East meets West. Tyler meets traffic.

When sitting in Istanbul's chronic and reckless traffic, the city has about as much charm as one of those bobbing clouds of swarming small, black flies that loiter in open fields; the ones that you inevitably pass through at least once a summer as you mow the lawn, walk the dog, or, in what is often my case, when you’re with a group of friends or co-workers you’re trying to make a good impression on. You spit, wheeze, gasp, and maybe stumble as the little buggers set up time shares in your ears, nose, mouth, and eyelids. Upon first arrival, Istanbul is like that.

With 20 million residents, Istanbul is Europe’s third-largest urban area, behind Paris and Moscow. The apartment that I have kindly be invited to stay in during my visit to the city is in Kavacik (say: kav-ah-jik), on the Asian side of the city and about five miles from Sultanahmet, Istanbul’s famous sightseeing area. The main drag through town is full of mini-marts, bakeries, fish stands, kebab stalls, and Turkcell cell phone outlets.

Learning the area has been an interesting challenge. The language barrier is a bit haırıer than I was expecting; I've meet few residents who speak any English. I am learning Turkish as best I can and making glacially slow progress. In the past day, my Turkish vocabulary grew to a whopping four words/phrases: “Merhaba,” (hello), “Lütfen,” (please), “Baklava,” (a delightfully syrupy Turkish pastry that I welcome at all hours of the day), and “Kayboldum,” (I’m lost). To say “thank you” is “Tesekkürler,” (say: te-shek-kewr-lehr) though something about the double “K” ties my tongue in a knot of spit and instant shame. Instead, I mumble “Tushekl….rr” or, in my fluster, assume a German identity and throw out “Dankeshane.” Since walking to Sultanahment is not an option, and a one-way taxi ride costs 30-40 Lira (approximately $20), I was left with no other option than to learn Istanbul’s impressively thorough and heavily-used public bus system. I understood the ferry route to cross the Straight but up until yesterday I been having trouble learning which busses to ride. To get to and from Üsküdar, I’d need a bus number.

The Uskudar bus depot -- the stop across the Bosphorus from Sultanahmet - is not so much a terminal as it is an open area of pavement and hassle, thick with the threat of being juiced like a fresh fruit between a parked vehicle and a bus rounding a corner with all the nimbleness of an elephant (I am nearly sure some of the inexplicable random puddles in the streets are the remnants of unfortunate souls who’ve been reduced to an oily pulp, having been flossed between bus passings). The six lanes of traffic, flood of taxis more dense than a spring salmon run, shouting fast food vendors, and scores of covered bus pick-up points were all more than I could digest on my first arrival in Uskudar. I must’ve asked 10 people but with no resolve. I raised a white flag and hired a taxi.

Of course, seemingly large challenges are always appear worse when we’re willing to be overwhelmed by them. Well, not I! Yesterday, I pulled out my Blue Bible (the Lonely Planet guide to Turkey), looked up “I’m lost” in the glossary, and marched into a local magazine shop with map in hand. I left a minute later with the bus number and appropriate fare info (1.50TL). Gee. That was an anticlimactıc solution.

During the past four days, I’ve enjoyed seeing up close the Hagia Sophia (or “Aya Sofya” or “Church of Holy Wisdom“), the Blue Mosque, and the Grand Bazaar, three of Istanbul’s top tourist draws. I explored the first two with my mouth agape, awed with each of their histories, (mostly) well-preserved details, and with the sheer pleasure of being at the converging point of the Eastern and Western worlds. I am so happy to have a quiet, safe, place of my own to return to. Perhaps coming home to watch Jay Leno zip line through rings of fire kills the athenticity of my time in one the Western world's most historically important cities, but I enjoy ending a day of satisfying sightseeing with mediocre American cable. Thank you, Jay.

I still have a lot of Istanbul to see but I think exploring the city in bite-sized chunks and at my own pace will make my visit much more enjoyable.

Until next time, Teshekk…lrr!