Istanbul | Part Two | Tea, Shisha, Baths and Mosques.

Sitting in a Shisha Lounge enjoying my latest read 'The Bicycle Diaries' by David Byrne (Talking Heads fame) I was pleasantly shocked when a hat-trick of Cold Chisel came on the stereo. The order was classic: Forever Now, Flame Trees and of course Khe Sanh. Now the most beautiful part of this whole situation was not the fresh apple tea I was enjoying, not the apple mint Shisha, not the solitude, not even the peace and quiet away from the busy streets of Istanbul. The most beautiful part was that the Shisha master of this lounge could not speak a word of English, he could, however, sing every word these songs perfectly. If you did not know he was a Turkish man from the south you would have sworn he was our Jimmy.

Anyway, enough Australian pride. Istanbul is a really incredible city. It is pleasant chaos, this really is the only way I can describe it. One could very easily get lost in the culture, food, markets and back streets. I found it hard to leave here, there is just something about the place that draws and locks you in. I think it is the people more than anything. They are so humble. I mean there is shit everywhere (across Europe and Asia), 18 million people crammed into not very much space (25-30 in summer) and who really knows what the hell is going on on those roads, but everyone is happy. No one complais about how hard the day was or how cold it is. They laugh, sing and dance. This is what is beautiful about Istanbul (well Turkey really). I have never felt more safe or welcome in a city as I have there.

It also made for some great photography. Please. Xo





























Nick Found