I am really glad that I made the decision to ignore the negative comments about Turkey, which ranged from the Turkish people hate English tourists to Turkey is dangerous due to too many bombings on tourists. Even in resort, I heard so many English people complaining about one thing or another.
I have written my responses to five myths about Turkey.
The locals use camels as the main form of transport
Do not laugh, a friend asked me if I was comfortable riding around on camels because this was their main form of public transport. He was deadly serious. I am sure in some parts of Turkey, camels are widely used, but no, I did not find a camel parked up outside of the hotel entrance waiting for me.
Turkey is cheap as chips
Not true anymore, it is very expensive, and I think a lot of people, myself included, were surprised how expensive it was. The price of food and drink was the same as the UK, the beer a little bit cheaper. From speaking with tourists that visit Turkey every year, prices have shot up in the last 12 months.
Turkey is dirty and unhygienic
I have done a fair bit of travelling over the years and I would say that Turkey stands out as one of the cleanest places I have visited. For a start, did you know that the refuse bins are emptied three times a day, not once a week like in Britain? The toilets in general were okay, I came across a few dodgy ones.
Locals drag you in to the shops
Up until two years ago, owners would drag you into their shop or restaurant but the government acted on complaints and asked them not to do this anymore. You will still find that owners stand outside to entice you into the shop or restaurant. It is a little annoying but you quickly get used to it.
All the locals wear red fez hats
One work colleague said that all of the locals wear red fez hats. You know what I mean, right? The hat that the comedian, Tommy Cooper used to wear. I had this vision in my head that I would walk into the airport, they would be fez hats everywhere, and I was disappointed when I did not see one.
It is funny hearing what people see when you mention a destination.
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