Let's find ourselves in this place together!

Sunday evening. Locals are walking down the street with bags loaded to the top. We walk towards this happy crowd. Now we can hear the familiar "bueron-bueron" ("come on, come on") from all sides. Gradually it becomes louder and acquires different shades of sonority, length and strength - these are Turkish sellers calling to buy their goods.

We must give them credit, they have been honing their voices and manners since childhood. (Often at the bazaar you will see children who, from the age of 8, will be standing behind the counter, trading on par with adults, just check their change, they cheat). This is how the market begins, the Turkish bazaar.

After such a cacophony of sounds, the market of any other country will seem silent. We go inside this anthill. At first you stand there confused, you don't know where to look: your eyes run wide from the colossal choice, and everything is so fresh, crispy, your stomach starts to rumble...

And now to the main thing - to shopping! You must try it at the bazaar! This stereotype is difficult to overcome at first, because in Russia you can't try the goods at the markets, "they're dirty", "they're carried in all sorts of cars". Isn't that what our parents tried to convince us?! Well, in Turkey you can, and most importantly - you should!

I always try fruits before buying, I have not experienced any discomfort afterwards. If you see an open/cut orange/tangerine/pomegranate - feel free to take a slice and try it, the sellers may even cut you a piece themselves. Another option: look for a seller who devours his products with relish! This is definitely a win-win option - buy from him.

If you like it, you should ask how much it costs, prices are often not posted. Arm yourself with the magic phrase "Ne kadar?" - "Ne kadAr?" (How much is it?) and point your finger at what you are interested in. They will answer you in Turkish, so it would be a good idea to learn a few useful phrases and numerals, I wrote about them in the article phrases in Turkish for tourists.

For introverts, there is another option - put as much as you need in a bag, give it to the seller along with the money, he will give you back the goods and change. But you can get into trouble, the price can be quite high.

It happens that they understand English at the bazaar, but most likely in this case they will try to sell you at a price in dollars, i.e. 5-6 times more expensive. Be careful, at the bazaar everyone trades only in lira and only for cash. Insist on lira!

At the bazaars, in addition to vegetables, fruits, fresh fish, you can also find flowers, clothes and household utensils for cheap. Clothes, of course, are of different quality, some buy, some avoid. I don't think it's shameful to buy a T-shirt or socks, or a scarf, or slippers. It all costs pennies and if it's made in Turkey, the quality will be acceptable. The bazaars are nomadic: in each city, and even in each city district in Turkey, the markets are held on different days. Ask the locals what days the bazaar is.

The bazaars are open from 7-8 am to 8-10 pm on certain days, depending on the market. It's best to come after 4 pm: everything is a little cheaper than in the morning.