Okay, so not a strip joint story but sort of similar. And I haven't told the FULL story to anyone, yet, because too embarrassing but, hey, this thread is about us oldies sharing things in anonymous way so here it is! A long J_Hungary like post but hopefully more engaging. Hahah!
So in early 90s I came to America as a college student. My flight from Karachi to NYC was on Turkish Airlines. Pakistan was a pretty repressed society under General Zia in the 80s otherwise, in the 70s, I had seen plenty of Western ladies in two piece swim suits on Karachi beaches. We were starved for fun as teen agers!! Anyway, by early 90s, having our teen age years starved of fun, the stewardess on Turkish Airline flight with their mid skirts looked so hot! I was privileged enough to have the family pay for me to have a mini 4-5 days stop over in Istanbul before heading to America (there was also an overnight stopover in Frankfurt to which I posted above). So I got to Istanbul and did a 'TELEX' to the family in Karachi that I was safe and sound. Everyone was so nervous: The boy who hasn't been out of Pakistan is going away and stopping in two countries before reaching to America and picked up by some family friends at JFK. And in richer families in poor countries, even a mid 20s men is a like a 'boy', I hate to admit that; I had not really even worked in my life until into my 30s. It is not bragging though.
Istanbul looked so modern. It was the first time I saw cross walks with 'Walk side is on' like electronic messaging and people walking over in civilized manner; you know Karachi. I don't recall exactly the details but I had planned to spend some time in Turkey including going to Erzurum after Istanbul before heading to America. I saw the Topkapi Museum, offered prayers in a famous mosque (Sultan Ayub/Blue Mosque?), fished with a local on a bridge between east and west Istanbul. Imagine the excitement.
But my curious testosterone mid 20s repressed nature was also at play then! I had never been to a nightclub in life. I think I met a shoe seller who barely spoke English--and it seemed not many spoke English in Istanbul. He said he'd take me to a nightclub near my hotel. His name was Adnan and he was decent poor chap. So we went to this nightclub and sat at a table. A pretty, but rather chubby and heavily made up chick walked up from the bar to us and sat with us. She asked me if I could buy her a cigarette. I think I was drinking tea or lemonade. It was pretty late in the evening/night. I looked at the menu and it seemed a whole pack of cigarette would be only about $5 American max. So I said, sure, you can. I was lusting after her, to be honest and you can't blame for me that! So she took a few puffs while sitting with us. She looked so pretty to me. I proposed to her to go to my hotel room for 100,000 Lira (I think it would be $100 American then but not sure). She said 'You are quite a forward/direct man!' and then she walked back to the bar where she came from. But then came the bill to my table: It was $400-500!! I protested and said I had seen the menu and it should be only a few $$. The manager and the waiters surrounded me and showed me a different menu with extremely high prices. I said I dont have such cash at hand. The manager said 'You are going to America and you should have some American Express bills on you'. Which I did and I ended up giving them several hundred $$$ otherwise they were not going to let me leave. That bitch was watching the drama from a distance sitting at the bar certainly thinking: 'Got another sucker!' Adnan tried to help me but they brushed him aside.
It left a very bad taste in my mouth about Turkey but I think it was my own folly plus the nature of tourism in a tourist friendly country. I think I have seen similar scams in Turkey in some You Tube / online sources.
When I went back to my hotel in Istanbul, there was a Pakistani guy who heard my story and told me 'Why bother with these scammer here? You are going to America where it will be much better'. I never told the family in Pakistan the whole story. I cried a lot after coming to America while telling the family part of the story. My dad said something like 'Son, it happens. You will be fine'. Mom was furious over my stupidity. A brother told me that I had taken some 'pleasure' from it but I really didn't.
Ahh, memories!!!
