FASTFAX TURKEY
Suleyman Mosque at Night
courtesy http://sasik.sasprg.cz/~stoupa/
Weather & Climate
Turkey is a huge country
with many meteorological variations. Istanbul is nice in spring and
fall (cold in winter, hot though dry in summer). The Southeastern region
tends to be very hot, closer to Syria and Iraq. The coasts (Mediterranean
and Aegean) are quite pleasant from spring through fall, though are
a little chilly during winter.
Religion
Most (as in 99.9%) of Turkey is Sunni Muslim, there are very small minorities
of Shiites and Jews. While a very religious country overall, Turkey
is culturally different Islamically from much of the Middle East due
to efforts by the founder of the Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
to secularize the public.
Language
Turkish, and in the East, Kurdish. Turkey is fairly easy to navigate
if you are a Westerner, most people have a little English or European language
knowledge, and since Turkish is written in Latin script, you can most
of the time figure things out.
Clothing
Dress modestly, unless going out to a nightclub or on the beaches. Men and Women shouldn't
wear shorts or tank tops around, especially when visiting the mosques.
Do dress even more modestly in the rural areas, as there are still untraveled
parts of the country where Westerners aren't tramping around.
Visa
Many European countries just require a valid passport. United States
and UK visitors must buy a visa ticket upon arrival, which varies from
US$20-40. It also may change depending on which country you are coming
from. For US visitors check the current updates at the Turkish consulate
website (click "consular services"): http://www.turkishembassy.org/.
For other countries check with your major city's Turkish consulate/embassy.
Driving
International Driving Permit is not required, but can be welcome. Application
and info for US drivers on AAA's website here: http://www.csaa.com/. To rent a car you'll need your home country's license, your passport,
and a hefty deposit on the car.
Driving is very dangerous in Turkey
as there are numerous accidents and varying degrees of road disrepair.
Passing cars with oncoming traffic barreling toward you is normal as
you will see in your first taxi ride in the country. It is highly discouraged
to drive in Turkey if you are not familiar with conditions there.
Drugs and Alcohol
Alcohol is available in most parts of the country. Turkey has its own
beer brands which are quite good (mainly pilsener) and its national
drink of raki, which is an aniseed based liquor.
Drug buyers face stiff
penalties but drugs are fairly prevalent in the country. Drugs are illegal in Turkey and the penalty for using, buying,
and especially selling is a very long prison sentence.
Money
In 2005 Turkey introduced a new currency to try and balance the out of control Turkish Lira. It is now called the Turkey New Lira (TRY) - in Turkish Yeni Turk Lirasi (YTL). One dollar is about 1.3 Lira.
The New Lira is broken into 100 New Kuruş and has notes worth 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 YTL, and 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 Kuruş and 1 YTL coins.
Most major cities have good access to money exchanges,
ATMs, and accept traveler's checks. Visa and Mastercard are pretty universal
in the country.
Vaccinations Needed:
None.
Annoyances
Turkey can be crowded and unfamiliar, especially in the busy cities, so sticking with
a group is always best. There have been numerous reports of women traveling
alone who are constantly harassed. Turkish vendors and sellers will
be especially pushy in the marketplace and they often speak a smattering
of every language on the planet. Be wary of strangers who befriend you
and especially those who offer to take you someplace. Pickpocketing
is somewhat of a problem but on the whole Turkey is one of the safest
countries to travel in as long as you are aware of your surroundings.
Gay & Lesbian Travel
While officially against the law in the country Turkey does have a
sizable gay and lesbian community, especially in Istanbul, which
is actually becoming a hub for the area. Exercise discretion overall,
especially when in rural areas. Check Google's directory listing for
Gay/Lesbian websites relating to Turkey: http://directory.google.com/.
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