I am an idiot. A complete idiot.
After seven weeks of resisting pickpockets and being on the alert for anyone trying to take my money, I let my guard down in Istanbul. Big mistake.
I'm too embarrassed to describe what happened to me, but let's say that I had too much to drink and exercised extremely poor judgment. The account here is accurate:
http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/details/Safety/SingleMaleScams.html
My instinct of "pay and get the hell out of there" kept me out of harm's way, but I am now several hundred dollars lighter. I could have tried running, and definitely should have gotten out of there before I did. Oy, so embarrassing.
This all really took the air out of my balloon today. I went to the police station but of course there wasn't anything they could do. And on my walk home I saw a three-legged cat in the street. So sad.
At least nothing more came of it (and I have been triple checking my bank account and credit cards today to make sure). Still in excellent health and am not carrying anything home with me except a lesson learned the hard way.
Happy birthday America! Or what the Turks call "Sunday". I hope you all are safely enjoying the fireworks and barbecues. Two weeks to go on my trip, and I really miss home now.
Please be smarter than me. I know you are.
Surviving difficult, possibly life threatening situations develops your capacity to make the right decisions when meeting difficult situations later. Yeah, you coulda, shoulda, woulda - but that is all hindsight. You managed to get out, and that was important. Sometimes we go down a wrong road, the difference is how we find our way back. I applaud your ability to handle this situation and to share this with us. It is good to listen to the people you encounter on many levels. Enjoy the genuine and be wary of the scammers. Be happy. You have your health, and your wits, and you're even a little bit smarter now.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Serena won womens and Nadal won mens at Wimbledon. Wouldn't it be cool to see them play in mixed doubles.