A trip to the grand bazaar

My weakness
Originally uploaded by ccarlstead

Anyone who knows me well will realize that the Grand Bazaar is not my idea of the best time to be had in Istanbul. It’s not that I don’t like to shop – but I’m much more interested in getting a deal and I am often overwhelmed by all the shopkeepers trying to get my attention. With the right person, and for the right amount of time, the bazaar can actually be fun though. Yesterday I had a good experience their. Not only was I in a mood to sort of float through the crowded streets and admire the riot of colors on offer but I managed to combine the three things that I find necessary for any fun trip to the market. The first element is to be with someone whose company you enjoy. Since I wouldn’t venture into the market except for someone I like, that is pretty much guaranteed for any of my trips there. The second element is feeling like I have found a new corner or been introduced to yet one more of the long list of vendors that have a “Koç connection.” This happened in one part by chance – the place where Jessica ended up buying her tavla (backgammon) boards ended up being the store co-workers had told her about…we just happened to stop in there and find what she wanted – and one part by introduction – when we went to a vendor I do know Jessica asked if we could be taken back to the storeroom to see the rest of his stock. Wait, you can do that? I never knew that they had storerooms around these five corners and back in the small courtyard. It just made it seem like I was discovering a new element of the Grand Bazaar. The third element is, of course, feeling like I managed to bargain to a good deal. Even
though I wasn’t *planning* on buying anything when we went in I still managed to do this as well. I actually think that sometimes it is easier as tourism season starts up. That is the time when it helps to spend
some time with the vendors, to attempt to use the bit of Turkish I have to establish a connection and of course play the Koç card. In the end I’m never really sure if I’ve gotten a good deal, but as long as I’m happy with the price I pay I guess it doesn’t really matter…and I know I paid less then some as I watched a tourist pay more for the exact same thing while I was there.