I met Murat, Fethi’s brother who couldn’t lead the tour because Fethi was sick. So we continued together. Walked through streets, went to markets, took the bus and metro, went to Fethi’s home where his mother cooked for us a delicious meal. Milena, their friend joined us and we continued The Other Tour together.
“An unforgettable day with warm friends in Istanbul”
All day long we tasted delicious turkish food and tea, and finished the day by having again dinner together. Murat and Milena had the kindness to walk with me to my hotel at the end of the tour because I was afraid to lose my way to alone, and i felt like I separated with friends. Funny, kind, attentive, instructive, who know Istanbul as their pocket. I met there so kind people. They were always kind and attentive, always asked me if I felt good, always asked where I wanted to go, where I wanted to see. So there’s not really an itinerary, everything is flexible. The itinerary is what you want to see, what you want to feel, what you want to share with them. We went to places I couldn’t find alone, poor areas, rich areas, muslim area, jewish area, secret upstairs, wherever I wanted to go, they led me. I met their friends. And I felt like their friend during this wonderful day. Because this is what I wanted to see of Istanbul. Istanbul lives in its streets, in its people.
If you want to see Blue mosque or Haghia Sophia or some places that all travel guides talk about, if you want to be led by a guide who is not interested in you, who doesn’t know who you are, where you’re from, what’s your name, it’s easy, there are lots of classical tours here in Istanbul led by a classical guide who only do their job. But if you want to feel the true Istanbul, if you want to be touched by some people of Istanbul, if you want to laugh with them, if you want to be a part of their lives as they will be a part of your life, if you want to spend a day like with friends in Istanbul, join the other tour. If the other tour is called the other tour, it is exactly because it is a different tour. For those who search for classical tour led by classical guide in a classical way with a classical itinerary defined in advance, Istanbul is full of classical tours like that. But for those who travel like me, to see different things which we can’t see in travel guide, for those who want to feel the real Istanbul and be touched by the real people of Istanbul, join the other tour. Because it doesn’t have any price to feel Istanbul like this. And this is why I travel, to make my memories full of people. Because travel is not for me to come and take whatever we want to take by paying, it is also to take a part of people we meet and let a part of us to people we meet. And this is what I did with The Other Tour.
