Anyone been to Istanbul?

[Kristie]

Anything i should know before going? granted, it's summertime but i'm not sure what the customs are in relation to dress or if i should bring a baseball cap to hide the blonde hair or what.

not sure if i'll really be going yet because i guess there are weight problems (lots of cargo being hauled since it's a money maker right now) going overseas. but i'm gonna give it a shot anyways.

[UKcats06]

Passport (valid for the period of intended stay) required.Visa required, which can be obtained on arrival for a max.stay of 3 months single entry. Fee: EUR 15.- or USD 20.-.Visitor must be of clean appearance and hold sufficient funds.Visitor must report to Immigration Police if exceeding periodof allowed stay.Visitor is considered a Turkish national, if it appears fromdocuments that original nationality was Turkish and should beadvised to make inquiries about possible consequences priorto arrival in Turkey.Visitor holding travel documents printed in their ownlanguage and not in the Latin alphabet will be refusedentry and deported.Minors: up to/incl. 18 years of age may be included inparent's passport (see also: TIRULES/R22 ).Non-compliance with entry regulations will result in thepassenger being refused entry, normally being returned by thesame aircraft on the same day. If the procedure exceeds 24hours, a fine between USD 1,000.- and USD 3,000.- will beimposed on carrier.That is what is on Timatic. So just take a shower and it looks like you'll be ok! Haha

[mrs767er]

I'm sure you'll be shopping at Jimmy Silver--all the FA's go there. It's a corner shop in the bazaar. He'll take you to good pashminas if you want--don't get the bottom priced ones--selvages are a bit tight--$10 and over are pretty nice! Spices and such are great to bring home for gifts, too. Think December...
Watch those pinchers and oglers! There are lots of blonde Germans in IST--I guess ballcap is acceptable but probably not indoors? I personally would not wear one in public in Eu, but that's me.
Food is fabulous--enjoy!!

[Kristie]

well, it'll have to wait a bit.

Recently noticed that it's a 24 hr layover and i highly doubt i can hit the bazaar and do all that shopping on a 24 hr layover, so i'm going to wait till fall and have him bid a 48 hr layover. i'd rather enjoy the time vs rush rush rush....

good to know i wouldn't be the only blondeeeee... haha

what's a pashmina?

[mrs767er]

pashminas are shawls which are obscenely priced in the States--many are mis-labeled contents (silk/wool/etc-- so they vary. about 3 feet wide and 6+ feet long--wrap up and snuggle into biz class (or coach--a good pashmina can make you feel like you're pampered!)
good idea to wait for fall for the 48 hour--the crew hotel is new location and not so easy to get to bazaar. It's a really long trip and the guys are tired and they don't want to go anywhere at first...unless he wants a really cool replica watch--Breitling etc--too awesome--Jimmy has them all!
Off season is always better anyway! You have to get a 90 day multiple entry vias on demand but you can get him to bid for the next trip before you go (hint hint) closer to Christmas, too

[Mrs.Alchemist]

Well, I went to Istanbul & LOVED it! You won't be the only blonde there, it's a popular tourist spot. It's generally a good idea to dress casual and semi-conservative when walking around town. Turkey is a very modern country, Istanbul especially, and if you were to happen to go out for a night on the town, you'd find young Turkish girls wearing the same types of outfits that you'd find at any club in the US. If you remember what I said in another thread about wearing your hair up, Turkey's one place that this helped a lot! No one said anything rude or scary to me, it just got annoying after awhile... "Where are you going, Spice Girl?" "This way's the best way!" blah blah blah Anyhow, I LOVED Turkey, and I can't wait to be able to go back some day! Have fun!