Thyra Travels: Burnt Out in Turkey 2019

I arrived in Istanbul late at night, having paid for a private transfer from the airport (oooeee I am fanceeee). After ten months of travel, I know that unless there is a safe public transit option from the airport, which there wasn’t this late, ALWAYS plan ahead your trip. No offense taxi drivers, but the ones at the airport are the worst and without fail will scam you. Arriving at my hostel late, I promptly fell asleep. So began my two weeks in Istanbul – flitting and floating between various hostels to check out the different neighborhoods in the city. I had initially planned to travel across Turkey during this time but I was experiencing the all too common ‘burn out’. Hard to explain unless you feel it yourself, this is something that happens to long-term travelers. You aren’t homesick, but you are sick of travel…just a little. The only way to cure this is to stay put. This means hunkering down in one city and taking your sweet time to explore it. My visa in Turkey lasts until November, so I decided to do exactly that, with no regrets.

Turkish culture (of course) is super different from the culture in SE Asia – my home for almost a year. I had culture shock my first few days, looking wide-eyed and shocked as a couple made out in the subway, men came up to talk to you, and girls exposed their shoulders. Still more conservative than eastern Europe, it was the perfect way to ease into the ~~European vibe. Istanbul is hectic and busy, with tons of people, traffic, and cafes. I loved it. I spent half my time on the so-called European side and half on the Asian side.

Europe

I spent the first half and the last few days of my time on the European side of the city. This is where the majority of the tourist attractions are. In my first few days, I wandered around, eating tons of kebab sandwiches. I saw the Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, and the Basilica Cistern. I drank Turkish tea and visited Taksim Square, going down the walking street to Galata Tower. Touristing! But I was also doing a lot of thinking. I was feeling so burnt out from traveling and was honestly experiencing a little culture shock coming from so many months in SE Asia. I missed the cheap noodles, kind people, and beaches. Making a mental health decision, I decided to spend two full weeks in Istanbul, reading books, so I could re-acclimate to my environment. I needed a recharge on solo traveling. So – that is exactly what I ended up doing! The culture in Turkey is so different from what I was used to, and more than anything, I felt stared/leered at. You never really saw girls walking alone, especially a foreign one, and I often found myself walking down a street and only seeing men. It was a weird experience and I felt a lot more visible here than in other countries.

Asia

After seeing the sights on the European side, I stayed in the hip, young neighborhood of Kadikoy. This is definitely where I would buy an apartment if I lived in Istanbul. Only busy with tourists around dinner, the mornings here were utterly beautiful and peaceful. I read and drank coffee all day. I did run into a little hiccup however – I was scratched and nibbled by a cat (of which there are thousands in Istanbul). Although he looked healthy, I convinced myself I would die alone of rabies in Bulgaria and decided to go to the hospital, just in case. What followed was a hilarious day of hunting down the rabies vaccine leading me finally to a public hospital with rude receptionists but extremely kind nurses. There was absolutely no English but I managed to communicate my concerns. The nurse gave me the shot, no questions asked, with directions to return for my second one in three days. When I asked about payment, she burst out laughing – it was completely free. USA, ya’ll need to catch up with this health care-ish. I left feeling relieved, laughing at my anxiety.

Two whole weeks in Istanbul flew by and by the time my bus departed – I was feeling back to my normal self, ready for more adventures.

T