LIVING IN ISTANBUL | NOT EVERYTHING IS A FAIRY TALE EPISODE 2 

Here I explain everything about life in Turkey as an expat in Istanbul. Before I start seeing comments of people attacking, let me clear out something: REMEMBER THAT THIS VIDEO IS NOT MEANT TO ATTACK TURKISH PEOPLE OR THE COUNTRY, I'm simply opening my heart and my feelings after living in this wonderful country for several years. For those coming to my channel for the first time thanks to this video, I say HELLOOOOO and WELCOME! If you feel upset, angry for what I shared and totally disagree and feel that "I'm just an ungrateful YABANCI attacking Turkey and its people" just for one video you have watched on my channel (this one), well, I'm sorry that you are making a whole idea of me thanks to one short video, but I'd like to invite you to watch our other 100+ videos where we share all the magnificent places this country has to offer, and also you may click on this other link to watch the EPISODE 1 where I share WHY I MOVED TO TURKEY AND REASONS TO FALL IN LOVE WITH ISTANBUL. have your delicious çay and relax :) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-k-UnLWCxIZk.html 📕 Check out our amazing itineraries and guides! We have carefully created many itineraries not just in Istanbul but in many cities around Turkiye, organized useful information for you, including a list with plenty of hotels for all budgets in each city we mention, a list with more than 100 restaurants including one with vegan options, desserts, and much more! All the guides are LIVE, that means that they're updated daily and surely we’ll keep adding more and more! The new changes will automatically sync even after you get it WITHOUT an extra cost! All you have to do is sign up for free and get the guide or itinerary you're interested in! 🎉 www.thatch.co/@beryistanbul 🗺️ Guided tours in Istanbul Looking for a hassle-free way to book your city tours? Whether you're interested in historical landmarks, cultural experiences, or culinary delights, we've got you covered. Experienced guides will show you the best of what the city has to offer, all while providing a comfortable and enjoyable experience. www.remindertour.com/tours/ Much love!!!

as a Turkish firstly I'd like to say welcome to my city and I enjoyed a lot with this video 😀😀 this girl is definitely right

We moved to Türkiye in June of 2021 and I agree with you on nearly everything except the weather. So far, the summer heat and the winter snowstorms have been fine with us. Some comments are about dishonest Turks, but for the most part I think it is the yabange (foreigner) prices that we get stuck with sometimes. But with the exchange rate, even getting ripped off once in a while isn’t that bad. We’ve bought a home in Pendik so we’re out of the hustle and bustle of Istanbul proper, but close enough by excellent public transportation to visit easily. I feel safer in Türkiye than in any US city I’ve lived in in my 76 years. We have encountered many, many kind, caring, gracious, generous, wonderful Turkish people here. Moving to Türkiye was among the best decisions we’ve ever made.

I've been several times to Istanbul, I love the city and it has a special place in my heart. But indeed the cons of the city are indeed very annoying. I live in a European city with a good infrastructure for cycling, so everytime I come to Istanbul I'm feeling disturbed by the predominant car culture there and there's no room for cyclists. But I think that's just a symptom of being a huge metropolis, everything feels crowded. The streets, the highways and public transport. Istanbul is huge in every aspect, sometimes it can feel intimidating but that's one of the issues you have to overcome to embrace this wonderful city that has a lot to offer.

As a Turk, I welcome all foreigners who come to our country. People of different nationalities bring cultural diversity to our country. Best wishes ❤

All of the drama in Istanbul sounds like home to me, I'm from Chicago, I should fit right in. I'm visiting in 2 weeks and I've learned soo much from your videos! Thank you!!

I was In istanbul last days..my mother and I go for shopping at Taksim square and we lost the location of our hotel..Many person stopped by and they tried to tell us in their broken english and help us to get reach at our location..they were friendly...I never felt like u..some guys tries to help me with my languages... My experience in istanbul was like fairy tale...

thanks for being honest regarding living in Turkey. I am choosing between Fethiye or Puerto Vallarta once I escape Canada. Being a non smoker, I will just visit beautiful Turkey as a tourist and try those delicious looking Turkish foods.

I totally agree with you on everything u said, I was in Istanbul November 2021 and these are all the things I noticed that I didn’t like, the crowded streets, the horrible traffic, too many smoking, the steep and up and down streets and not to mention the cats that are everywhere 😯 What I did like was that everything was cheap specially food and clothes, I love the food, it’s mostly organic and healthy, and I loved the weather during November. Not to mention their drama series.. love love love them ❤️😍

Thank you lady for the informative video. I also appreciate your honesty in describing things the way they are, with integrity. This video should have 300,000 views at minimum! Keep up the good work!

So true! Türkiye is actually least tax paying country in Europe, and cheapest one to live. But when it comes to certain items especially foreign or imported items double taxation kicks in. It's almost like government punishing you for purchasing imported goods. By the way, Turks are very proud to have any merchandise made in Türkiye. It's not just the good quality but also to support the economy.

Thank you for an honest opinion, it's good to know those things beforehand and be mentally ready for it. By the sound of it, many of those things I will dislike a lot too, up to a point it may outshine the pros, but I'll have to see for myself irl :)

Thank you; your information and opinions are quite informative.

Totally agree with you on many things that you disliked. I visited back in October and one of the things that really bothered me was the traffic and car honking. It was something that I don’t really see in USA. Also, one another thing was how they change sales price once they hear you speak English. We had situation when people in the front of us (Turkish) buy something in Kapali carsi and we were charged higher price after them just because we spoke English. If a tourist come to the States and sale person charged them more than our citizen that would be illegal and they would be arrested. So, I didn’t like that and also I didn’t like when we were walking down to streets and restaurant workers were so annoying trying to pull us in their restaurants.

Hi, you scared me😅 for tomorrow I bought ticket , I am from Iran and in Iran we have more than 30 million turk( northwest of Iran ) and all of this people love istanbul and turkey, I invited you to Tehran and come and visit, for first time of my life l will come to istanbul tomorrow ,I didn't know more about that but recently I find you and learn more , thanks for great videos 😍❤

Thank you for your videos. The information is amazing. I followed your videos while in Istanbul.

Your videos are very practical & highly useful, thank you for sincerely sharing your Turkish experience

I guess every country can relate to this. Take out the hot weather and the driving, almost everything is similar. In Europe, people don’t stop to help you either, but well! Now we can find our way with a GPS, so that’s ok. As for taxes, Western countries are known for their over rated taxes, mostly Europe. Istanbul is becoming overcrowded for people are running away from western counties for a better life. In Europe for example, where some ethnic groups are treated as second zone citizens. So Turkey is the right place for them. Small details and disadvantages will always be better than been shown and been seen like the worst kinds. Thank you for your honesty, it helps a lot!♥️

I was in Istanbul last week and being someone who is from a small Welsh city, few things were a shock to me. They are: the traffic, the rush, the reckless driving culture ( omg! I saw so many near misses) and the poor people who are begging in the streets ( I felt emotional after seeing a large number of young children and elderly begging in the streets). Those children should be in school not begging for change. I am very grateful and more mindful of my privileges. Thank Allah for them 🙏🙏🙏

I’ve been to Turkey 2 times. Visited few other places besides Istanbul ( Capadocia, Bodrum, Kusadaci) I have to say the smaller towns are very charming. I love Turkey and would love to visit again♥️ Istanbul is always abuz for sure. I agree with the walking slopes… it’s not for everyone. I enjoy your videos. Greetings from South Africa 🇿🇦

Nice video. I’m Turkish American from California and moved to Istanbul a year and a half ago. I’m glad to see someone from Latin America here. I love Latino / Latina people. What brought you here?

The cats, smokers, up and down hills, honking cars , stop me to visit the beautiful and culturally amazing Istanbul.

Honking have a huge meanings,, every Word you wanna say like, as a turkish driver when i honk,, it might have the meaning, take care you are so close to my car,, Dont look at your Phone, trafik Light turned Green, Hey lorry driver, i Will faster than you, see me and dont pass over me And many moreeeeee 😂😂😂😂 We love to comminicate in every way

I might be the only other non smoker here and I get it. It's almost like it's compulsory for anyone over 15 to chain smoke. I live in Moda. The cars/ traffic don't bother me but those silent electric scooters are my nemesis. Lol, they just appear out of nowhere from all directions. There are so many things to love about Istanbul though. There's nowhere quite like it.

You just confirmed that grass isn’t always greener on the other side.. I appreciate your honesty.. 🙏🏽

I was in Turkey from Mar 22 to March 29, I personally did'nt Like TWO things(1) Every cell phone PLAN retailer has HIS own rates which varies from 300 to 500 TL for same package. (2) Yellow ,Uber or Bitaksi cab drivers don't wana follow meter rates but they offer their own rates like Fatih to istanbul ride will cost you around 225 TL but they take 300 to 350 TL.

About the noise: I went to Beirut a few times and stopped over in Istanbul. Whenever I came back to Istanbul from Lebanon, I always thought „it’s so quiet here“ 😂 Everything is relative. I agree that I miss bicycling - especially now that it’s necessary to have a Turkish phone number to rent a bike which is not tourist friendly. I used to love riding along the Bosporus. I also sometimes miss the green areas (I live in Switzerland). There is a saying in German: „smoking like a Turk“ 😁 But I actually do know some locals who are non-smokers though.

I am an American and I have a home in Sakarya. I love living there. The city of Adapazari is most beautiful in my opinion. The people are lovely we have several green spaces. We don’t drive, it scares me to death. But there is many kinds of public transportation that is very reasonable price. When we do go to Istanbul we take the bus. The taxes are much but I think it is worth it. You are not worried about the unfriendly people. I have not met anyone yet. My husband speaks Arabic so we communicate very well. Far as the phone goes we get SIM cards for our phone every 120 days. Come to Sakarya and see for yourself how lovely the state is and how beautiful the people are.

Berry I agreed with you in most of your points. 1) I found that the people were very unfriendly and unhelpful, including the guys that work in the shops, including employees at the airport are also very unhelpful. To throw a smile at people is something one cannot expect as one normally does. 2) As for the driving it is called the free law driving, I think many developing countries practiced the same thing. 3) People from the US & Europe are going to find it hard getting used to smokers around. 4) I do entertain my mind to have a second home in Turkey, (not in Istanbul particularly) but after hearing about the taxes, that is kind of discouraging. Obviously the taxes on purchasing cars are just about 100%.

Hi… greetings from San Francisco. We’ll be visiting Turkey early next month. Thanks for your videos, we learned a lot the place and got some ideas what to visit and food to try.

Thank you for your honest sharing. This is very informational for my decision making process.

"Hold your horses", I've been enjoying your informative presentations and am imagining Istanbul/Constantinople and some of the other popular Aegean/Mediterranean Turkish cities as being among a list of most desirable destinations to visit. I'm overcome with almost Fairy Tale like emotion, sometimes, when I consider the historical significance of many places in Europe and Asia. thanks for sharing, gracias, enjoy

I enjoyed your video it's the first one of yours that I have viewed.👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

Hola Berry, thank you for your honest experiences. I really appreciate your videos. I hope one day to visit there, but if I move there I prefer a smaller town by the sea. I wish you the best always and stay safe and well 🙂

I agree with you. I am aTurkish person in US.. my best wishes for you.

Hey Bery, thank you . Your videos are so useful and helpful. We plan to come To turkey during eid holiday. I wanted your assistance as I need to whether the markets ( grand bazar and eminonu will be open during eid or closed as we plan to be in istanbul from 30th april to 2nd may then fly to antalaya)

I've been staying in turkey for 8 months..I came from Ethiopia...the driving culture and traffic etc is almost the same except there are less accidents here

Thank you for your insight. I was considering relocating to Istanbul, but it’s like moving to a ‘mirror’ of my country South Africa, with regards to traffic, unkempt areas, vehicle prices and taxes. As the saying goes, ‘the grass is not always greener on the other side’ …

2:08 My childhood time Istanbul quite city people so much polite and helpful each other’s … when I visit Istanbul unfortunately I feel alien my born city, newer come back again my green and calm Istanbul 😢 I’m asking my self why happen that? actually answer is people loving Beauty, million people wants to beauty life with money ….. my innocent city newer come back again 🥺

Your views are honestly appreciated. But these problems are happening all over the world specially in third world countries, Asian n liberal democratic countries. People loose their civic senses n do things the way they like. Whichever country is in a developing stage then other developed countries than the financial economical gap compels a government to levy high taxes for improving infrastructure n standards. Corruption, politics, manufacturing units also play an important factor. It seems modern mass scale electronic manufacturing units are not available, so it has to import electronics goods. Being an ancient/historical country, it depends more on tourism. Also being hilly area, there could be less basic agricultural produce. Major portion of Turkey is surrounded by water so one may face humidity during Summers. Last but least it has to import very large amount of oil n gas from other countries n this eats the country's revenue n economy.. 🌹☺️

Very informative. thank you

When you're right you're right. Traffic and smoking are the worst.

If you go to other cities like Bursa and other Andolu cities as well as north of Turkey you will see the different

I really enjoyed what you said here. I watch lots of Turkish series and they make me wonder about how the white lines on the roads seem to never be important to the drivers. It seems they see them as suggestions instead of the legal space to drive in. They park in odd positions in undesignated spaces too. I find it all very curious.

Thanks for your videos! So helpful and interesting. I live in Izmir and adore it. We have an enormous park and seaside so we can access nature much easier daily. 🙏I used to live in istanbul and I loved it. I travel back 3/4 times per year to enjoy the city but just for a week. Much love from the Aegean 😘

Just came back from 2 weeks in Istanbul, loved the city and many many good things, but I didn’t like the dishonesty from nearly everyone I tried to purchase goods from , food, drinks, whatever as soon as they realised I was British, they try and scam you. The stray animals, a very very sad sight to see as a westerner seeing that many stray animals is sad to see. The streets and garbage is really bad, people just throw rubbish everywhere and I witnessed many times people burning their rubbish(trash) on the streets But still a great city and going back soon

Thank you for your honest review! Turks don't want to hear criticism but without that nothing can improve. So you are absolutely right. There are still many other cons though. The list is longer

Nice video, thanks! I lived in Alanya for 6 months last year. Agree with everything you are saying. I want to try Istanbul this time. What area of Istanbul would you recommend in 15,000-20,000 tl rent per month range? I prefer safe area where local or English speaking people live. Not conservative, not touristy, where there are new buildings(0-5 years) with a view. Watching videos I like Bebek and Kadikoy. Any other areas would you recommend?

I love Turkey from Kathmandu,Nepal

All you say is true but Istanbul seviyorum .. I m leaving after 9 months ..sim blocked and all but loved every moment in Turkey. The end was my beautiful free day in Emirgan park.

You are right about taxes, Turkish people are being robbed officially, there are many alternatives in Turkey for other issues. For example, by moving to Çanakkale, you can still live in the Bosphorus and lead a quieter life 😉

Hola Bery! Muy buen video, soy de Uruguay y estoy en Turquía en este momento, es mi segunda visita a este hermoso país. Coincido contigo en la mayoría de las cosas. Más que nada me molestó y me llamó la atención la cultura vial, nadie es amable en el tráfico sino muy agresivos, hacen sonar la bocina todo el tiempo y se dicen de todo! 😳 Más allá de esas cosas amé Turquía en general y especialmente Estambul, una ciudad mágica con un encanto especial que la hace única, y que me hace querer volver siempre. ♥️🥰🇹🇷

I do not agree with you about seeing that there is no greens in Istanbul there are many huge gardens and green areas but it depend where you live

I just came back from my first visit to Istanbul and probably the last, unfortunately my experience was pretty awful. I totally agree with everything you dislike about the city, I would add as a tourist Turkish people treated us like shit, they are extremely rude and annoyed by tourists. I found so oddly that many shops, and restaurants don’t have prices on their menu, meaning if they know you are a tourist they will charge you whatever they want, it was super frustrating. Plus the amount of smokers is insane. Even indoor place smelled like there was people smoking. I will say Asian side wasn’t as horrible as the European.

In Mexico depends on what state/city you live the weather is also humid and very hot.

I love turkey the way it is no cribbing from my side

So for temperature and humidity better you avoid cities near the sea

Hi Bery, your videos are very helpful, thank you for your tips. However, just one niggle with your video, it would be better to say 'slopey' rather than sloppy areas. I thought at first you were referring to dirty areas in Istanbul.

Hey Berry, thank you again for such an informative video!! I have a question about banking. Do Turkish banks have good investment funds for foreign currency? like if I bring usd can I open a USD income investment account in a Turkish bank or would it HAVE to be converted to TL? Or would you have your investment Portfolio outside of Turkey and only transfer a certain portion of money at a time? Thanks. I'm just curious what people do?....

In Indian cities people also honk horns a lot. I thought they were impatient but the reason is just to let people know they are nearby, or coming through.

Hi Berry, I watched a few of your videos and love them. I did not know that you were from Mexico. I visited Istanbul for 4 days and now I am planning to buy a retirement home somewhere in Turkey. I am visiting again in October with my wife and 3 more couples with 3 days in Istanbul. Wondering if you can help plan our trip to Istanbul.

Nice video. Also, I think with #4 you meant 'slopy' which is referring to the hills all around the city and is pronounced with a long o and sounds like sloupy. But your subtitles say 'sloppy', which translates to dirty.

For me. The issue was no food from abroad. Every major city, you will see Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, Korean, Inidan, Thai, German, Taiwanese and Irish restaurants at every block. Yet they are very few in Istanbul. This is really strange. Hopefully someone can explain this to me.

İ have been Turkey November 2021, that was Amazed place that i've seen especially the sea. As you told all of them is true. The weather nice on November. İ loved Göreme place isnt about nice view also but its about so quite and felt comfy

Totally agree with the video.

as a native i would also add "we are very loud nation (tradition-wise); when we are getting married, or joining army, or participating a football match, or even religious activities, we make so much noise pollution" i freaking hate it.. and also we litter

I've been using the same phone i brought from my country for 8 months and. i just had to get a sim card for 350 tl. Nothing was blocked

This is an amazing video and I enjoyed every bit of it and am also excited to share my investment experience for 2021, I believe it will help a lot of people here that are confused on how to start the new year and be productive for the year

Thank you heaps for the tips

I’m so curious about why you were in Ordu.

Thank you so much for your videos, very informative. I'm planning to come to Turkey for living from Arizona, USA. What area you recommend to live, nice, quite and must have lots of greenery.

True about inflation in Turkey. Change at 1USD to 13TL. By the time I arrived, it was 14.5TL. Literally in 48 hours.

Hi Berry. I am visiting and want to get the Cotton Turkish Blankets..ols recommend a good wholesale place

You are right on most of the points but I feel some of them are exaggerated for most of the people. I believe the reason behind is that you picked wrong city to live and also wrong spot to live. You need more calm cities as you get used to live in Mexico. Also if you need flat areas Anatolian side like Maltepe, Kadıköy would had been better choice.

Enjoyed this video me and my wife are traveling next month to turkey. My wife is also mexican. Is there away she can get in touch with you. We just watch your video together. She is a nurse and we want to live in turkey for a year

Excelente video !! Confirmo de difícil que es atravesar una calle o avenida es un deporte extremo jajaja , las cuestas que hay que subir son demasiadas … pero aun adoro tu ciudad es hermosa , y los impuestos son muchos pero se quedan ahí solo basta ver que ciudad de ensueño !!! Saludos desde México !! 💟💟💟💟

Hola, great information, very honest. By the way, by sloppy, you probably mean sloping, but nevertheless that can be understood. Your idea is not only not insulting, but gives rise to considering you as someone who cares about that city and that country. Gracias.

Thanks for sharing . From Holland 😘

I liked your very much...but now I see that Turkey and Brazil have a lot iqual things...so I won't miss many things when I ger there!!!!

I would add disliking taxi drivers not going by meter and overcharging.

Totally you are right

ım from turkey,ı think everything you say is true

Cada loco con su tema… :-):-):-) I hear you, 100%, especially the “everyone smoking everywhere” thing has always bugged me (I’ve been to Istanbul about… 10 times by now, but never for more than a week), BUT :-):-):-), if you ask me, if I had a magic wand and I could change ONE thing about Istanbul and Turkey in general, that would be the super frustrating and practically prohibitive (I would go that far as to call it “hostile”) policy of theirs regarding how tickets for football matches are sold (hence “cada loco con su tema” :-):-)). As a foreigner visiting Turkey for a few days, trying to buy a match ticket feels like… mission impossible.

My main number one thing that I do not like are all of the taxi scans in Istanbul.

Hola Bery! Muchas gracias por la información, ha sido de gran ayuda. Viajó muy pronto a Estanbul y me gustaría saber cómo conseguir un apartamento seguro. Gracias!

I do not like the motorbikes in the pedestrian areas. There are signs saying they are not allowed, but they ignore them.

Interesting 🤔 Well done for bringing up cultural aspects of the society. 👍 everyone culture has pros and cons

how u deal with your visa how long you can stay with visa please information

thank you

Hi, I'm travelling to turkey tomorrow from uk . As a British citizen do I need to fill locator form still ? I have fill the form twice but it doesn't have a barcode. Can you please reply me ASAP. Thanks

Please guide me about how will I know to use public transport. I mean if I go to somewhere in Istanbul from one place to another how can I know to get bus/metro/tram etc. Is there any guidebook, app, or something else?

Everywhere is the same I am from Iraq I lived in Mexico many years… mil veces mi Han dicho en Mexico regresa su país pero no mi importó nada haha 😂

Gosh the smoking problem.. why is everyone and their children smoke here? Thankfully I’m not living in Istanbul so I don’t have half of the problems she listed there, but with smokers.. I remember i was eating when a kid, definitely not older than 12, asking me if she can use my lighter. First off all, she immediately assumed that I smoke, hence why she asked if she can have my lighter. Second of all, wtf???? Is there no public health campaign that goes to school to spread more awareness? In my country it’s something that only the elders do, and the youngsters are already leaving behind. But here in Turkey..

what about bringing a car from outside?

You need to visit Winnipeg. Very flat. No crazy honking.

I have been binge watching your videos because I’m planning to visit Turkey this June and somehow always thought you had a Latino accent like my Mexicans friends 😊 Anyway you have the right about your opinion and I hate when people use the sentence go back to your country.

Great video!

As electronics are expensive in Turkey, do I need to worry that I will be robbed if I carry an expensive camera? I don’t see anyone in videos of Istanbul carrying a camera.

planning to go there at May still need the hes code ? sorry for asking..thanks a lot

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