After exiting the cistern, we had about 4 hours until our
next scheduled event, the Whirling Dervish show. After that we planned to visit
a Hamam for a Turkish bath. Both were within walking distance of each other,
and both relatively close to where we were. Although a nap sounded like the
most enticing thing to do, we decided it would be in our best interest to
locate both facilities so we wouldn’t be pressured later should we have
difficulty finding them. We made the right decision.
I had brochures and addresses for both places, and even had
the desk clerk at our hotel mark the locations on our map. I was prepared.
After we arrived at the landmark nearest our first destination, we realized I
had accidentally left the brochures back at the hotel. As we walked along the
city streets, almost every shop keeper spoke to us in English, and all
restaurants seemed to have English speakers as well. So finding someone to help
us locate the show should have been no problem at all.
We entered the Information Center which was just across the
street. Unfortunately, no one spoke English in there and there were no
brochures for tourist attractions. I'm not sure just what kind of information
they gave out, but it obviously was not the kind we needed. We then entered the
adjoining train station following signs depicting a Whirling Dervish show. It
was not the show we planned to see and again, no English speakers. The man in
charge of the show kept trying to sell us his tickets. We left the terminal with
no success. What we did find there was a public restroom which we were all
needing by that time. No success there either, There was a price of 1 Lyra per
person and we did not have the exact change and they did not make change.
Bryan wanted to purchase a couple of post cards, and intended
to get the change we needed for the toilets. We did, but with the post cards in
hand we now had a new problem, we now needed stamps to mail the postcards. Our
list of destinations was growing. We asked person after person for directions
to the post office yet all of a sudden no one knew a word of English. We kept
asking and had a few people point in various directions. We walked around and
around several blocks being pointed this way and that by people that really
didn't know what we were asking for. Time was ticking and we had walked a
couple of miles around in circles and could not find one English speaker. Any
other time we were bombarded by people who knew English. Of course the English
speakers were always selling something. But when we needed basic directions
there were no English speakers to be found.
We eventually did find what appeared to be the Post office,
but with so many people in line it looked more like the DMV at the first of the
month after people started realizing their Driver’s licenses had just expired. We
left still needing stamps.
While wandering around trying to find our way, we ran across
a pharmacy. Mark had forgotten to bring his comb, and we had been looking for
one for five days. The pharmacy seemed like a good place to find one. While in
there, I asked the pharmacist about the Whirling Dervish show. Again she didn't
know any English. I adopted the classic look of the dervishes, with arms in the
air, and started twirling around thinking she would at least recognize the
iconic movements. She did! She started nodding in agreement, so at least we
thought we could get our directions from her. Instead of guiding us to the
Dervish show, she pulled out some pills and tried selling me medication for
dizzy spells.
We walked a few more bocks still failing to find our show
location. We were getting tired and agitated. By that point we had been up and
down every street for blocks, multiple times. We were getting increasingly
frustrated. Finally I had the bright idea to go into the first hotel I could
find and get directions. We were close to our starting point for the days
search, and I finally spotted a hotel. Certainly a hotel would have English
speakers. Success! The hotel had brochures! At least now we had something to
show people what we were looking for.
Thrilled with finding the brochure, we turned the corner and
immediately ran into an English speaker asking if we wanted to eat in their
restaurant. Before I could even show him the brochure, another guy pointed at
the brochure in my hand and then pointed up at the show. We were already there.
It was right there in the area where we started, and had passed multiple times.
In the true spirit of the show, we had made circles around and around the
building over and over again. While we were licking our emotional wounds, we
realized we were actually standing at a restaurant where we had eaten the day
before. The Dervish show was clearly visible right across the narrow path from
where we had eaten. It had been like an Abbott and Costello skit. Our wounds
may have been getting worse, but at least we knew where to find a pharmacy.
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