Turkish Delights and Arabian Nights

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E-Pao! Incident - Turkish Delights and Arabian Nights

Pengba Aruuba Eshingee *

SMSes were fyling around seeking information on situation in Istanbul. A fellow, supposed to join from Verona in Italy, added to the anxiety by asking if it was true that all flights to the Turkish capital were cancelled because of the unrest there.

Images on the BBC and CNN were not encouraging either, with sea of people taking to the streets as Turkey struggled to find a candidate to be its president. Making a trip to the country at such a time didn't seem to be the brightest idea.

Add to it, worried phone calls from parents back home loaded with tonnes of advice to their son giving him the do's and dont's as if he was on his maiden overseas trip, added to the tension.

Yet, as they, seeing is believing. After close to seven hours of flight, landing at Istanbul made it clear that the situation was not that bad.

The only thing that came as a dampner was the rain and perhaps the inability to converse with the locals, who knew very little English.

Nevertheless, our guide Flihrit Yildrin, the university student with dreams to go to the US once he completes his graduation, ensured that the insipid feeling was driven as far away as possible.

For a country like Turkey, divided into two halves by the Bosphorus river with one half in Europe and the other in Asia, it is people like him who could be crucial to its future.

But like many young Manipuris of today, he also felt there was not much future in his homeland and has started charting out his plans to be elsewhere--that too at a time when his country is about to become a member of the European Union.

"As an outsider, what do you think we should join the European Union?" he asked.

"My friend, you future is in your hand, you should not let others decide it," he was politely told, fully aware that how many people back home at Manipur would have loved to hear similar words.

The longer one stayed in Turkey, rather walked in the streets of Istanbul, the clearer it became that the nation was at its confusing best. Youngsters would love to call themselves Europeans, while those elderly ladies in burqas and aged bearded men loved to protect their Islamic identity.

Bogazigi Bridge over the Bosphorus

Nevertheless, for a traveller there are a few must-to-do things. First and foremost is to see the Bogazigi Bridge over the Bosphorus, that connects the European and Asian cultures. Seeing it a night, when the lights on it change colour from purple to green to pink and blue--the sight is simply breathtaking.

Then a few adventure with Arabian nights, if you may, can be undertaken. A tryst with the Sultan Ahmet Palace at night can be an experience of a lifetime, as the magnificient structure glows in the light.

Sultan Ahmet Palace

Of course, the Topkapi Palace is another famous tourist spot where one is confronted with over 600 years old history built by the Ottoman Sultans. It is a place that attracts tourists from all over the world.

Tulips at Topkapi Palace

Just a note of caution, tickets are expensive here--10 Turkish Lira per person for general entry, another 10 TKL for hiring the audio guide and a smiliar amount for entry to the harem. A history enthusiast may not mind, but modernist may just as well sit outside and enjoy the magnificient tulips.

Kapalicarsi Grand Bazaar

Before wrapping up the journey, a visit to the Kapalicarsi Grand Bazaar will awaken the true blue Manipuri conscience as it reminds one very much of the 'Aloo Gali'of yester years in Imphal--the only difference being that in Istanbul they respect their history and origin but in Imphal we don't mind burrying Samoo Makhong underneath a senseless narrow overbridge (not even a flyover)....

Next: High Tension Drama in Tehran Airspace

Pengba Aruuba Eshingee, a pseudonym, writes regularly to e-pao.net. You can email the writer at penbga(AT)rediffmail(DOT)com. This article was webcasted on 16th May 2007.

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