I eventually gave up trying to explain anything to anyone. It did no good. Everyone was too afraid. The Turkish people were afraid of missing some “opportunity” represented by the tourists, of being taken advantage of and left with nothing. The tourists were afraid of missing some “authentic” experience, of being exploited for their money and left with nothing. What the tourists really wanted was never to pay for anything, because they were good people. I had noticed this in myself: how I always hoped to be given things for free, as a reward for not being a total asshole.
