The Istiklal road construction project...
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dano415
Expat Trainee
Joined: Sat, Feb 26 2005, 2:21 AM
Posts: 28
Location: was San Francisco CA, now Istanbul
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 The Istiklal road construction project... Aaaaaaargh! When will it end?!? It looks like a friggin' war zone out there! When I first arrived here about 6 weeks ago, I saw one lone man in a small hole with a shovel. I thought it was peculiar a bit, being the middle of the night in Nevizade on a Friday. Little did I know that this would actually turn out to be an omen of ill portent. A harbinger of doom, as they say. Within 3 weeks all of the Taksim are was a mess of backhoes, laborers, noise, picks and shovels and.... rain. Now it is almost pure tragic comedy, watching people trip and stumble their way down Istiklal through piles of rubble in their knock-off Manolos. Anywhere else you'd have teams of lawyers salivating in the shadows just gleaming at the chance for a class-action. Last night was the epitome of hilarity as a gigantic cement mixer with entourage of shovellers in tow made their way down a side street, effectively sealing revelers inside the pubs along the road. I wonder how many a drunken soul braved the knee deep wet concrete and asphalt to make it to the last dolmus. I looked on the ibb website, but of no use. Either my Turkish just isn't keen enough yet or from what I understand they only report on highway construction. Savvy blokes, eh? Maybe you'll have more luck than I: http://www.ibb.gov.tr/Oh, the pain...
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| Sat, Oct 29 2005, 14:06 PM |
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ani_istanbul
Expat Drunk
Joined: Sun, Jun 26 2005, 14:58 PM
Posts: 679
Location: Istanbul
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I am back from Istiklal and soon will clean my shoes&trousers.
Its said that only installing the telephone lines is left...
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| Sat, Oct 29 2005, 15:28 PM |
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maymunn
Expat Drunk
Joined: Tue, Mar 29 2005, 21:28 PM
Posts: 942
Location: In the hills
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Just come back from there.Hilery ars!!! Like the bloody Somme!
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| Sat, Oct 29 2005, 19:06 PM |
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yabancianne
Pro Expat
Joined: Sat, Jan 22 2005, 18:01 PM
Posts: 549
Location: Erenkoy Fatty Kid in the Hall
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When I was there last week, it started pouring rain and Istiklal became "Istanbul meets New Mexico" thanks to the adobe-like nastiness on the street.
_________________
Yabancı par excellence, (eskiden) tiki kiz by default.
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| Sun, Oct 30 2005, 14:12 PM |
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suncatcher
Junior Expat
Joined: Sat, Jun 25 2005, 19:01 PM
Posts: 145
Location: Istanbul
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I had the same experience as YabanciAnne. The rain just made evrything worse. I couldn't recognize my shoes after walking on that street!
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| Mon, Oct 31 2005, 13:28 PM |
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isikli_v
Expat Trainee
Joined: Tue, Apr 26 2005, 23:48 PM
Posts: 32
Location: Istanbul,Göztepe
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ohhh if only the telephone lines left...it means taksim and around will have a real problem...they are disconnected for two weeks it means...you know those guys they are really hard workers...like they did in bagdat caddesi lightining.. 
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| Mon, Oct 31 2005, 13:45 PM |
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starman
Gone
Joined: Tue, Jan 18 2005, 17:32 PM
Posts: 2700
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Istikal is nothing compared to the road going to Kemer country. Its like a god damn BMX course.
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| Mon, Oct 31 2005, 18:28 PM |
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Mike
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I told some friends abroad about the way they were "repairing" the road and they simply didn't believe me. So I took some photos and put them on the the web. You can take a look on: http://www.mhasher.com/istiklal.htm
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| Tue, Nov 01 2005, 23:47 PM |
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maymunn
Expat Drunk
Joined: Tue, Mar 29 2005, 21:28 PM
Posts: 942
Location: In the hills
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Nice work fella!!! 
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| Wed, Nov 02 2005, 8:48 AM |
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charly
Moderator
Joined: Tue, Jan 25 2005, 22:50 PM
Posts: 3001
Location: Galata
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I love the hopping from crater to crater myself! The risk of being shoved down a cravass! or the terror when you have dodgy blokes approaching and nowhere to go but down... Which reminds me... Something to make you laugh.... Saturday night I was waltzing down Istiklal - giving some guy the eye - when I fell in a pothole. Smooth. 
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| Wed, Nov 02 2005, 13:48 PM |
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GBSahne
Expat Gone Native
Joined: Sat, Apr 23 2005, 22:07 PM
Posts: 1048
Location: back in the sand....
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Classy...
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| Wed, Nov 02 2005, 14:04 PM |
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RSA
Expat Gone Native
Joined: Tue, Jun 21 2005, 23:30 PM
Posts: 1272
Location: Istanbul.
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charly wrote: I love the hopping from crater to crater myself! The risk of being shoved down a cravass! or the terror when you have dodgy blokes approaching and nowhere to go but down... Which reminds me... Something to make you laugh.... Saturday night I was waltzing down Istiklal - giving some guy the eye - when I fell in a pothole. Smooth. that's the turkish way you give someone the eye. grr, you bastard look ay my scary eye and watch how i fall, because i will make you fall like this! grrr.
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| Wed, Nov 02 2005, 16:17 PM |
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matt
Expert Expat
Joined: Mon, Mar 14 2005, 19:36 PM
Posts: 300
Location: canadakoy
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gulsah and i bumped into you late saturday night....3 am? i'd hardly call that a waltz
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| Wed, Nov 02 2005, 18:07 PM |
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Gilly
Currymeister
Joined: Sun, Oct 16 2005, 14:24 PM
Posts: 928
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She probably meant that her head was at the waltzers!
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| Wed, Nov 02 2005, 23:00 PM |
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charly
Moderator
Joined: Tue, Jan 25 2005, 22:50 PM
Posts: 3001
Location: Galata
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Yeah I remembered the next day! I think I was en route to Dogz Star - or Secret? Did I have a fanclub in tow? That would refresh my memory!
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| Mon, Nov 07 2005, 12:12 PM |
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