Trabzon, Turkey

We are closer to Georgia than Istanbul. I knew not to expect anything when we flew into Trabzon. It is the third most populated city after Istanbul and Ankara but there is a certain laid back air about it. The people hustle for a living. The meydane or the market are full of stores that sell cheap clothing. I read somewhere that this is where the Georgians come to shop and bring stuff back to the border. So Trabzon is a modern caravansary, as in those of the Silk road. The dolmuses or mini buses are hustling for business non stop, they go everywhere. I love this form of transportation, there are so many private companies all vying for your business. It is so unlike what we have here where a few companies have the monopoly. We need the same system as they have in Turkey where the competition is so intense. So a ride of 1.50 TL gets you to most places and gas prices is expensive and they can still keep these low prices. When we arrived we took an expensive taxi to the Aya Sofia but on the way back we took a dolmus. I would return to the Aya Sofia on our last day by taking a dolmus there. I felt like a local. I like Trabzon, there's nothing here but atmosphere. We stayed in a cheap part of town, full of cheap hotels, some houses brothels stocked with blond women from the Caucasus. In fact our hotel was next to a brothel and there is always a blond woman sitting outside soliciting. My older nephew was solicited. These women are no beauty, they are all fat and not too youthful. The hotel is next to a company that sells tickets for the bus bound for Georgia and we see a lot of sleazy Georgian men and women. The only reason to be in Trabzon is to visit the Aya Sofia and the Sumela monastery. Trabzon is on the Black sea coast and ferries go to Sochi, Russia, site of the next winter Olympics. It is easier to get to Sochi from Trabzon than from Moscow. Surprisingly, with all the sleaze, I felt comfortable in Trabzon.