Making money on Istanbul's streets

Turkish people are inventive when it comes to making money.

At train and ferry stations there is always young girls 8 to12yrs to help explain the token system and after they have offered their advice they ask for a lire.

Public toilets have attendants who ask for a lire

There are many shoe shine men who ask for a lot more

There are bread vendors who have 3 types of snack bread

Guide book sellers, tour and restaurant touts are everywhere

There are very few outright beggars but many people sell small packets of tissues and this may be a more acceptable way of seeking help, Islam has something to say about begging.

There are tinkers who move around with a cart equipped with tools to cut sharpen weld and much more with metal.there is also the scrap collector who moves around with a cart collecting scrap metal and (unbelievably) plastic.

Possibly the most inventive are the scales people who weigh you for a lire. One of these was a blind man whose walking frame had a set o's scales built into the front.