As I had missed the local bus, I took a taxi to the centre of town. The taxi driver jokingly said he accepts any kind of currency. When I said I’ll pay him in Canadian dollars, he told me Turkish liras, American dollars, or European euros. My original plan was to take another bus from Marmaris to go to Bodrum, another city by the west coast of Turkey. I made my way to the main bus station only to find out that I had missed the bus to Bodrum by about 15 minutes and the next one wasn’t going to be until another two hours, which would take me there by about 10pm. Seeing as I was still in a slight culture shock and not wanting to look for a bed at night in such a foreign country, I decided to stay a night in Marmaris. This decision, little did I know at the time, was the best decision I had made in Turkey.
Fortunately when I stayed in Rhodes, I picked up a business card for a hostel in Marmaris in case I needed it. I followed the map on the card, which led me to the pier and into the bazarre where I had to somehow find the sign for my hostel. I eventually found it with the help of locals who pointed me in the right direction without me even asking.
Mark from Austin, Texas was one of my roommates. He was an interesting fellow who had just arrived in town as well. We ate dinner in the bazarre, which was one of the best Turkish meals that I had. Called the Ottoman Kebab, it was not really a kebab but a mishmash of beef and veggies on the side, with rice, salad, and pita bread. It was delicious. While wandering around the bazarre looking at the various shops we noticed that there were an unusually large amount of leather-goods stores. For a town that had temperatures as high as 40°C, we wondered why people would buy any type of leather goods.
Mark, curious about the prices of these leather jackets, stepped into a store and inquired about them. What I knew at the time about buying things in Turkey would definitely not have prepared me for this type of bargaining. The price started at US$250 (American dollars). The item in question was a black lamb-skin, ¾ length jacket. As we got comfortable in the store, we graciously accepted his offering of apple tea. This was new to me and I was quite hesitant on taking anything from strangers in Turkey , especially after reading an article online about how people in Turkey would slip drugs into drinks and offer them to you. Trying hard to forget those stories, and thinking this guy is legitimate since he owns his own store, I drank it. It was the best tasting apple tea I would have during my stay in Turkey.
Mark tried the jacket on, inquiring about the length and price. The two of them sat on the couch with the owner pulling out his calculator. I thought this bargaining was going a little too far considering I didn't think Mark was actually looking to purchase a leather jacket on his backpacking trip.
“How much are you willing to pay?” asks the owner. Mark, pretending to think hard, comes out with “$100.” “You're killing me here,” responds the owner, saying that that would be below cost and he would actually be losing money if he were to sell it at that price. The bargaining was swift, yet filled with intensity as I didn't know how far Mark would go through with negotiations. Despite all the begging of the owner for Mark to go slightly higher than $100, Mark stood his ground firmly saying that he knew the jacket was worth more, but that is all he could afford. A long pause between the two filled the air with excitement. Before I could think what was going on, the owner jumps up from the couch slamming his hand on the table saying, “OK, $100 it is then!” Before Mark could say anything, the owner went away to get the jacket to prepare it for hemming. Mark and I both looked at each other. I saw in his eyes the glare of a helpless victim who had just been had by a professional Turkish bargainer. I whispered to him, “It looks like you just bought yourself a leather jacket.” Trying hard to keep his composure, Mark said, “Well, I could always use another leather jacket back home.”
Sure, I felt sorry for him. After all, what was one to do with a black, lamb-skin, ¾ length jacket on a European backpacking trip in the summer? I don't know, but that was his responsibility that he took upon himself as soon as he stepped foot into that leather store in the bazarre of Marmaris , Turkey on Sunday July 18, 2004.