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Old Mar 14, 2009, 10:45 pm
  #14  
OaklandTraveler
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Oakland, CA
Programs: UAL 1K, SPG Plat, SW, BW, PH
Posts: 19
We stayed at the Hotel Maramar 03/1999, king bed, no problems.

My advice is no outside appearance of being together. You'll see lots of Turkish men being very close with each other; it's their society. But, strangers do stand out.

One night (7PM) I left out hotel and was heading to a travel office to buy some bus tickets a few blocks from the hotel. Rather than walk along the crowded and busy streets, I cut through the park that is in the center of the hotel/shopping zone.
I was approached by a Turkish man that started speaking English. He asked lots of questions, to which I either didn't reply or shook my head like I didn't understand. He wanted me to go with him to private club. RED FLAG alert.
No sooner had I turned away from him, when, a very tall Turkish guy came up behind me, said "Police" and the other guy grabed my arms behind my back. The "police" guy drove his hands into my front pockets where he found equivalent of $20 usd (Turk lira) and my room key. He gave me the key back, pocketed the cash and they ran off.

In the meantime, people observed this and did nothing to help or stop them.
A police car was a block away.

Be careful when you go out and who you talk to.

Also, the young boys were a problem with the shoe shine scam. If you don't see them coming at you, be prepared. If you stand still, they'll put shoe polish on your shoe (think tagging) and then they think you are oblidged to get a shoe shine to get rid of the shoe polish mark. SCAM.

Travel safely.
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