Zambia World Wide

There were still a few places that we wanted to visit, which were the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market. No visit to Istanbul would be complete otherwise, apart from which if I tried to keep Jan away, I would probably not live to see the sunset that evening. The Grand Bazaar covered an enormous area and was a maze of narrow walkways. The noise combined with the hustle and bustle made for an unforgettable experience. There were a large number of silver and gold smiths who would make items to order, but they also had many items on the stalls for sale. There were also tailors who had all kinds of clothing and materials for sale. Many stalls sold antiquities and other items, some of value, others for the unwary tourists who were often caught out, as many of the items were fakes. Naturally all items had to be bartered for, which can be fun, but it is possible to end up paying much more than the true value of the goods.

The Spice Market was also very interesting, and although the noise level was much less than the Grand Bazaar and it was not as crowded, it was nice to be able to walk round with a reasonable amount of space and not feel pressurised. I don't think we have ever seen so many different spices in one place, there were so many that the smells were mixed and it was difficult to pick out individual spices. It was however fun trying.

The hotel where we were staying served Western Food, which was disappointing as we like to try local food wherever we go. There were a large number of small restaurants and cafe's in the city, these served traditional food. It was fun and by the time we left we had tried many of the local dishes. Most of the food we tried was spiced and some of the dishes were very oily. The first cafe we went in had a display cabinet full of trays, on the trays were a variety of fish, meat, vegetables and salads. Having placed our order, the waiter would put half a loaf of bread beside the plate before serving us. We looked at each other and wondered what was going on, it was not long before we found out. On this occasion we had ordered a mutton dish plus vegetables, all of which was served soaked in oil. We now knew why bread was given with the meals. Wherever we ate it was the same. Once we became accustomed to the oil or grease we found the food very tasty, and I don't think any of us had a meal that was not enjoyed.

All things have to come to an end, and once again it was time to move on. We have seen and done most of the things we wanted to, however it would have been nice if we could have stayed longer. Istanbul we had wanted to visit and now we done so we are not disappointed. All that's left to do is pack up ALL our luggage and depart for our flight to Zambia, if they will allow us on the plane.