A couple of years ago I went to Istanbul with my husband for our tenth wedding anniversary, and one afternoon we wandered into a covered spice market not far from the waterfront. I'm from Kathmandu, so I grew up with busy bazaars, but this felt completely different.
The building itself was an old stone hall with high arched ceilings, and both sides of the main passage were lined with shops. They sold dried fruit, nuts, about fifty kinds of tea, sweets dusted with powdered sugar, ceramic bowls and lamps made of coloured glass. Many of the sellers spoke four or five languages, switching from English to Russian to Arabic depending on who walked past.
What really struck me was how organised it was compared to markets back home. In Asan, our old market in Kathmandu, everything is squeezed into tiny lanes, motorbikes push through the crowd, and you buy straight from sacks on the ground. In Istanbul each shop had a neat display, and the owners offered us samples without any pressure to buy. One man made us sit down and drink apple tea while he explained where his saffron came from.
The other difference was the atmosphere. Our markets are mainly for locals buying daily necessities, so they're practical and a bit rushed. This one felt more like a show. I could tell it was partly aimed at tourists, and the prices were higher than I expected, but the hospitality was genuine. I came home with far too much tea and a real wish to see more markets abroad.