Tag: clothing

Turkish Towels At a Local’s Price?

M's Adventures
100 Lira per blanket

Turkiye is famous for its cotton towels. Some places sell these for 30 or more dollars or British pounds. Some are small and made for wrapping around the waist. Others are for using as blankets, beach towels, tablecloths, etc. I found a place where the small ones cost 100 Turkish Lira ($2.39) and the large ones cost 300 TL ($7.17). Should I have bargained?

200 Lira per tablecloth/beach towel/throw.
100 for these small ones.

The owners name is Serkan (There was someone else who worked there too but he seemed a bit giggly at the notion of a foreigner in the shop). Serkan spoke no English but was friendly and helpful. The store is located in old Adana city. It is not on Google maps. It is across the street from a shop called, “Demir organizasyon adana” which sells wedding stuff.

Serkan in front of the store.

I inadvertently bought quite a few things. I do not know if they take credit cards. I paid cash.

What to Wear in Adana

M's Adventures
Seen in Adana.

Whatever you want. This city is fairly relaxed about what people wear, be it shorts and tank tops, or fully covered.

I had heard that Adana was a “hot” city and maybe that’s why I see so many people in shorts and t-shirts.

This was a film crew down from Istanbul, but their clothes are typical of Adana.

Adana is sort of overlooked so people are left to do what they want and wear what they want.

And the locals are also warm and friendly like the weather. Except in traffic.

Swag and Merch for M’s Adventures

M's Adventures
Screenshot from the video.

Once in a while I get creative about swag, or “merch” as it’s called these days because everyone is selling t-shirts advertising their YouTube channels. I have done this in the past and made mugs, pens, mouse pads, t-shirts, notebooks, magnets, and whatever I could easily put a logo and design on. But, now, it’s for real. Maybe I will start selling “merch”? If you want to watch the video featuring the the new t-shirt, click here.

Front of the t-shirt at a beer tasting.

The easiest was making a t-shirt.

But I also wanted to make a dining scarf (instead of wearing a bib).

Two types of scarves.

I made all these designs on Canva. I’ve been unleashed on Canva and it is a joy. Compared to the days when one could not afford Photoshop or InDesign, now, it’s free or inexpensive. All these sites (Capcut, Canva, etc.) also make plain old business cards too.

Good old fashioned business cards.

Tight Is Better – Denim Jeans

M's Adventures

Denim jeans are very popular here in Colombia. And the tighter; the better (which makes me imagine that “jeggings” or “pajama jeans” must be popular here?)

A jeans shop in a small town outside Bogota.
A jeans shop in a small town outside Bogota.

Every time I see jeans, in all their glorious stone-washed, faded, painted, ripped, be-jeweled, and stretchiness, I think about when I visited a jeans factory in Bangladesh. There, I saw jeans in the thousands being processed for the textile market. There were work stations where sand paper was used on designated “worn” locations, other rooms with rows upon rows of workers spray painting jeans, or gluing bedazzle applique in rhinestone designs. In other rooms, razors were used to rip slashes, and stretch jeans were pre-stretched on balloon machines. In one room, jeans were wrinkled and pegged before traveling on a clothes line through a curing oven.

All for export. Because, denim, and stretch, was fairly uncommon on the local market in Bangladesh. Maybe it was all headed to Bogota?

Denim being processed in Bangladesh.
Denim being processed in Bangladesh.

As I explore Bogota, I’ve noticed an incredible number of “camiseta” shops. Oddly, I don’t notice an equal number of “pantalones” shops. I guess, if one has a clean new shirt, then one can conquer the world?