I should write about the place based on my own experience so that you shall take into account what I have been through. It's a long trip as you can reckon, so what? I have a right to say something I guess. This part I will tell story about what I like and dislike most about the city. Shall we?
The best of Istanbul is the access of tourist attractions in a walking distance. This also includes those by the tram lines with low cost of expense. If you just walk around to enjoy the air of the place. People are kind and friendly, most of all, they are extremely patient. I suppose they are familiar with tourists all over the world traveling to visit each year. The other thing is, the restaurants. A thousand or more in the area, perhaps I was exaggerate but no one can tell. I just found in every corner of the street not include the stalls along the roads. Turkish mostly enjoy their meals in different styles. I found my favorite one is fish sandwich. Sounds simple, right? but let me tell you about it. I walked under the bridge connecting between the two stations of the tram and under the bridge there were many food shops so I picked one by the good smell of grilled fish. Yes, they put it in the bread with some sliced vegetable. Then you put lemon juice in before taking a bite. The a bit salty of grilled fish goes well with the sour taste. I just finished it without knowing.
The other thing that touched me most was small shops of business for local people still survive under tremendous changes of the city i.e houses are modified into small hotels for guests. I could not find 7/11shops like in Thailand at all. Of course there are certainly some convenient buy shops in the main spots but in general I would say that it was easy to buy things there.
However, smoking habit of Turkish people became my big problem from the very first day I reached there. No doubt how cigarette business is popular in the country, I was a passive smoker without intention during the days. To give you a clear picture, I guess perhaps my lungs have developed a spot or two or even more already. Almost everybody smokes. Men, women, younger, older you named it. I felt terribly sorry for these chain smokers and the polluted air they built . They just don't care. Neither do they care for their health, so how come they would for others'. It would have been such a great time for me if only I had walked along the street without holding my breath.
Stray cats and dogs are also something that breaks my heart every time I see them. The most shocking time was when I walked pass a boy curling himself against the wall trying to protect himself from the cold. He was selling small packs of tissue paper for a living. I thought only cats and dogs but I was wrong. Some children here are beggars struggling with dirty clothes and bare feet. Some sat in the rain with hopeless eyes. I wanted to stop and ask what they were doing, where their homes were but I had no courage to do so. My heart was broken into small pieces. When I just turned my head and walked away.
