April 19
OMG going through the underground cistern was so cool. We went to the basilica cistern which is one of the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city. This was build in the 6th century by the byzantine emperor justinian and capable of holding 2.8 million cubic ft of water. The ceiling is supported by 336 marble columns. It's no longer in use but there are still a few feet of water along with some crazy big fish swimming around. I took so many pictures but it was really difficult to capture the eerie feeling of the place. Hollow sounds of waterdrips follow you as you stroll around. THere are some parts of the cistern without the red lamps and it's pitch black. Gary mentioned it would be easy to bury a body there. He's very good at setting the scene for me :-)
At the end of the day our guide took us to a "turkish rug demo". It's part of the scam where the guide would get a commission if any of us bought a rug (just like the Spice Market). They are really nice though. And it's fascinating to see the work and labor of making a rug. Ofcourse the vendor told us that it could take months or year to make a high quality rug. Meanwhile I'm wondering if there's a factory in the back with automatic rug machines cranking one out every hour. After the demo the vendor and his team proceeded to roll out dozens of rugs to show us different style and colors. Interesting enough these rugs get better in time, and has higher value. THe big rugs go as high as $7,000 dollars! I was dying to leave and L looked bored the whole time. THen suddenly she bought a rug! All of us did a double take since we must have fallen asleep from the drugged apple teas they gave us. Yep, L spent a crapload of mula on her rug! Turned out she was in the process of redecorating and needed a rug. The nice thing about this is that the government helps the businesses, since this is a big part of their economy, so that the shipping is free for the buyer. There was a whole signing ceremony where L signed her name and date on the back to ensure that she gets the same rug that she bought. I must admit she was a little shell shocked at what she did. For the rest of the trip our group tried to get on her good side so she would will us her rug! So far Di has done the best job of sucking up to her new "adopted aunt"! The picture doesn't do it justice but it's a very pretty rug and changes shades of color depending on the angle. I cant wait to see her house with the rug. She kept flaunting her purchase to me whenever I was indecisive about buying something during the trip - "come on, if I can spend thousands you can spend $50 on a pair of earrings!" So true and it sure was good justification for me to shop!
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