tonight i sat down with my lets go turkey guidebook some more. last time it was about looking at itineraries, this time it was about basics.. basics that i'd thought i'd really looked at.
apparently i hadn't. as i'm getting a wee bit nervous.
the whole not trusting people tone of the guidebook. its more so for turkey than greece and london. the whole 'they'll rip you off' tone is much more so too. the whole 'don't tell them you are alone, esp. being a woman' is even more so.
goodness.
and then there's the dress thing.
i've learned my lesson from last years trip to greece. i've learned my lesson to do my best to really experience the country and not get stuck in a hotel room watching tv that i can't understand while being depressed. i learned that last year and this year during my unexpected trip to baja it got hit home even more. and getting off the beaten path, needless to say going down to the tortoise camp near aqua verde in baja has affected my travel plans through turkey more than i could have planned.
this is where the dress thing comes in. the guidebook goes over and over about how women shouldn't ever be seen in shorts, esp. in rural areas. long skirts and pants. and my shoulders should never be seen, except out of touristy areas.
now, one of the reasons i'm going to turkey is to be in a situation where i need to wear a head scarf, but from talking to folks it wasn't something i might expect more than in the most rural of areas. but according to my tentative itinerary this won't be the case.
so, now i'm contemplating money i can't afford to spend. i need one more long skirt, at least.. and i also need leggings. and i don't know where in hades to get them in town except for saturday market.. but i want solid colors as to be modest, and at saturday market they aren't solid colors.
goodness.
during my days, as this trip approaches, i think about it. not as often as i thought about greece, though. but when i do think about it sometimes i do my best version of looking at myself and asking myself why am i going to turkey?
for the adventure. yes, i tell myself. for the adventure.
oh, and have i mentioned that its just killing me that i'm going to be so close to iran, armenia & syria and i'm not going to any of those places? it is.
Posted by brooke at April 5, 2004 11:53 PM