It is party time!!

Getting ready to go rave!!

So. Let's talk about partying. Istanbul is an old city of young people. A lot of people are younger than 30 years old. And there's only one thing in everyone's mind, especially students, PARTYING. 

The view of Bosporus Bridge
 by the moonlight from my university

I was surprised that during the orientation there was an entire session for party. Don't get me wrong but a student organization called ESN presented about all the trips, parties, AND trips with parties.

But it comes at a cost. Istambul is "very very" cosmopolitan . And the part of the city I live in, European edge if Bosporus, it's all for young students like me. People party every day of the week. Sunday through Saturday there's always an excuse to party and you could find someone to party with. Public transportation runs from 5AM till midnight and the taksi covers the gap. They have very good coverage. Taksim is the nightlife part of the city. There are clubs, bars, restaurants of all sorts. Heterosexual, homosexual, Arabic, European, Asian, African, Rock, Reggae, you name it every thing is here. Everyone can a place of their choice easily. 

In a party with new exchange students during welcome week

But, buying alcohol is very expensive. Turkey, being a secular country still hold a majority Muslim population. The government has been slowly making alcohol policy stricter. And there is a very high tariff on alcoholic beverage. But you know you can always party without having to drink any alcohol. It is not advisable anyway. I have been out few times and they have been different experience every time.

Drinking age here is 18 but unlike America it is not very well monitored here. Also, there is no set closing time. Even though we are exchange students from America, we are considered Erasmus students (Erasmus is a European student exchange system). There are various groups that will organize various events for exchange students some of which are free and some require you to pay to be a part of.

Therefore, Istanbul welcomes you well. There is plenty to do during sunlight hours. And there is much more to do between the sunset and the sunrise

Blue Mosque by night!

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Unknown 10:00 AM  1 comment

Istanbul reminded me of Kathmandu

So, I have been living in here in Istanbul for few days now and I love this country. And surprisingly, I found much similarity between Istanbul and Kathmandu, the city where I spend my teens.

• There are mosques everywhere, very similar to temples in Kathmandu. The traffic here is crazy as well.The first day I got here, our 30 minute drive turned out to be two hours. 

• There are open restaurants by the roadside where you could see "Doner" here like you see steaming momos on the streets of Kathmandu. 

• Tea (Chay) is very common here as well. The tea is a little different compared to Nepalese tea but are widely available and is the easiest thing you could get.

"Doner"

• Lots of street vendors. Bargaining for price on the street works very well. 
• There are quite a number of beggars as well.

Some key things that to know.

• Istanbul is NOT the capital of Turkey. The capital of Turkey is Ankara which is on Anatolian Peninsula (Asian Side). The capital was moved by the Founder of Turkish Republic, Ataturk, in 1923

• It is the largest city in Europe with 14 million + population. A majority of population is of age group 20-30 year making it a city of young people.

• It is the only city that is in two continents, Europe and Asia, separated by a narrow body of water called Bosporus Strait.

• It is one of the most important cities in the history of mankind. It was the capital of Roman, Byzantine, Latin and the Ottoman empires with almost 2000 year of history. 

• Visa is required for Nepalese Citizen to visit Turkey. American Citizen can get visa on arrival. There is direct connection to Istanbul from major American, European, African, Middle Eastern and Asian cities. Turkish Airlines have a direct flight from Kathmandu four times a week.

Turkish Chay

Istanbul map

(Please check other resources for date and other facts. I learned the above mentioned facts through conversation here) 

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Unknown 9:00 AM  No comment