Hi Mig,
Though it is indeed pretty exotic and exiting, for Europeans Istanbul isn't very far and it is very cheap to travel too. They have problems with attracting enough tourists especially after the bombing in 2003. For Americans and Canadians it is a another thing of course. Also not so nice is that Americans (maybe canadians too) have to pay for a visum. Once inside the people are very friendly, but the difference in life standard tends to give its own specific little challenges.
Gerard
