Four years ago we drove from the UK to Uzumlu via Istanbul in our pick-up truck. When looking for our hotel in Istanbul my wife got out to ask directions and unbeknown to us at the time dropped her bag containing 5000tl, £700, our passports, all our credit cards, driving licences and some other documents, we didn't know this until a while later.
Once we discovered the bag was missing, we asked a group of young men for further directions to a Polis station, one lad suggested we go to the hotel and get them to call the Polis for us.
He then squeezed into the front of the fully stacked truck and directed us about 3km to the hotel, got out, waved goodbye & walked back in the direction from which we had just come.
After lots of hunting around the area that we thought we had lost the bag, along with the Deputy Manager of the hotel who offered to accompany me (the Jandarma visited the hotel but didn't want to know) there followed calls to the Polis, long calls to the credit card companies & the British Embassy.
We had not prepaid the hotel but they offered to let us pay once we could get some emergency cash and said we could extend our stay if needed.
Late morning the following day, whilst using the hotel's office computer, phone, fax & printer, we were told that the Polis wanted to see me because our bag had been handed in.
Again another of the hotel staff accompanied me to act as interpreter.
When we got there the Polis Captain asked me to check inside - not a thing was missing, everything was there and didn't look like anything had been disturbed.
Absolutely Amazing!
I would like to think the same would happen in any country, but sadly I don't think it would.
