48 hours in Istanbul
My layover in Istanbul, intended to be easygoing and relaxing, has actually been inspiring, breathtaking, and the experience of a lifetime…right on the cusp of another life-changing trip!
In just two days I’ve seen the Blue Mosque, walked the Galata Tower, been to the Dolgachem Palace Museum, gone drinking and dancing in Beycoglu, walked Taksim Square, walked over the Karakoy/Eminonu Bridge twice, ridden the subway, the tram, and the dolgamesh (short bus). I’ve drank raki, Turkish beer and Turkish wine; I’ve had more kinds of lokum (Turkish Delight) than I ever knew existed. I’ve had two kinds of balik ekmek (fish sandwich), made new friends, pretty much avoided death by vehicular collision every five minutes, and took over 200 pictures. The best parts were easily the Turkish bath in the Cemberlitas Hamami, and having tea and fish sandwiches on the Beycoglu side of the Karakoy bridge, watching the water, the people, and the ubiquitous cats.
From a planning perspective, and a sustainability one, Istanbul makes no sense. The streets are not gridded; on hills, where roads are terraced, it is impossible to cut through the rows of residential homes without going to either end of the block. I saw a district of nothing but tools selling chainsaws, and yet I can’t say I saw a single hospital or clinic. The food I saw in both groceries and street markets seemed impossibly fresh- a resident told me that most food in Turkey is produced there, and there is no need to import any food from other countries (but of course some products are imported, like Oreos or cereal). The tram cuts through the street and shares space with buses, cars, and often pedestrians. There are mosques, everywhere, irrespective of other services or facilities in the neighborhood. There is food everywhere. For as much food and consumption that I could see, the streets were surprisingly clean (compared to where I used to live in China, anyway- not compared to Tempe, Arizona) and I was amazed at how many people were always out and about. In Arizona, it’s too hot, and destinations are too far apart. Nobody wants to walk anywhere. But in Beycoglu, on the road leading to Taksim Square, it’s a major shopping thoroughfare, which is lined with arterial alleys containing coffee shops, restaurants, stores of knickknacks and hostels. At 11pm at night, the road was literally teeming with people. Not just young people looking to go out- families, little children, old men playing cards or singing and dancing. Calling Istanbul lively, vibrant, even perpetually in motion, does not do the city justice. It was magical.
Which makes me a little bit nervous for my next destination, Dubai. Turkey has become more conservative and religious in the last decade, so it was good practice for wearing longer clothing hems and headscarves. But in Dubai it will be more strict. The raucous laughter, hugging and cheering that takes place on the street after a soccer game will probably not fill the air in the evenings. The eclectic juxtaposition of high-end retail and the man selling mussels on the street is probably not going to be found in a city that wants to present itself as the face of the future.
And that future is not necessarily the world’s future. I think Dubai wants to be the future of a modern, cutting-edge Islamic state. Sometimes it seems like Dubai is reaching out to recapture the lost accolades of the Arab world- the one that invented algebra, the one that was a pinnacle of culture, construction, engineering. However, and I’m not a history major when I say this…but developments like that seemed tested, refined carefully over decades or centuries. Development today happens a rapid, breakneck pace. Even though we are connected globally now, are we really learning from our mistakes? Can Dubai really develop sustainable solutions in the span of ten or twenty years?
There are a lot of reasons that Dubai shouldn’t be sustainable, no matter what kind of technical prowess is applied to it. It’s a locked area, bordering a salty ocean without significant water reserves. Vast amounts of food are imported because the country cannot sustain itself agriculturally, and the majority of residents in Dubai are not actually Emirati, but foreigners. It’s only accessible by plane, and it does not neighbor any other major cities from other countries. Tourism is a major part of the economy, but its opulence and wealth that draws investors and businessmen there. What will happen when Dubai’s oil money runs out?
I’m only one year into my master’s program so hopefully I’m not required to answer that question. My particular focus for this trip is a straight comparison of two totalitarian regimes with sustainability concerns and money to spare: UAE and China. Unlike other nations hit quite hard by the global recession, both UAE and China have vast currency reserves. They have centralized governments which may not always operate on the most informed decisions, but the speed with which programs and efforts and infrastructure gets approved is lightning compared to the U.S. If there are scalable sustainable practices in Dubai, China may come closer to its own resource independence.
Despite having been in the region for 3 days already, I’m afraid I will have terrible jet lag. Turkish Airlines is a pretty nice airline, but the seats are incredibly cramped. I never thought there was a difference between airline seats til now! But I’m 5’5″ and my knees hurt. Everyone around me has seemed to have passed out…well, only two more hours to go. Nothing like arriving in a foreign country at 5:30am!