Healing Holistix

I've booked a short visit to Istanbul for Easter, so here's hoping there is no ghastly political upheaval in said country before then!! They tried to make me buy their insurance, and I said...just one question...does it cover ghastly political upheavals? No, I was told. So I declined their invitation!

I loved Istanbul! The people were friendly , even if hardly anybody spoke English. I found the underground cisterns!

I hope you have an enjoyable and peaceful trip to Istanbul, Helen.

Perfect Easter timing,
and gorgeous photograph.

wishing with Paul,
xox

oh great, I love Istanbul. Aghia Sophia, Blue MOsque, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazzaar etc. I've been to those cisterns too, if you go look for the stone with an upside down medusa head. whereabouts are you staying?

It was here at the Grand Bazaar that as I followed Jill, a man touched my arm , showed me some jewellery he was holding. "For your girlfriend", he whispered. "That's my wife" I replied, "I know- this for your girlfriend!" he said. I laughed and so did he.

Should be staying at the Carlton Hotel, Lynn.

I just called Solos (the tour people I'm going with) to ask what would happen if BA decided to strike on the day. I was told that I would either be given a full refund or offered the same trip later in the year. I hope this is true, as I couldn't find an insurance company that would add a strike clause into their policy!

OK Lynn....currency exchange!

Is it better to get your liras/kukus (?) here or there? I've read that any currency pre-2009 is useless. There is a Turkish Bank in Lewisham - would it be a good idea to go there or....? Also, give me an idea of how much local currency I might need for 4 days, considering that most things are all-in, except perhaps one meal per day.

I read that £100 = 246.784 Turkish Lira Will I need a suitcase to carry all that around in??

and

(PS - bear in mind that I'll prolly buy a lotta junk, and I want to see some real whirling dervishes! )

I'm having to look into this too! We've always used our Nationwide flexaccount card to draw from ATM in Turkey as it was free, and that also gave the best exchange rate. But this year they've started charging (like most cards do) a fixed fee per transaction plus a % for the exchange.

You usually get the best exchange rate in Turkey. But make sure it's commission free, (and watch out for touristy exchange booths trying to rip you off!) Apparently the PTT (Turkish post office) has a good rate at the moment, don't know about the banks.

As you're only going for 4 days, you won't be losing much on the exchange rate by changing it here. Plus no hassle of finding best place to exchange it over there, queuing in the banks, finding someone who speaks English etc. Just shop around for best rate (which of course changes daily). You can compare travel money exchange rates online (eg Post Office, Thomas Cook, whatever travel agents you have in your high street, etc) sometimes you get a better deal if you order your currency online. Yeah I'd check with the Turkish bank in Lewisham, sounds a good idea.

Some places in Turkey will accept sterling, and you'd be able to exchange some at bank or PTT if you didn't take enough lira. Also credit cards / visa debit cards are accepted many places, but of course you pay whatever fee your bank charges you & sometimes a commissison fee over there.

Carrying round 250YTL takes the same space in your purse as carrying round £250 The denominations are similar to ours: lira notes of 5,10,20,50,100, 1 lira coin, and the kurus small coins 1,5,10,25,50.

Sorry, I have no idea how much lira you'll need! cos I've no idea what you want to buy or where/what you'll be eating! Do you need to pay entrance fees eg for Topkapi Palace or wherever? I think seeing whirling dervishes can be expensive - but wonderful!!

It's a long time since I've been to Istanbul so not sure of their prices, it will be more expensive than where we go. Generally eating out is cheaper than here (you can have a good meal for less than £10 where we go), alcohol is expensive. Cup of coffee around £1.50, turkish tea is very cheap.
Take maybe 25% less lira than you would for a UK 4-day break and take some sterling as back-up?

You'll need a £10 note for visa on entry. (they won't accept 2x£5)

PS re
Before they changed to NEW Turkish lira, eg in 2004 the exchange rate was 2,500,000 = £1. When we exchanged £200 we had 500 million lira!!!

sorry I've waffled on, hope it helps!

Thanks for all that, Lynn - invaluable! I'll pass by the Turkish Bank on Monday & see what's what.

All I have to find now is a small trolley-case - mine has been full of crystals for 2 years since I moved from Cov! Which tells you how long it is since I've been on a trip!!

I'm getting quite excited now - just hope BA doesn't dash my hopes....but it doesn't look likely.

Oh dear - just looked at the weather forecast for Istanbul...and it's just the same as here!! Possibly even cooler.
Never mind, I'm not going for the beach!

tip from Turkish forum. If you're taking sterling to exchange over there in PTT or bank, take crisp clean notes, they reject even slightly tatty ones.

Well...so do I! Great minds think alike!!

Because of the departure time in the wee small hours, I'm having to take a cab there as public transport is non-existent. Cheapest quote I can get from my place - £45. It doesn't half add a dollop onto the holiday costs.
Coming home is a more reasonable time, so I should be able to use tube & train.

Just hoping you have a wonderful trip.
xox

Give my regards to the kid fishing off the bridge! We had a 15 minute conversation even though neither knew what the other was on about! Lots of smiles though- the international language of fishermen!