People of Turkey

One thing that really  stood out about Turkey is how friendly and sociable the people were. Just walking around the streets people would see us taking photos and would want a photo taken. We would walk into a bakery and the bakers would put on a show for us and the camera. At first we were a little skeptical as to why everyone was so nice, but eventually we realized that everyone was genuinely nice and just wanted to talk even if they only knew a few words in English. Because we were in Bodrum far past the summer tourist season, Julia and I stood out and were welcomed by the townspeople. It was a really good time to get some authentic shots of the locals during their real life activities. We had a great time strolling through the little streets in Bodrum and taking photos of people playing cards and backgammon, knitting socks, cleaning shoes, sewing in a tailor shop, or just sitting around having a smoke. Everyone had a smile and a few Turkish words for us which we couldn't understand but a smile from us and a thank you seemed to please them. This wasn't something we were expecting from a tourist town and we asked our hotel owner, Hamza about it. He wasn't surprised at all and said that Turkish people in general are very friendly and sociable.

-Yuriy