Not a Step Backward

Hostels can be great resources for information about what to do, where to go, and how to get there. But like everything, they're not perfect. Sometimes you need to take the initiative and figure things out for yourself. Such was the case for me today. I had planned on taking a bus to Bergama to see the ancient city of Pergamum as my next destination after Istanbul. The hostel clerk first told me there were no direct buses there, and then that there were no hotels. Wikitravel and my guidebook both said otherwise, so I decided to try for myself. After inquiring at travel agencies the past couple days, I caught the tram to the main bus terminal and ended up booking a ticket, in rudimentary English, to Bergama for tomorrow morning. It remains to be seen if it will actually be worth it, but such is the risk with traveling. I'm still keeping strong the philosophy of not a step backward. Backtracking leads to wasted time, and wasted time is wasted experiences.

After my bus ticket errand I headed to the Grand Bazaar, after downing some delicious falafel. The bazaar was basically like any other large indoor market I've seen in China or Australia, but I did manage to pick up some stuff, including a pretty ballin watch. I'm not really sure if I got a good price; I talked him down to 200 lira from 490, and it was a hard bargain, but something feels like I still paid a little more than I should have. I'm not going to stress about it though, it is a pretty nice watch. 

After that I went to the Blue Mosque, and felt a heavier spiritual influence than I did at Hagia Sofia. Something about seeing people involved in their religion firsthand always makes it more intense than the building itself. I also took a quick walk through the Mosaic Museum, admiring the amazing, and probably tedious work that the ancient artists put into arranging thousands and tiny pieces into a picture that covered an entire floor of a palace.

(note: this post was written yesterday)