Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Like great cities in emerging economies around the world, Istanbul bustles with hope
for a bright future.
bent under the towering loads they had carried all of their human-beast-of-
burden lives.
And yet, this ancient city is striding into the future. During my visit,
everyone was buzzing about the upcoming completion of the new tunnel under
the Bosphorus, which would give a million commuters in the Asian suburbs
of Istanbul an easy train link to their places of work in Europe. h is tunnel is
emblematic of modern Turkey's commitment to connecting East and West,
just as Istanbul bridges Asia and Europe. I also see it as a concrete example
of how parts of the developing world are emerging as economic dynamos.
Stepping out of my shoes, I entered the vast and turquoise (and therefore
not-quite-rightly-named) Blue Mosque. Hoping for another déjà vu, I didn't
get it. Something was missing. Yes…gone was the smell of countless sweaty
socks, knees, palms, and foreheads soaked into the ancient carpet upon which
worshippers did their quite physical prayer work-outs. Sure enough, the Blue
Mosque had a fresh new carpet—with a subtle design that keeps worshippers
organized the same way that lined paper tames printed letters.
h e prayer service let out, and a sea of Turks surged for the door. Being
caught up in a crush of locals—where the only way to get any personal space
is to look up—is a connecting-with-humanity ritual for me. I seek out these
opportunities. It's the closest I'll ever come to experiencing the exhilaration
