Kusadasi

Wednesday 9^th October

Having been here many times before, Kusadasi is generally a good place to catch up on the internet over a coffee (or the price of one in the tips box) at Starbucks. Unfortunately the connection kept dropping out and a few of us moved to the next-door cafe. What I later found out was that if you spoke to the staff at Starbucks, they could fix the problem by giving you a different access code.

After lunch on the ship I went out again to wander around Kusadasi. My aim was to take photos, not to buy anything. However, of course I had to wander the bazaar, looking for the wonderful jewellery shop where I bought things on my first cruise. Turkish shopkeepers do not understand just looking. They say you are welcome to look with no hassle, but then you are treated as their best friend and they show you everything. I think it is a game for them, and I treated it accordingly, with lots of smiles and laughs. At one point I offered to sell the Sydney Harbour Bridge to one shopkeeper. ‘Lovely lady, with your lovely smile and shining eyes, you need to buy X. We close for Winter in 6 weeks so the prices are very good now and I will give you a good discount for the sparkle in your eyes.’

I succumbed. I have managed not to on my last two visits, but this time I found things I wanted. Did I get a bargain? Who knows! I bought some very comfortable sandals (‘See, the stitching on your old ones is coming undone and they will fall apart soon’) with a starting price of €65 but I got them for €35. No euros left in my purse after that, only dollars. Next was a handbag with the whispered price ‘I sold one to an American last week for $135. They are so arrogant, the Americans, that she did not get a discount.’ (I wonder what he says about the Brits when he’s selling a bag to the Americans.) For me, after a lot of bargaining and mention of the prices I had found in Venice, the price came down to $25. And then there was the ring! I tried on about 10 just for fun and found one that was the perfect shape for my finger: ruby surrounded by (supposedly) white sapphires. It was over €600 but for me he would immediately take off 65%. Seeing I was not interested in spending that level of money, and pointed out that although the quality of his merchandise was worth the cost I was really looking for a cheap costume ring at under €50, the price kept going down and down until at €100 I could not resist. I no longer had cash on me but did not want to use my credit card, so decided to go back to the ship and get it. I asked if he could meet me at the port (as I thought I would never find his shop again) and I would hand over the cash and he would give me the ring. He put his hand on his heart and said ‘Lovely lady, I am offended that you would think I do not trust you. You will keep wearing the ring and you will return to me with the cash.’ It worked for me! It took me half an hour to get back as my door key refused to work and I had to get a new one, but he was calmly waiting, playing games on his phone.

Afterwards, I wandered Kusadasi, taking photos. The brightly-coloured steps were a symbol of the recent resistance and uprisings in Taksim Square in Istanbul.