The Jacket Makers

Hi everyone,
I typed a log last night at the hostel where I've been staying, but combined with dodgy wiring, two computers, tv and heater in a room made for a light, the power dropped out and the log went to the abyss with so many other messages. Shame really.
My wandering has been limited quite a lot the last two days. Both my knees are sore to walk on, particularly down stairs. I've tried some stretches and they don't do much so I think I may have to rest for a bit... :( Maybe an 18 hour bus trip to Trobaz on the Black Sea. I'm going to get myself to the Otogar where the buses stop. If there's a bus leaving tonight for Trobaz I'll catch it, otherwise I'll head to Cappadocia on the 8pmer.
Despite the sore legs, or maybe because of them I've met some nice locals. Yesterday I wandered over to the Basilica Cistern (not too far away) and was greeted (accosted) on the way by a local. Normally I'd tell him to rack off but I had an afternoon to fill.
First stop was the carpet shop... a few cups of Cay (tea) later I got away from there (he was pretty hard to escape from), next stop was the leather jacket shop. I tried on quite a few jackets. I actually had that on my list of things I'd buy for the right price. They had some real nice jackets. As all salesman in Turkey ask 'How much you want it for?' I replied 'Guzel (beautiful) jacket, guzel, guzel... I don't want to offend.' 'How much?' I was out the back where they were making them so I kept saying 'I don't want to offend. Guzel jacket that I can't afford!' They wanted equivalent of $700 Aus and I offered $50. It's a beautiful jacket- full lamb skin so worth heaps more than $50 but I wanted to look around more. The salesman left after laughing that I couldn't even afford the stitching, leaving me to get to know two fine men (Ibrahim and Habil) and Marmit (16 year old boy) that make the jackets. (Ibrahim and Habil- if you are reading this... you will have to do a very good deal for me!!)
They are fantastic blokes. Hopefully I can get some pics up... a pictures definitely worth a thousand words.
I ended up staying out the back with them for about two and a half hours... a better measure would be six cups of Cay and four bowls of Asure later (sweet soup looking stuff with honey and lentils and berries??- I don't really know whats in it. It looks bad but tastes fantastic). I was really quite stuffed full when I left. We had a lot of fun though. Ibrahim was quite funny. When ever I complemented him he'd go to give me a high five and purposefully miss and than laugh. I taught him the slicking the hair back version which he found quite amusing. We found the word joker in the translation dictionary and he'd keep saying 'I'm the jerk, I'm the jerk'. I'm like 'No, no... not jerk, JOKER!' And he'd keep saying 'Yes, yes I'm the jerk!' Eventually I let him be the jerk cos he was very happy.
Amongst our conversations of countries, families, making leather jackets, etc I discovered they love chocolate... so today I popped around with few blocks of chocolate for them. They were pretty happy.