Shopping in Kusadasi

May 12, 2012

I shopped with a real celebrity today, if you believe the first local who I saw ashore. When he enthusiastically granted ‘J Lo’ who was walking next to me I thought I had fallen through the Looking Glass and just hadn’t known it. But, of course, it wasn’t the famous singer at my side, only an overly enthusiastic Turkish shopkeeper who had spied my friend, Paola, who had talked me into this excursion.

I wasn’t going to go ashore in Kusadasi. The port is most known by cruise ship guests as the gateway to Ephesus. Since I would not be able to travel to that historic location I decided that I would stay aboard and keep focused on work. However, late in the morning Pao called me and asked me to accompany her ashore. Honestly, I was the third choice as two of her girlfriends had already turned her down. But she wanted to go shopping and didn’t want to go alone. After initial reluctance I agreed to go ashore with her for an hour or so. The shops are literally right off the dock and packed as densely as you might expect in this modern Turkish bazaar. Not being a big shopper, my job was to simply ‘accompany,’ at least that’s the way it started.

My real role, or so it seemed, was to help Paola find ways to not make a purchase after she had gotten roped into the sales picture for another expensive item. Her mission was to purchase gifts for her sister and mother, and she began with great efficiency and success. Then at the sight of a beautiful leather coat hanging in a shop window we were quickly sidetracked. It was a gorgeous garment, apparently hand stitched, and beautifully blending many complementary shades of leather. The shopkeeper saw her looking at it and before I knew it he had hustled her into the shop and up the stairs to where the more expensive products were. I followed somewhat bemused at how quickly that had happened. By the time I reached her side the owner had her already trying on the coat. It looked amazing on her and she knew it. When she asked the price he was the very picture of the stereotypic Middle Eastern trader. “It is normally 350 Euro, but today we have a special of only 225!” he exclaimed. This price, still over US$350 was not something that would happen on an impulse buy. Pao blanched and then indicated it was too expensive for her. He immediately countered at 200 Euro. He then looked at me and asked, “You think she is worth 200 Euro, right?” assuming that I was buying it for her. I wasted no time in correcting that impression. As Pao and I inspected the coat carefully she whispered the question of how to get out of there. Having been in more than one small shop with a high pressure salesman I told her to ask him if it came in any other colors. Of course he did and he allowed her to slide the current jacket off. As he turned to head into the next room to select the new garment Paola and I rapidly descended the stairs and headed out of the shop, thus ending the negotiation.

We decided we needed a break and found a small kiosk selling waffles covered in fruit. Both of us being fans of waffles we ordered our afternoon treat with great expectation. Sadly, the waffle had the consistency of a thin piece of rubber and the fruit did nothing to improve the lot. The only therapy that seemed to be left for Paola was to go back to shopping. She collected a few more gifts and trinkets and we headed back to the ship from what I know understood was the crew’s favorite shopping port. For most crew members, it seems, Kusadasi trumps Ephesus. Of course, not every prized purchase makes it back onto the ship.

Did I mention the two hookahs she bought?

And the adventure continues . . .