Bazaar and bizarre

All the guidebooks recommended a visit to the Grand Bazaar, a covered market with over 4000 shops selling carpet, jewelry, ceramics, and souvenirs.  It was definitely a sight to see but nothing unique worth getting and lugging back to the states.   I did love the vibrancy of the place and the sales tactics of the sly salesmen.  "Hey China!  You're the best.  Come in and let me take your money."  Slick.

 This guy really wanted to sell us a scarf, claiming, "It's so nice, it makes even ME look pretty."  Despite all the quirkiness of the Grand Bazaar, my favorite part was coming out of it at night into another market of sorts - a bizarre market.  Older men manned their blankets full of used knicknacks ranging from cell phone chargers to cassette tapes to Christmas decorations.  I can totally see my grandpa doing something like this.  He loves picking up crap off the street and thinking it's worth money.  Hey, you never know when you'll need a charger for a StarTAC again.

And let's talk about how awesome this book is: