still used today. There are two separate, domed rooms, one for men, one for women. The domes have holes in the top to let light in, and there are beautifully tiled cubicles all around the room, with low sinks. The predominate feature is a huge, circular, marble slab in the center of the room, that is heated from below, to a pleasantly warm temperature. The room is not as hot as a steam room or a sauna, but quite warm, none the less. Here's the process: After depositing your clothes and valuables in a private room, you lie on the slab (with a towel covering your privates) and relax until its your turn for the masseuse. This big burly Turk beckons you over.

First he lays you flat on the slab, and he covers you with suds (squeezed from a pillowcase-like sack) and scrubs you all over, roughly flipping you over like a piece of meat, when necessary. Then he begins the scraping with a rough cloth; he rubs everywhere (but the privates -- they are very modest people).

Then comes the massage, where every muscle and bone you have is tugged, squeezed, pummeled and scrunched (he really found my back tension and squeezed it out of me). After he's done, he rinses you off in one of the little cubicles, pouring warm and cold water from the sinks on you, with a bowl. Then you go back to the marble slab to rest, feeling very relaxed and very good. When you wish, you go to another room, where someone dries you off and gives you new towels (one for the head - you feel like Carmine Miranda - and one for the bottom) and it's back to the private room to lie down, or redress. Actually, I really enjoyed the process, while Munro found it too painful. I would have done it again another day, but the opportunity never came up.

Mosque Mistake After finding a cheaper ($40 for a double room) better hotel (not dogs or mosquitos), we proceeded to do some sightseeing. First we viewed the Ayasofya Museum, which was once the largest Christian Cathedral in Constantanoble, then was converted to the largest mosque (until the Blue Mosque was built), and finally turned into a museum, to display the artwork from both buildings. Then we went to another big mosque, Beyazit, on the top of a hill (this time we had long pants and didn't have to wear skirts).

It was here that Munro made an embarassing faux pas. All the mosques had clocks scatter around, so that the worshipers would know when the prayer time was over. Most of the clocks were old, but rarely of interest to 'clock mavins', like Munro. But in the Beyazit he spotted a clock that really interested him, so he set out, across the carpets, to examine it. Immediately a little (non-English speaking) man hissed and hissed, and gestured at him, until finally DM realized his goof and tip-toed back behind the tourist barrier.

Chastened, we put our shoes back on and walked through the Fatih district, sort of a slum, now, with old wooden houses from the Ottoman times - fascinating, and even in these poor areas we never felt threatened or were accosted by beggars. We tried to walk up the Golden Horn, a stagnant body of water separating two parts of Istanbul, with a lovely park built along it, but the stench of the water was unbearable. This was the only time that odors in Istanbul were unpleasant.

Not the Tourist District Cutting back into the business district, we proceeded down into the hardware district, where we had our cheapest and best lunch -- kabobs of two sorts beautifully served to us as we sat on the only table outside on a narrow, busy street. This whole walk was very 'un-touristy', just the 'real part of town, and it was extremely interesting and enjoyable.

Roman Rainbow & Rotten Restaurant Still energetic, we walked down the hill to find a train station, and discovered on the way a fancy seafood restaurant district. Planning to return there for dinner, we boarded a train to the edge of the old city where the ancient city walls began. It was after closing time to view the fortress, but the gate keeper let us in anyway, and so we alone viewed this huge, Roman fort at sundown -- it was a erie feeling climbing these antediluvian battlements as the sun lowered in the sky. Suddenly it began to drizzle and a rainbow appeared in a full arc (I don't remember ever seeing one go from one horizon to another), it was quite spectacular.

Finally, after a beautiful sunset, it got too dark to see, so we left and caught the next train back to the spot where we saw the seafood restaurants. There were many to choose from, and each one had someone trying to drag us in; they all seemed very expensive. We chose one that had many customers and ordered an appetizer and a main course. After waiting a LONG time, the tiny appetizers appeared, and some time after that, a small portion of fish (with very little else) was put down in front of two very hungry guys. The bill was outrageous for Turkey (2 million tl for both, about $45), the most we spent for any meal on the whole trip. We had heard that in Turkey the best food tends to be found in the cheapest restaurants and vice versa; and we can vouch for that. The only good thing was that the restaurant offered to give us a ride back up the hill to our hotel, and I'm glad they did; it would have been a hell of a walk.

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