I knew while I was still at home in San Francisco that I wanted to go shopping in Istanbul. Actually, I always do every time I travel. I haven't shopped in each and every country I have visited but in many of my trips, I most certainly have. I was especially excited about going to Turkey since I wanted to get some of those rugs and pillow cases I had seen so many times on you tube and from the TV series, Man Shops Globe. In fact, I even printed out a shopping list from the internet prior to our departure.

While in Sultanahmet waiting for the Blue Mosque to reopen to the public, Marc and I made our way to the Arasta Bazaar. The place was not big and just like what many previous travelers had written on Tripadvisor, the sellers and vendors here were not pushy at all compared to the ones in the Grand Bazaar. They were correct. Anyway, I looked around and asked about prices of the souvenirs I wanted to take home. I was shocked. They were pretty pricey. I left without buying anything. If there is one thing I liked about it though was that the the entire area looked very colorful. It had to be. The merchandise were all oozing with color from the fez to the shawls to the rugs on display.