My delay due to waiting the weekend for Monday to acquire my Kindle from customs gave me the time to hang with Servet and her friends giving me a much better look into what life is like for Turks. On the outside life is very similar to the US, at least in Istanbul. Istanbul is a very modern city and of all the major European cities I’ve seen, which is a bunch, it’s prettier and more picturesque than most. This place could grow on me quickly. The city is divided into two sides by the Bosphorous River which runs from the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea.. The Asian side named as it is on the Asian Continent and the European side on the European continent, is the only place in the world with a ferry ride one crosses between two continents. This distribution of the city creates hundreds of miles of coast line dotted with beautiful parks, waterside cafes, ferry docks, homes, and more. My time has been spent exploring the Asian side with Servet, seeing where she grew up, visiting and having dinner with her friends, looking out over the blue waters wishing I were on one of the many sailboats cruising the coastline. The lifestyle and place I could adopt quite quickly. Of note we made a stop at a country club where one of her friends is members, and I felt like I was at a hi end club in Miami Beach, not what I would have anticipated.
Ah Monday arrived and now I can go get my much anticipate Kindle. While Turkey on the outside appears very modern it quickly becomes apparent why in some ways it’s still a third world country. One of Servet’s friends is an executive in the import business and called ahead pulling some strings to expedite the process. Our first mission is finding the UPS office at the airport cargo terminal. There is a good public transport system in Istanbul however, for a traveler, it’s a bit cumbersome to figure out and most of it is not tourist friendly. My morning journey to the airport starts with a taxi ride, 15 minutes of walking through a pedestrian market to the ferry docks, catching a ferry to the European side, a street trolley ride, subway to the main terminal, and then a half hour of asking numerous people for directions to an unsigned cargo terminal on the outskirts of the airport. Whew, UPS is found 2 hours into the excursion. They give us some paperwork and send us to the unmarked customs building next door for clearance. Through numerous inquiries we find ourselves hiking 4 flights of stairs in an non-air-conditioned building with 100 degree heat outside and successfully locate a guy setup by Servet’s friend to expedite the process amongst people running back and forth in no apparent order seeming to know what they are doing. After a lengthy interrogation of what we are importing with disbelief there is such a thing as an electronic book reader, we get drug down the stairs out around the corner of the building where there is a vine covered tin structure for shade filled with men in suits and briefcases standing next to makeshift counters filling out paperwork in the boiling heat. Paperwork complete we are told to provide a passport photocopy and are directed to a small room through a side entrance to the building where for a few cents the xerox machine is available with people clamoring all over to use it first. Now back around the building hike the 4 floors of stairs and oh, you need three copies of this document too. So back down the stairs around the building past the outdoor paperwork stand in the side door and wait in line to get copies then back around and up again. Ok, looks like we have the paperwork. Now we’re lead up another couple flights of stairs to the import czar. This guy is the king if he says no, we ain’t getting it. Another long line of questioning and disbelief that such an item even exist. For a moment I didn’t think he was going to approve it as he went on about how there is only a set list of items that are allowed in and this wasn’t on the list. Finally, he agrees, signs the papers, but oh there is customs fees. Down several flights to find the cashier where I pay a hundred bucks to get a stamp so UPS will release the package. Whew, what a ridiculous rigamarole. As we are going to leave, the guy helping expedite the process extorts us for helping out. 20 bucks please. Geesh!!Ok now we have the paperwork and catch a taxi across town to the UPS warehouse where the package is actually being held.
We arrive at the UPS warehouse worn out and amused how difficult this has been. UPS however wasn’t any better. Conversations with a few different folks lead to being sent to one office then the next all reviewing the paperwork and questioning what is in the package. Finally we’re led to a warehouse where someone brings the package, I’m thinking yeah, it’s here. Now into another room where they ask more questions and open and inspect the contents in front of us. You’d think we where smuggling drugs. The guy who opens the Kindle doesn’t speak English and just stares at the Kindle clueless as it has English text and packing stickers all over it. They’re satisfied what we’re claiming is in the package. Now to another office for more questioning and approval to be sent to yet another office where someone enters the paperwork into a PC and sends us on to yet one more guy to enter more computer stuff and oh, by the way, you owe 50 bucks for UPS storing the package. What the F! Fine, pay the damn extortion and finally get my Kindle rescued. Yeah!!!!!
It’s 4:30 we’re exhausted and hungry as we haven’t eaten all day,. I’m down $170 and Servet and I are both dismayed yet laughing our asses off at the ridiculous hoops required to get a package. We later find out what took us the greater part of a day was lightning speed due to a high up executive pulling some strings. Normally it would have taken 2-4 days of the same BS. How incredibly wasteful and ridiculous. Another interesting fact, if my friend whom forwarded the package hadn’t been honest about what they where shipping and/or it’s value it would have slid right through and been delivered. Boy do I wish they had just said it was a couple books instead of a book reader.
I can’t thank Servet enough for spending the day haggling on my behalf. As a native Turkish speaker she was immensely helpful and I have no doubt I would have been extorted significantly more had she not been involved. Heck I’d still be trying to figure the whole process out.
I’ve had my hands on it for less than a day and I can tell I already like it. I hope it turns out as useful as I hope considering what it took to get it. I’ll report on it more later as I discover its best use.