Things ARE NOT Getting Better

I do not know about anyone else, but we are much worse off now than we were four years ago.. even two years ago. Groceries have risen about 60% over the last four years. Insurance rates increased. They took all the old cars and destroyed them instead of recycling which made car repair go up. Utilities have risen by 40%. Gasoline prices have seriously increased. Income taxes increased. Homeowner taxes increased. Cost of health care is outrageous even with insurance and companies paying up to 90% of the bill. After my surgery and Aidan's illness we still owe tens of thousands of dollars AFTER insurance. I am unable to hold a full time job due to my condition, yet I have to fight to get benefits and have been denied. Wages have not risen with the price of inflation, and yet they say not to worry because things are becoming stable? Seriously? We may have to sell our home - if we can due to the housing market - or lose it altogether. This is how we know the government is lying to us. They can afford fancy parties, $500 per plate dinners, and designer clothes while we scrounge to keep food on the table. In spite of this people still keep looking with blinders on going in the same direction like sheep. I'm not asking for a hand out. I miss the days when we could pay our bills and have a chance. All this because we have a middle class income? We aren't even doing as well as the lower class who get free money for being poor while we struggle to just survive.

The Mystic Hotel in Istanbul

When trying to plan our trip to Istanbul we knew we would need to find a place to stay. We used all the common search and seizure sites for the best price. One of the main things we found were that it was much pricier to book a room from inside Turkey then from the US. We solved this problem by giving credit card information to Brian, in the states, and having him book the room. We found a lovely hotel online called the Mystic Hotel. It was complete with internet service, breakfast, and the promise of "charming hotel with a mystic atmosphere." The pictures looked lovely. It was in the Sultanahment district which is the old town. The streets are narrow and built like a maze. Many of the homes are abandoned or falling down, more than likely from an earthquake from several years ago.

The first obstacle was finding the place. After 2.5 hours and six taxi cab drivers later (the taxi drivers were just used to ask directions as we had rented a car) we still had not found the motel. We called the motel to receive help with directions. They were as much help as the taxi cab drivers. Luckily we had Yelda, our lovely Turkish friend, to speak for us. It didn't help. It became an adventure and we seriously wondered if the hotel perhaps either 1. didn't exist or 2. seriously was mystic and changed locations on a regular basis.

We finally found the place and remarkably across the way was a cut out perfect for parking. Our first experience here was being yelled at by a man that insisted it was an "otopark" and we had to pay him money to park. There were no signs indicating such, but the nice man in the hotel said that we should pay him.

We have found that there are many places in Istanbul where they insist we pay for parking even though they do not look like parking spots. Such as yesterday parking on the sidewalk for 5 tyl while we went to visit a bazaar. Later we found another parking spot where Ilkon, Yelda's boyfriend, said they only charge tourists and they really do not have the right to charge for parking.

In the case of the hotel, however, we believe, in our own pollyanna way, the man is looking out for our car and making sure that the tires still stay on the car.

Inside the hotel we had to give him our passports, which I found odd, and then pay him for our room. Upstairs we were placed in the Zuluf room, which means sideburns in Turkish. There were four beds, two twins and a double, a wardrobe, one small lamp, a 12 inch television, two electrical outlets, and the theme is purple. I say it has a purple theme because according to the brochure each room has a theme.

When we went down for breakfast yesterday we had a table with cucumbers, hard boiled eggs, cheese (some of which had mold), Turkish yogurt, apples, olives, oranges, salami, and bread. You also had a choice of cay (tea) or something that reminded us of Tang.

While at breakfast I informed the owner that we had run out of toilet paper. He said that when they came to service the room they would give us more. That literally meant that we had to leave the hotel in order to get more toilet paper. This did not bode well with Aidan who had to use the facilities before we left. He then had his first experience with a bidet and a towel. (We also found that the soap canister did not pump, they do not provide any type of wash cloths, soap, shampoo, or lotions. We have resorted to pouring the soap out of the container.)

Aidan also has indicated that a bidet is not an adequate substitute for toilet paper. I hope to never find out.

Upon our return to the room at 11:30 in the evening we found that they also do not clean the room, make the beds, or provide new towels. They simply put in extra toilet paper.

This hotel is supposedly three stars. The brochure is photoshopped and the building does not look like indicated. It is very difficult to find and no one here actually knows where it is. The gentleman that owns it is very friendly and helpful, but his wife or the woman that runs it with him, does not seem overly thrilled to have us here. There are seriously steep hills going to and from the hotel. The building across the way is empty. The building next door has crumbled. There are trucks that go up and down the streets that have speakers yelling about different things they sell such as apples, oranges, or blankets.

I have to say that the hotel does not deserve 3 stars. It's more like a 1 star hotel in the States. You have to police your own room. On the plus side the man that owns the hotel is very nice, speaks English, and is extremely helpful. The extra blankets smell musty and haven't been washed for quiet a while. The shower is extremely hot and has great pressure, but the water kind of backs up the drain.

All in all it's a place to lay our heads at night. All is good.