Turkey, Istanbul- Kite-flying with Chisen and Dad

Kite-Flying at Istabul- The bond between a doting father and his sweet daughter
Nobody would have planned this into the itinerary, but I had my first experience of flying a kite in Istanbul by chance. We got tired of the touristy Grand Bazaar and decided to take a slow stroll along the waterfront in the morning.

It was very tranquil and nice just enjoying the sea breeze and taking a relaxed walk away from the tourists. I spotted two persons sitting amongst the rocks. The father beckoned me to go over and join him and his daughter who were flying a kite. Without hesitation, I hopped across the rocky stones to where they were seated, and took over the string and the kite. Watching the little green kite soar in the air, I tried to make small talk to the father and daughter duo who couldn’t speak English.

Wei Chean and Arlina soon joined me in the “charade” game again. We managed to get their names, Osman (the father) and Lisen (the daughter). Lisen was a friendly yet shy little girl. When I tried to speak to her in English, she smiled and said in an almost adult manner, “Turkish yes, English no.” And when she spoke to me in Turkish, I said, “English, yes, Turkish no.” Though language was a barrier, her shyness soon eased off. As we were walking along the waterfront, little Lisen was so sweet, she plucked a little flower and placed it on my ear.

I was trying to tell him that eating in Istanbul was expensive through simple English and hand gestures. He might have understood, and walked us to the well-known fish market where there are numerous fish restaurants. We were quite broke and did not want to go to any expensive restaurants for lunch. In the end, we suggested having lunch at a roadside kebab stall which costed less than 5 dollars per person. The lunch was not a luxurious one, but a very heartwarming one. Through the little gestures of the father and little Lisen, we could feel the strong bond and love between them.

After lunch, we continued to walk further to one of the must-see attraction in Istanbul and Lisen continued her kite-flying attempts with her dad at the big square just outside the university building. Osman is a single parent. Two of Osman’s friends came to meet us and drove us to another popular sight to see famous tombs. They even offered to send us back but we turned down their kind offer and told them that could make our way to the guest-house ourselves. We bade farewell and promised that we would email the photographs to them.

Though we did not see any important sights or attraction, the few hours with Lisen and her father was very well-spent and memorable. From complete strangers to acquaintances, we were glad that we made friends with little Chisen and her dad, and of course, the little green kite.