Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Safe Travel
Turkey is not a safety-conscious country: holes in pavements go unmended; precipitous
drops go unguarded; safety belts are not always worn; lifeguards on beaches are rare;
dolmuş drivers negotiate bends while counting out change.
The two areas to be most cautious are İstanbul, where various scams operate, and south-
eastern Anatolia, where the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) carries out terrorist activities.
The Kurdish issue occasionally also leads to violence in western Turkey; in 2010 a sui-
cide bomber injured 32 people on Taksim Sq, İstanbul.
Sexual assaults have occurred against travellers of both sexes in hotels in central and
eastern Anatolia. Make enquiries, check forums and do a little research in advance, espe-
cially if you are travelling alone.
FLIES & MOSQUITOES
In high summer, mosquitoes are troublesome even in İstanbul; they can make a stay along
the coast a nightmare. Some hotel rooms come equipped with nets and/or plug-in bug-
busters, but it's a good idea to bring some insect repellent and mosquito coils.
LESE-MAJESTY
The laws against insulting, defaming or making light of Atatürk, the Turkish flag, the Turk-
ish people, the Turkish Republic and so on are taken very seriously. Turks have been
known to claim derogatory remarks were made in the heat of a quarrel, which is enough to
get the foreigner arrested.
SCAMS & DRUGGINGS
In a notorious İstanbul scam, normally targeted at single men, a pleasant local guy be-
friends you in the street and takes you to a bar. After a few drinks, and possibly the atten-
tion of some ladies, to whom you offer drinks, the bill arrives. The prices are astronomical
and the proprietors can produce a menu showing the same prices. If you don't have enough
cash, you'll be frogmarched to the nearest ATM. If this happens to you, report it to the tour-
ist police; some travellers have taken the police back to the bar and received a refund.
A less common variation on this trick involves the traveller having their drink spiked.
Single men should not accept invitations from unknown folk in large cities without sizing
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