Turkey Post, Finally

I've been neglecting posting lately. Mostly that's because of access to a computer. I'm writing this from my phone, which I hate. It's hard to type long prose and I basically can't proof it, not that I do too much proofing anyway. So FYI.

After all that fuss that the picketing agent gave me in Bangkok, all I had to do was walk up, say I wanna go in Turkey, and they gave me a visa. When I got to immigration, the hardest part was the 5 min. line I had to wait in. I'm not sure one person looked at me to see if I was even the same sex as on my passport. I guess it may be because they have women with burkas comings through all the time and checking a passport against a small slit where you can only see their eyes really means nothing. No, they don't have to remove them, but yes, you as a man will need to remove your hat.

I know I sorta mentioned all that before, but I wanted to transition into burkas. It was really strange being around that many people with burkas (about 30% of the woman in Istanbul). The purpose is supposed to be for men, so they don't get sex crazed. The bridge of the nose, neck, ankles, and some other spots are, according to the culture, the sexiest parts on a woman. So why not get a one for all? I think its a power thing really and I feel sorry for them. At least I think they aren't as repressed as they used to be. One odd thing is that after I left Istanbul, I rarely saw burkas. I did see full body attire that was obviously meant as a burka alternative. Even full body baggy swim suits. The other odd thing is that they have some pretty racy things on tv and print like sex scenes and chicks barely dressed.

The other thing I don't get about them, and this goes for the men too in trousers and long sleeve button ups, is how do they deal with the heat? I've heard the explanation that it's more efficient use of body moisture or that it keeps you cooler. Bullshit. I've had to wear the same thing as those dudes for work or just cause I didn't plan well from a bus trip, and I sweat my ass off. The first chance I can, I change into shorts and a normal shirt and feel way cooler. I don't buy that explanation.

Anyway, the day after I got in I had a mission. I wanted new shorts cause the crotch of my blue shorts wore through and was gaining ground. I went shopping and within minutes felt really under-dressed. Like I mentioned, they all wear slacks, nice shoes, etc. It looks like they are going to work, but someplace really swanky. Like everything I shop for, I can never find the right requirements all in one. Most of the time I comprise, but I couldn't find anything close and all I wanted was some cargo shorts with deep front pockets made with a durable material in blue. Nope, too much to ask. I had to wait till Ürgüp to find them.

As I was walking about, the food vendors would harass me. It's Turkey's version of the tuk-tuk. They will try to shake your hand and if you oblige, they won't let go till their routine is through. I never tested it, but many would say if you don't love it, I'll buy it for you. They're pretty nice though. Some will give you stuff if you're a visitor. One guy I saw twirling what looked to be pizza dough, started up a conversation. It turned out to be ice cream. After I told him I didn't want any, he told me that it was his treat.

Another thing about the food is there are no paleo dishes, save salads. I did have a few of those, but they don't keep me full for very long. Everything else is sugar packed. Sandwiches are huge here in more ways than one. If you see something at a buffet place that looks paleo, they'll throw rice in it or it'll have tons of potatoes. I even saw fresh muscles being served. Nope, they were precooked with rice, then reshelled. There were a couple places in Turkey that I found paleo dishes, but to fill up, I would have had to have two dishes and that would cost $20. Plus, they are known for their sweets (Turkish delights). No wonder 90% of the dudes here are fat, they couldn't escape carbs if they wanted.

So, after a failed day of shopping, I figured I'd do some sightseeing. They next day I went around to the big mosques. From the outside they are very very impressive. From the inside, they are basically one giant domed room, with separate, hidden from view, spots for women. Oh, those women! Always trying to be equal! Bah. The inside does have very nice pattering painted all over, but nothing that really reaches the over-doing it thing that the catholic church has going for it.

After that I kinda just wandered. I walked to the palace, but didn't feel like paying to see the harem, which I learned only mean private. So, it was the private area for the king and his family and mistresses, not solely where he'd bang his mistresses. In fact, the kings mom often taught the mistresses how to do shit like read. Some of the harem slave girls he doesn't even fuck.

Since I didn't want to pay I just wondered some more. One of the things that I loved about Turkey is that they really treat you well as a guest. They take pride in playing host. Well, other than the occasional jerk or money scam guy. Or if you're Portuguese, you'll get purposely ripped off by the guy carrying cherry juice by the mosques. I often got asked if I need help finding something or needed help with getting somewhere. Or the ice cream thing. Or some things I'll mention further on. The only problem was that English isn't that common. So, most of the help came in Turkish.

Side note - I might be in the back ground of a Turkish movie. They were filming, and unlike the rigamarole of our movies, they didn't close off the streets and stuff. They did try occasionally to get people out of the way, but it only worked sometimes. I was leaning on a street light watching and I think because I wasn't acting like a idiot and staring at the camera, they didn't care. So, maybe...

I met up with Evan one night. He was the kiwi from NYC I met in Kanchanaburi. Not sure what to make of him. He did give me some good advice. He told me to go to the islands outside Istanbul. They are 7 Lira (L) ($4) round trip. I took his advice. Afterward, I advised others to do the same.

There are 4 islands that the ferry goes to. They all have a nice little port area for tourists, but the last two have other things you can walk to like a beach or viewpoint. I went to the last one on Evan's advice. I did forget what he told me to do, so I just started walking uphill. The islands have no cars except that of maintenance vehicles, but they still have nice roads cause they have horse carriages. I walked to the top of a hill and there was this massive wooden house. Luckily, a group happened to arrive at the same time. One asked, in English, for me to take their photo, so I asked what the building was. The girl told me that it used to be an orphanage and is the second largest wooden building in the world. I took some photos for FB.

I walked around a bit more, mostly looking for a place to swim, but all the beaches are pay. I think it's clear that I have a hard time justifying paying for things like that, but it doesn't help their case that they wanted $25 L. Does the beach come with a blow job? I did find a spot near the marina that had a pier with a ladder where I saw some people swimming. I swam in my boxers and since I neglected to bring my towel, I had to throw on my shorts with wet undies. I got some strange looks, probably cause it looked like I pissed my pants, but it's probably because I'm so sexy.

When I got back, the hostel was supposed to have a party. It was a really odd party, involving about a dozen people yelling over strange music in a really dimly lit basement. It kinda reminded me of some beta parties. I didn't expect much since my hostel was weird to begin with. They had a ton of anti-capitalist and anarchist propaganda everywhere. That stuff attacks a strange crowd. Not to mention that most neohippies are stuck up dicks. So, the non hippies talked to each other during the party, not being allowed in the few hippies that graced us with their presence discussions.

I had to stay a day longer than I wanted because the buses were full to go to Samsun. I couldn't get a bus straight to Sinop, and I should've connected through Ankara, but figured Samsun would be just as nice since it is on the black sea not far from Sinop. But, when I got to Samsun I immediately caught a bus to Sinop (it was that nice). I never want to take a long bus again. Anything is better. I was confused as to why we stopped a few times in the middle of the night, like in SE Asia, but each time was 20+ min. I found out later it was cause none of the buses have bathrooms in Turkey. Thats new. I still don't get the 20+ min. That's excessive even for shitting. With the exception of SA, the buses are terrible and hard to sleep on. Plus, it brings out the worst in people. Stupid little things like cutting in line or walking through you, or being rude to people. Or they decide 2:30am till 6:30am is the best time to have a conversation. Please, don't even make an effort to have it quietly. What needs to be discussed for four hours at that time? I'm not sure I can have a four hour conversation at any hour. It's not just other people though; I find myself being cynical on the buses as well.
I arrived in Sinop and through some struggling found a place that would rent for 30 L a night. What I found is that Turkey is not set up for the budget traveler. There are some camping grounds, but I don't have any camping gear and sent my sleeping bag back with Ivy.

Speaking of people from home and related to this whole job thing in London, I have been talking with Ivy and my parents. The gist of it is that it is the same thing I was doing, but in London. Originally, it was looking like Sydney or Singapore, but a lot of things have been going on staffing wise with GC. I also don't think he wanted to pay for my flight. I'd been talking to Ivy about it and mentioned that it might be London. This got her super excited for some reason. My parents too. The guy, Dave, wanted me to start this month, but that was a bit unreasonable. I told him a couple demands I had, which basically amounted to if Ivy can't find a job in London, it means she can't come. If she can't come, I'd rather go home. I'm not going to go into detail as to why this is the case or what my other reasons are. It just is the case. Plus, and this won't make sense to a lot of you, but the fact that I'm not super excited to do it sticks out to me. After what I've learned this year, listening to my intuitions is a big one. I should be excited, but I'm not. This is most likely a once in a lifetime opportunity to work for 4ish months, doing cat analyst work in London that I don't plan on ever doing again after that. But, I just can't get excited. When I think about it, I get more excited about being a mechanic, which I have no training and no interest in. I'm not against this job in London, I just couldn't care less if I don't get it. It's not even close to the end of the world, and, because of my intuition, I think that there's a good chance that something more in line with my ambitions will turn up when I get back. Maybe it will be in another place as well.

My parents are pushing me to do it pretty hard and what seems like to take it under any conditions. Not entirely sure why. My guess is that they're scared that I won't be able to get a job when I get home cause I have a giant gap on my resume or something. The thing is, I've seen how many possibilities their are out there. I'm no longer concerned about jobs. There are endless ways to make living (and other alternatives) to pursue a dream. It's hard though. I don't want them to think I'm fucking up my life. As I mentioned in my last post, I'm finally seeing things clearer than ever. I know what's best for my life; know what my ambitions and dreams are; know that these are things that can't take a back burner to making a comfortable living; and know that you must always be striving to them with deliberatation. I'm not underestimating things. Taking the risks necessary to continually realize your dreams may sometimes mean failing; may not always be easy. I think it might be hard for my parents cause they're not seeing things the same way. Maybe its a generational thing; maybe its that they've done it one way their whole lives and have a hard time seeing things from the angle I am now seeing things; maybe it's cause they worked hard to give me a comfortable life and this lifestyle choice may seem like a slap in the face. I assure you it's what you raised me to do, just not exactly how you thought I'd do it. In any case, mom and Don, please don't worry so much, because I'm not. Its probably tough to let go of me being your child, but, I got this one coach. There might be some unorthodox plays, but everything will work out.

Back to Sinop. I love having conversations where neither party speaks the others language. The older the person the less attempt there is to understand too. I've had a couple of these in different parts of the world. The other person is maybe telling you about their life or family or maybe even that you Americans suck. You are telling them about the time you drove up the east coast of OZ or when you ate a guinea pig or about your family. They are most likely unrelated topics, but neither of you seem to care or make any attempt to understand. The 80 old guys running my pansiyon (guesthouse) were like this. Neither spoke a lick of English, one was a little bit grumpy and the other was super pleasant and would chuckle at the littlest things, and he wore suspenders which always is adorable. The giggly old man and I would exchange some words if I wasn't in a hurry to go somewhere.

Sinop is located on the Black Sea, on a norrow strip inbetween the mainland and a peninsula. At the entrance, there are ruins of an old fortress and further into the town there is a wall that is about 2,000 years old, but has been built up, knocked around, fixed, etc. over time. There are still a few spots where the old part of the wall is still visible under the newer (1000 year old) additions. There are also a couple beaches. One is on the northern part to the strip near the old fortress. The water there is really cold. If know someone with a car, or you are willing to make a really long walk, there is another beach where most of the locals go on the southern side, outside the city. The water is much more pleasant here, but it's more crowded and I think Mehmet was trying to warn me that there are fights and people will steal your belongings.

Mehmet is a deaf guy I met from a cafe that I went to a couple times. Side note - Turkish coffee, and Greek for that matter, is not good. They leave the grounds in it. You get only a few sips before you hit them (Greek gives you a little more room). You can try to add some water again, but it doesn't do much. Sinop was the first place (and last) I tried it - end side note. I mainly went to the cafe to check emails and IM since my pansiyon didn't have wifi. The last evening, I swung by and was just sitting on the steps IMing, and Mehmet who I'd seen with the owners each time I went in there, started "talking" to me. Later, a girl whom was associated with the owners, and the owners them selves all started "talking" to me. At first it was just really the same old where are you from, what is your name, yada yada. I must point out that no one spoke any English, so the talking was a lot of gesturing, slow speech, and occasionally a translator. I forgot I have a language translator on my phone that works when I have wifi. After a little while, IMing was impossible because I didn't want to be rude to these folks. They seemed like nice people, they wanted to show me the waterfront walk (which I'd already seen), and when we walked it they struted around a bit. I think they were showing me off in a way - look we're friends with an American... We came back to the cafe and they went to an ice cream place and brought some back for everyone, including me. Later, when I realised it was past midnight and my pansiyon was locked up, they woke the giggly old man for me. They also invited me for breakfast with them and Mahmet was keen on taking me to the locals beach I mentioned.

I arrived for "breakfast" at noon. I had spent the morning wondering the town, seeing the last few places that I hadn't been yet like to the top of the wall tower that over looked the marina. Lunch, or as they called it breakfast, was eggs, sliced tomatoes and onions, a dish of freed fries with sliced hot dog, olives, some fruit, and of course bread. They also served çay (pronounced chai, but not related) tea with it. Later they gave me some sort of juice soda as well. Mehmet was running around for most the day so we didn't get to the beach till about 5. Turned out that Mehmet was the easiest to communicate with, probably due to only relying on gestures to get him through life and gestures don't rely on language. He was pretty funny too. There really wasn't much to look at at the beach. He wanted to show me some cute woman, actually wearing as little as swim suits, and the big buff beach guys you see at LA beaches. It was just families and he was visibly disappointed.

After the beach, we came back and Mehmet went home to sleep. He had to take some drugs that make his head fuzzy. I was a bit worried when him and one of the others drove off with my stuff in his bag. It had my phone and a couple other things in it. I just had to tell myself that it'd be fine. I was let out at the cafe, so I told the other owner that he had my stuff and he called to make sure his colleague brought it back. I had nothing to worry about as he brought it right back after Mehmet went to his apartment to sleep. A couple hours later I was on a bus headed for Ürgüp via Ankara.

As luck would have it, I was fortunate to sit next to the surliest old man. He brought his own cushion, had a sour look on his face the whole trip, grunted about nothing the whole time, got upset at the person in front of him for reclining, but decided it was fine for him to recline, he sang to himself in a really mean sounding tone and loud enough for others to hear, turned on the tv attached to the chair in front to play the entire night even though he slept, and sat with his legs spread way apart. To top it off I'm pretty sure he was farting or he just smelled strongly of old man, which I'm pretty sure he tried to blame other people for the smell. Luckily, a row open up across the aisle after a couple hours. Still, I didn't sleep much cause the seats are made just slightly off so that it is very hard to find a comfortable position.

When I arrived in Ürgüp it was midday and we passed some of the cave dwellings that the area is famous for - Google Cappadocia or see my FB. Not having slept though I took a huge nap after checking in. My plan for Cappadocia was to see a 2000+ year old underground city and to visit some of the hidden churches and dwellings carved into the strange rock formations and cliffs of the area. There were some of the dwellings in Ürgüp, but they aren't spectacular. The better known and easier to get to are in a nearby town Gorëme. I did like the town of Ürgüp a lot though. The main part of town is really tiny. It has a row of shops about one street wide and three long, with a couple of open areas for cafes and just sitting around. There is also a ridge that over looks much of the town, but the best part is a dramatic semicircle part that stands 250 meters above the square I mentioned. The views from the cafe that sits atop this are pretty spectacular. I woke with enough time an energy to walk this ridge, grab dinner, read some back at my place, then back to bed.

Perhaps its them wanting everything to run smoothly for guests to their country or maybe they wanted to give work to a friend (probably both), but both my hotel guy, so other random, and the driver of my bus into Ürgüp said my plans would be quite difficult for me to do, esp. cause I don't speak Turkish. They all recommended I take a tour because it'd be easy. I did not. I found that English was quite easy to get by with in Ürgüp and that even the tour operators were helpful regardless of my interest in taking one. To see one of the more famous underground cities you have to take two buses. I found it as simple as taking a map with the names of where you want to go. Tell the bus driver the name and they will alert you to the stop to get off at and may provide some detail in where or when the connecting bus will be. Seeing the things I wanted here was, in fact, easier than anywhere I've been. I found myself laughing about how hard they said it'd be. And then, bam! Food poisoning.

But first, the underground city, which was awesome. It is a series of interlocking chambers like kitchens, living rooms, wineries, living quarters, and tunnels (you must be comfortable in tight spaces). This city dug into a a rock outcropping on a hill, and housed tens of thousands of people. It was a defensive maneuver. They were hard to find and once you did, unlike a city, you couldn't just bulldoze your way through. You had to follow their disorienting tunnels, where they fired arrows or spears at you through little holes in another chamber you have no idea how to get to. They also built in rolling stone doors where once your army was inside, they'd roll behind you and escape by rolling another behind them, trapping you in. Oh, only after starting a fire so that you'd be smoked to death. The obvious downfall was food. They had enough food storage for a long time, but if the enemy was patient enough, they could've starved them out. I highly recommend seeing one if you find yourself in Turkey.

I ate lunch in Kaymakli, where the cave is (the town is a shithole), before going back to Ürgüp. The food poisoning either came from this or from about 200 grams of cherries I bought off the street when I got back. In any case, as far as food poisoning goes, it wasn't that bad. Though I was in pain from cramping stomachs and felt nauseous, I wasn't exploding out either end. I didn't sleep well during the painful period, so I slept a lot, restlessly, afterward. I forced myself up around 1pm to eat. I was weak and a little dizzy, which required me to stop a few times. My appetite was shot; I couldn't even finish a salad. After lunch, I went back and fell asleep again. I forced my self up again for dinner. Same thing though. This time though, I started feeling better by the time I got back to my pansiyon. So I read a bit and back to bed.

I was able to see the Christian churches carved into the cliffs at the open air museum outside of Gorëme because my bus to Çeşme left in the evening of the next day. Side note - ç is "ch", and ş is "sh" - end. I'd recommend the open air museum too. There are some well preserved art inside some of the chapels. The best one is the "dark" church, which is extra, but worth it. I might be imagining this, but of the art I saw, it seemed as if the exposed skin of the paintings, esp. the faces, were particularly worn, or I think, scraped off. It seemed too coincidental to not be the case that some people at some time purposely fucked up the white skinned Christian images. Anywho, much of the museum was closed for reconstruction or something, so I visited the town of Gorëme before my bus back. It was pleasant to the eye. It had nice shops and open spaces, with a canal (dry at my time) through the middle. Still it was a little to Disney for me and was glad I was staying in Ürgüp.

Çeşme was the next stop. It is on the Aegean sea, right across from Chios, Greece. I didn't have much reason to choose it. It was between three cities where I could connect to Greece and that was the closest. There are supposed to be much better Turkish cities along that coast, but I didn't have time. The town isn't much to write about, there is a fairly intact fortress next to the bay and you can visit it, though I'm saving my money for a fortress or castle of a little more grandeur or importance. The city's bay is remarkably clean, esp. compared with almost every city boardering any body of water I've been to this year. There isn't a spot to swim right in the center cause its for boats and there are no ladders out, but there is a great swimming hole within five min. One that has a little 2 meter shelf you can dive off of. The water is the perfect temp right now and the most amazing thing is I can float here. For those that know me well, they know I sink like a stone. I am aware of the tactics used to float on one's back, hell my brothers were on swim teams, but within no more than five seconds I am vertical and going under. Here, it takes almost no more effort but a kick every couple minutes. Because there's so much more buoyancy here I can swim much longer and easier. So, that's been the majority of what I did there. Wake, read, eat/people watch, swim, eat/people watch, read, sleep. Not a bad way to spend a couple days there.

Oh, and I want to mention for my purposes really, the great convo I had with James, an expat from England, on the day before I left. His wife, whom he was avoiding like the plague over a few lunch beers (she was in cleaning for guests mode), was from the Twin Cities. From what James described, they seemed to share a lot of the characters as my family from the same area, and turned into quite a funny conversation. That's it, just a really pleasant old chap.

Another little note is that the older gentlemen in Turkey, and so far in Greece as well, love playing games. There are a bunch of cafe bars specifically for them, some which are small and some which have three dozen or more old men shouting, slamming dice or what look like rumicubes, laughing, smoking, some drinking. It's great to see. They are everywhere; not tucked away at some social club. Main street areas will have these places, but you'll sometimes see a couple outside on a stoop playing. The other great thing is the stooping. Seriously, hours a day are spent sitting on a stoop, alone, with friends, heckling or cat calling (all playfully), or making new friends. Sometimes, they'll pull out some food or drink from nowhere and share it with you if you stoop it up with them for a little while, even if you can't talk to each other. The stooping is mostly men, but women do it too, and the ages are generally older, but you'll find younger people doing it too. It's as if they have all the time in the world. Beautiful.

D

 

P.S. I left for Greece on the third. I'll write about that separately and try to do it with some more frequency so that the posts aren't this enormous. Plus, two book reviews.