Lonely Planet Thorn Tree Turkey

Things to do... and not to do

Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree forum is sometimes frightening, occasionally hilarious, but always helpful. There are tips on finding that 'genuine Turkish experience': including a visit to the barber where you'll end up with more than a haircut. There are names of banks that don't charge commission (Emlak Bankasi) and how not to get ripped off when making phone calls (don't buy tokens: the phones are liable to swallow them - it's better to buy phone cards from the Post Office). You'll learn that most Turkish drivers prefer the horn to the brake pedal, and how to spot a scam.

However, the 'best bit' is that you can post queries and get answers and advice from people who are passionate about the places they have visited. It's easy to get side-tracked, but then again that's half the joy. Remember to take everything you read (both positive and negative) with a pinch of salt. From the landing page, follow the links to the Middle East forum, note that postings do sometimes erroneously creep into the Eastern Europe forum.

thorntree.lonelyplanet.com

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