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Aside from the OP's understandable shock at being in a fatal traffic accident, many people in the thread seem to be complaining that traveling to a different country brings different experiences than they get at home.
That is exactly the point of traveling. If you do not like things to be different from your home, don't travel. If you do travel, you will encounter different languages, foods, customs, temperatures, traffic patterns, etc.
I will agree that some drivers in Istanbul are astonishingly bad. I was in a shuttle bus to the airport where the driver decided to back up against traffic for about 3 blocks on a one way street. Took us about 45 minutes, strangled traffic everywhere, and he ultimately gave up only after backing into the canopy in front of a shop and decided to drive away in the direction of traffic.
When I got to the airport, he got into a fistfight with a person using the crosswalk in front of him. I jumped out of the van, grabbed my luggage, and did not look back.
We told a taxi driver in MedellÃn he went the wrong exit, dude proceeded to back up all the way back to the main highway with cars flying past us honking. It was one of those times where it was funny 5 minutes later, but at the time we thought we were dead. Dude kept laughing "ves? ves? ves como hago la vaina?" (see how I handle it?) he was so proud of how he efficiently resolved the situation.
Scams come in many varieties. There are official scams and private scams. Built-in scams ans personal scams. There are strong-arm scams and subtle scame. There are programmed scams and opportunistic scams. Different cultures will scam with different twists.
Istanbul bus station had a coin-op bathroom turnstile, one lira, which was 40c in those days. How could that not be a scam?
Travel agent at IST airport booked me a bus ticket to Galati and a private driver to the bust station. which I'd never have found in an alley by myself. Charged me 100 bucks, I was just off an overnight flight and didn't care, and he knew it.
Cafe near the bus park served mediocre Mediterranean food, not too badly overpriced. But I'm not itching to go back. I kmew Turkey in the 60s, no need to revalidate it.
Istanbul bus station had a coin-op bathroom turnstile, one lira, which was 40c in those days. How could that not be a scam?
Travel agent at IST airport booked me a bus ticket to Galati and a private driver to the bust station. which I'd never have found in an alley by myself. Charged me 100 bucks, I was just off an overnight flight and didn't care, and he knew it.
Cafe near the bus park served mediocre Mediterranean food, not too badly overpriced. But I'm not itching to go back. I kmew Turkey in the 60s, no need to revalidate it.
1. I must be missing something. It is a scam because they are charging you for a service in use of their facilities?
2. Yes, that sounds like a scam taking advantage of naive traveler willing to overpay because they don't care.
3. Food is quality subjective but food at transportation hubs is usually not the best, your opinion it was mediocre doesn't make it a scam.
So the sweeping statements you make about Turkey come from your visit 50-60 years ago. Same ole cebuan.
That would suck anywhere. Sorry you experienced that.
IMO very few parts of the world are truly welcoming. My favs are in Latin America. It's hard not to feel welcome down there.
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