I ARRIVED in Istanbul this afternoon with three options to get into the city's Old City where my home for the next four nights is set right on one of Sultanahmet's busiest boulevards.
I could catch public transport with the option costing less than one Aussie dollar but involving a mix of metro and tram, I could wait for the next shuttle bus which would set me back a whole $5 but include an up-hill hike with 17kg of luggage, or I could catch a cab.
Feeling a little jaded after my 24-hour jaunt from Melbourne to Istanbul, which included a six hour stop in Dubai, I elected for the softest - and most expensive option - and jumped into a cab.
Friday afternoon traffic meant the journey took a little longer than expected, but it was endlessly entertaining with my driver treating me to a display of Turkish enthusiasm that included lots of yelling out the window and several episodes of fist shaking.
Seems my driver wasn't happy with fellow road users clogging up the main routes in from the airport, especially the people that parked delivery trucks on the road while unloading boxes and bags to traders along the footpath.
Every time we found ourselves trapped in some typical Istanbul gridlock my driver would lean out the window, straining to see around the obstacles in front, and give the horn a few quick whacks.
It was hot and dusty, and he was getting agitated because the number on the taxi's meter only increased when kilometers were covered so sitting still was costing this fellow money.
He made his own lane to dart to the front of the line of traffic waiting at a red light, drove the wrong direction up a one-way street to get around a bus parked to collect tourists, and darted up what looked more like an access track for workers maintaining the railway line than an actual street.
He even asked for Allah's assistance on a couple of occasions when there wasn't much movement ahead.
But he got me to my hotel in 45 minutes, I didn't have to walk anywhere or lug my luggage, and I received a very colourful introduction to Turkey for the discount rate of $20.
- Posted from my iPad
Location:Börekçi Ali Sk,Fatih,Turkey