(Istanbul, Turkey)

I took an overnight bus to Nevserif in Cappadocia, an area in Southern Turkey known for its moonscapes and Byzantine-era temples carved into rock walls. One heuristic I use in travelling that has always served me well is to distrust the first person who approaches you as you get off an overnight bus. In this case, it was two guys claiming to work for the bus company

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(Istanbul, Turkey)

They were petty tour operators (not cheats) and I spent some time in their office as they tried to sell me a tour. Since I was dragged there, I might as well figure out where are places I should be visiting. I explained that I do not normally do tours and eventually wrangled a free ride to the next town out of them. As I exited their office, I noticed a “thank you” note written in Korean. It said that the guide was a “pervert” as he “had a sex change operation.”

(Istanbul, Turkey)