Istanbul, Turkey

3 nights, 4 days.
I feel as though I got a true turkish experience staying with a turkish girl I had met through couchsurfing. Even after she learned I was American she was very welcoming. She spoke very quickly but our communication was not perfect. After the first day she still had thought I was Spanish.
I did the typical site seeing. I had some tea near the sea front at night. I went to a turkish bath. I didn't do all the things my host wanted me to, but at the end of the day I didn't care. It was too much to do.
One of the days I walked by the sea and took a nap on the bench. When I woke up I there was a group of people gathering not far away from me. I walked over there to find a body face down in the water. Everyone watched as the waves moved it back and forth. I'm assuming they thought the guy was dead already because no one went in or tried to bring the body to shore... just stared. That was morbid fasination at the extreme. I finally walked away after getting the chills from it all.
On a brighter note, the Turks have a good sense of humor and try to be very helpful with directions... in fact many times I was told to go in the wrong direction when people said they were sure. I was told they don't want to look stupid so they will just take a guess to help you. The traffic also does not stop for pedestians. I can see where this country has some things to work on before they become part of the EU.. if ever. In one respect the city is modern and trendy.. and in the other.. it's 3rd world.
Apparently the current government is trying to take rights away from women. Although Turkey is a muslin country, it is not an Arab country. The country says it allows other religions to practice there and it permits the use of alcohol. I feel like it has this internal struggle caught between two worlds. One of the things it needs to change to get considered be apart of the EU is the use of intestines as casing for sausages. Even though they wash it first before eating, the EU believes this is bad practice and could get people sick.
Overall Istanbul was interesting to say the least. One thing I didn't experience was the nightlife.. may have to go back, but not anytime soon.