Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 03:40:53 +0300 From: "Mehmet OZUTATLI" <memozt@hotmail.com> Subject: T&T: Re: RE: The World We Live In >Absolutely true. We don't have any negative feelings or dislike for American people, although we hate your president and government. We love American people. Pleae don't hesitate to come to Turkey. Don't know about the political ramifications of visiting Turkey, or whether or not people on the list have any issues with the statement quoted above. But a few years ago I and my film crew spent several days in Istanbul working with one of the airlines there. We had a couple of days of filming the local sights and scenes, and I can tell you from that experience that if you are cruising in that part of the world and can work an Istanbul stop into your itinerary, it's well worth doing. It's an amazing city, with a fascinating mixture of western and eastern cultures. We were taken on a boat trip down (or up?) the Bosporus, and that alone was worth the price of the air fare. I won't take the time to go into all the neat things we saw, but the three that stand out from our trip were the boat ride on the Bosporus, the Spice Market, and a visit to one of the city's carpet manufacturers where we got to see how the fabrics are woven. For the first time in my life, I found out how silk is made, or rather "gathered" from the cocoons. Our trip was prior to 9/11 and Afghanistan and Iraq and all that, so I don't know how, or if, feelings toward the US have changed. But in our experience, Istanbul was like every other place we've visited on the planet. You are treated the way you deserve to be treated based on how people perceive you as a person. If you act like a jerk, you'll be treated like one whether it's in Istanbul, Paris, Kuala Lumpur, Oslo, Dubai, London, or Floyd, Virginia. So regardless of what flag you want to fly from your boat, visit Istanbul if you have a chance. ______________________________ C. Marin Faure GB36-403 "La Perouse" Bellingham, Washington