Because if you ever find yourself at Miniaturk, the most ridiculous theme park ever, you might pay 10 YTL to enter, instead of BEŞ (5 YTL ) or ÜÇ (3 YTL, if you're a student) or IKI (2 YTL if you're on a school tour).
When I woke up this morning, I had no idea I would spend a cold, sunny Sunday afternoon next to the Halic, strolling among miniature replicas of Turkey's major tourist attractions. But that is how I roll.
Having seen this lifelike model of Nemrut Dağ, I don't feel like I need to travel to eastern Turkey to see it in person now. It's that good!
There were also replicas of things that are not, strictly speaking, "tourist" attractions such as a mall, an Opet gas station, Ataturk airport, the Olympic stadium nor things that are, strictly speaking, Turkish, (the al-Aksa mosque and the bridge at Mostar). Seriously, can you see too many Opet stations?
But I kid. Miniaturk would have been totally worth it, even at 10 YTL, if only for the replica of Ataturk airport.
Oh, that annoys the hell out of me, they do that all over Antalya - one price for the locals, one price for the tourists, and spell the numbers out so the tourists won't know the difference. Argh!
Posted by: Melissa Maples | January 21, 2008 at 09:12 AM
I never see that here in Istanbul. It's so third world, I thought the Turks had gotten past it by now. I guess not.
On the other hand, if you're a foreigner, or over age 10, and you go to Miniaturk, you deserve to pay extra.
Posted by: carpetblogger | January 21, 2008 at 10:49 AM
When I was in Turkey, I remember Antalya being expensive, but I was a tourist, I remember at an airport in Turkey paying one Euro for a coke at Burger King and getting 4 Million Lira (sp) back in change.
Is it still like that?
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Posted by: tjp | January 26, 2008 at 02:28 AM
Sounds to me like you got more back in change than you paid out for the Coke
Posted by: James | January 30, 2008 at 11:27 AM
Dear Carpetblogger,
Mt. Nemrut is actually worth a visit, so don't write this option off too soon. It may well be combined with the ichtyolatry of Urfa.
Yours,
Vilhelm
Posted by: Vilhelm Konnander | January 31, 2008 at 06:20 PM
Actually I have seen the same thing at the entry to the underground cistern in Sultanahment. Foreigners are charged something like 10 YTL right next to a sign that says, if memory serves, something like "ucmillionturklirasi." I once asked to pay the 3 YTL but was turned down. Then I whipped out my press card and they had to let me in free! (I really WAS working.) They would have been better off taking my 3 YTL.
Posted by: Susanne | February 01, 2008 at 12:03 PM
LOL those little sneaks! Spelling it out for the Turks rather then actually giving the prices in figures. Very sneaky...
Posted by: Onur | February 09, 2008 at 08:42 PM