Invigorated in Instabul

The cool temperatures here in Istanbul have re-invigorated us after our long spell in the oven zones of Turkey. We’ll be here until August 13th when Ali and I take off on separate adventures for a while. We are staying in the old quarters near the Blue Mosque (named for the blue tiles that adorn the inside of the mosque) and the Grand Bazaar. We are mostly walking around, enjoying the wonderful cuisine, and going to museums. Tomorrow we go to the European district, which is said to be very trendy, and we still have our boat trip on the Bosphorus and a jaunt to one of the islands in the Sea of Marmara to do.

News items from the paper: A group of former prostitutes have formed a new political party here for outcasts. They will run for parliamentary seats in the next election. Sounds like a party I might join if we had one in the states.

Turkey, I have learned, is fast becoming a mecca for “medical tourism.” Apparently their medical facilities and technology are top rate and Europeans come here in droves for everything from heart, eye, dental and cosmetic surgery to cancer treatments. The prices are significantly lower than in Europe and there are virtually no waiting lists. Also, European HMOs will often foot the bill. It looks like the middle income countries are tacking up the slack of our western health systems. I see a sequel to Sicko here.

Speaking of illness, Ali has come down with his second bout of “tourismo.” This case isn’t has severe as the one he got In Capadocia, but he’s pretty miserable. We think it was the beef. I, happily, haven’t had one problem of that nature. I hope I hold out for the last four days in Turkey.