Damascus and Beyond

Well, after more than three weeks my holiday has come to an end and i’m back at work.

My reporting has been spotty at best, due to my own lazy self and occasional problems with foreign internet capabilities. So i’ll wrap it up from the comfort and familiarity of my own computer.

When we last left our heroine she was in Goreme and had picked up sister from the bus station. We went to dinner at Mehmet’s restaurant, the Local Cafe, where the food is always fresh and tasty. We were visiting with Mehmet when a couple from New Zealand came in and sat down for dinner. Gail recognized them from the tour she had taken that day and we fell into conversation. Rebecca and Toby and already spent a few days in Istanbul and she had fallen under the spell of the carpets. I introduced them to Mehmet who had spent 30 years in the rug business and Rebecca had lots of questions and wanted a recommendation for an honest dealer in Istanbul. He told them to look up his friend Hussein and described the location of his shop, when it dawned on me that he was describing a Hussein I had met and had a date with two years ago. I had already planned to drop in on some of my old friends and thought it might be a place Gail could look for a carpet. Soon after Bekir walked up, and I was happy to see him. He said he had been looking around town for me the day before because he wanted to invite me to a barbeque they had had at his pension the night before. I was sorry to have missed him and he invited us to have breakfast at his hotel the next morning. After a bit he excused himself because he had been walking with some friends but said he would come back.

The next morning we went to the Anatolia for brekkie, which was a much nicer spread than we were used to at our place, the Melek. Fresh fruit and cheese filled borek pastries, and Bekir made me an omelet on request. Afterward he asked us what we wanted to do that day and offered to take us out and about.

He drove us all over that afternoon. First stop was in Urgup at one of the wine tasting places. Something I had always wanted to do there. It was only noon, and a bit early for wine, but we had a taste. We had a delightful afternoon and visited the small formerly Greek village of Mustafapasa. We walked down a dirt road toward some old ruins and we picked walnuts from a tree. Later Bekir hunted down the gatekeeper of an old Greek monastery which we explored, and later he treated us to lunch back in Urgup. We arranged to meet up later and returned to our hotel to freshen up and rest a bit. That evening we had dinner at the Sultan restaurant in town and once again Bekir picked up the dinner tab. We were leaving for Istanbul the next morning and it was sad to leave so soon after just getting reaquainted, but we said goodbye, again, and I sincerely hope I will return.

The next morning our airport shuttle forgot to pick us up and after a moment’s panic we got the hotel guy to drive us the 90 kilometers to Kayseri. We paid $40 for that privilege but a taxi would have cost double. Our hotel guy O, not sure if that’s the spelling, but that’s his name, was not happy, especially after Gail yelled at him the night before because he didn’t get a dead spider out of her bathroom drain. He probably hopes never to see us again.

Arrived Istanbul and glad to be back. After several visits to some hotels, and getting sticker shock at the increase in prices we ended up at the Star Hotel. A no frills place I had stayed at two years earlier, but a great location. We spent the rest of that day walking around the Sultanahmet neighborhood where I showed Gail some of the sights and made suggestions for places she should visit. Since i’ve visited most of the top tourist sights it wasn’t necessary that I see them all again especially since all the prices have gone up so we fell into a routine where she got up early and did sightseeing till noon or so and then we’d meet and do stuff together. Our five days in Istanbul went by very quickly. You think you have all this time and then before you know, it’s over.

Early on we stopped to see Hussein in his new shop which had moved across the street. I noticed right away the ring on the third finger of his left hand but when I asked him what he’d been up to for the past two years he said “oh, nothing.” I had to ask “did you get married?” He had, and had a four month old baby. Gail eventually ended up buying two carpets from him even though it turned out he was not the same Hussein that Mehmet had recommended to us.

We got together with Rebecca and Toby from New Zealand for dinner and since the restaurant was next door to another of my old carpet buddies we went there after dinner and hung out looking at more carpets. Gail hadn’t bought hers yet and found one of interest. We promised we would come back because she wanted to look more and Murat said he would bring more the next day for her to see. We inadvertently made a carpet faux pax the following day when Gail chose the two at Hussein’s. Seeing as how Murat is a nice guy and an acquaintance of mine we felt obligated to tell him and hopefully stop him in time before he made the effort of bringing more for her to see. She was nervous but we went over there anyway. He wasn’t there right away but came in soon hauling a load of carpets. He wasn’t too happy with our news but was gracious and seemed to accept the appology. When we saw Rebecca the following day she told us she had talked to him the day before as well and that he was a bit cross with us. Apparently we should have gone over there and looked at his carpets, saying nothing about the two Gail purchased. She then should have thanked him and said, “sorry, but I’m just not seeing the right thing.” It would have saved face all the way around, but instead the insensitive, but well meaning American clods caused hurt feelings. Now I know.

Found out where Ugur was working when I saw his former boss Suleiyman, and his friend Murat on the street. Gail and I were heading in the direction of the shop where he was now working and as we approached I could see, even with my bad eyes, his expression as we drew near. I wasn’t sure of the reception I would get since we hadn’t corresponded since I saw him two years ago, and because of some drama that had ensued but he seemed really happy to see me. Flirt mode alert. He walked with us to the the Egyptian Spice Market and made his friend at the caviar store give me a good price on my purchase. I saw him a couple of times and enjoyed his company.
So, all things considered it was a good time and inspite of rising prices I still love Turkey. May the fates see me back again someday sooner than later.

Love and Peace
Anita

Okay, I just spent an hour writing the most recent blog and went to publish it and…lost the bastard. Two whole Turkish Lira down the drain. So I guess I’ll just have to repeat everything that has disappeared into the ether. Update. First full day in Goreme I took an armload of laundry down to be washed. Everything but the clothes I had to wear and my underwear which I did not want Yashar, the guy who works at the hotel, to handle. He’s an endearingly goofy guy, who is always joking and laughing about something and it wouldn’t have surprised me if he had got all “teenage boyish” and made some snickering comment about my underpants. He wants me to call him Ushaklar, which I looked up in the dictionary and which means ‘servant boy’. He said “excuse me”, but since I was a boy blondes have always been a “hobby” of mine. Coming from anybody else it might seem tacky but from Yashar it was just funny and kind of cute. He is almost childlike in some ways and it’s hard to believe he has three sons who live in a town called Nigde over an hour from here. He only gets to see them once every couple of weeks or so. That’s not unusual in Turkey. You go where you can find work. Checked out the new leather store on the edge town which seems a bit large and almost slick for Goreme but I am looking for a wallet. Didn’t find one but had a nice long visit with a guy that works there. We talked carpets, not leather and he invited me back to visit. I have not decided if I will go. Being on the edge of town it’s not like I can just stroll by casually. It would be an obvious effort and I feel a little forward going back. After the visit with the leather/carpet guy I decided to visit Bekir, an old friend from my early Turkey days. I did not see him during my last visit and wasn’t even sure if he was still running the Anatolya Pension but I walked up the hill toward his place anyway, feeling a bit apprehensive. Bekir was sleeping when I arrived, trying to recover from some stomach problems. He didn’t seem too surprised to see me and we ended up visiting for several hours. He ended up giving me a ride back to my hotel on his motorcycle. I woke up with gut cramps the next morning and didn’t want to stray too far from the hotel. Not like you can actually stray all that far in Goreme. I can’t figure out what I ate that’s causing this. My stomach hasn’t been the same since the day before I left Aleppo. Usually I have the digestive system of a goat, but I guess all bodies are subject to changes in diet, lifestyle, etc. I decided to amuse myself by doing some hand washing and reading on the terrace. The day had turned windy and cooler and the sky to the west got very dark. Eventually I got bored and hungry and decided to go for some dinner. I almost had an anxious moment when I went to retrieve some money from an ATM. Within seconds of getting my money and card back the screen went black. At that moment it started pouring and an old guy in a kebap kiosk started waving me over to shelter from the rain. I sat in his little kebap stand and drank tea with him while he offered me bits of doner kebap (chicken pieces on a spit), while we tried to communicate. I thought about the hysteria I might be experiencing if the electricity in town had gone off five seconds sooner and my money and cash card had become trapped inside the ATM machine. What lucky timing. I wonder if, when the juice got turned back on, the transaction would be completed and money and card would have appeared on the scene for some lucky passerby to enjoy? Yashar buttonholed me as I was leaving the hotel to go to the bus station that evening. He wanted to come with me and I thought why not. Gail’s bus was about an hour later than expected because of some problem with a broken gate door at the Istanbul airport. When she relayed this to me, unable to fathom why they held up the flight to Kayseri for an hour because of this, I just said “welcome to Turkey” the land of illogical thinkers. Yashar, in all his childlike naivete exclaimed that he thought “I was beautiful, but after meeting my sister he decided she was even more beautiful.” I threated to kick his ass. I wonder if there is the Turkish equivalent for the word “tact” in the dictionary. No matter’, i’ve experienced this type of thing before and chalk it up to cultural differences. Still, he tells me that I make him happy and give him power (whatever that means). He routinely plucks flowers from the hotel bushes and gives them to Gail and I with much fanfare. Yesterday he told us that any guests staying over two days can take advantage of a personal, custom designed tour free from the hotel. We decided to take a couple of hours to do that and drove here and there so Gail could get a look at the scenery. They took us to an upscale carpet showroom where they had displays and demonstrations of the carpet weaving process. Dyes, and weavers and my favorite…the silk extraction. Large bags filled with silk worm cocoons slumped against the wall and we were treated to a demo of how they get the silk off the cocoon. It’s amazing and I could have watched it all day. Difficult to explain here, but it was a highlight for me. The threads are finer than a hair and if completely unraveled they will stretch over a mile and a half from one cocoon. We were both given souvenir cocoons. They are dry and if you shake them you can hear the dead worm rattle inside. After that we had the pleasure of viewing some very fine carpets including the mouthwatering silks. I have decided that if I ever have money I will collect silk carpets like some people collect oil paintings. They are works of art that take highly skilled weavers sometimes years to complete. I did not feel guilty about buying anything because they were expensive carpets and because we had walked by a large pile which the guy had pointed out as having been sold and awaiting delivery to their new homes. Last night we booked a Turkish Night evening with our hotel. It was touristy but an okay way to spend an evening and we have yet to be asked for payment. Gail keeps wondering about this but I figure it will show up on our hotel bill when we check out. I do not think for one minute that they have forgotten, and I wouldn’t let them, and after all, this is Turkey.

Gule Gule, Anita

Well, it's been a few days, and I believe when we last left our heroine she was flipping out about some imaginary problems regarding a train ticket. Yes, that sounds like me. I am not exactly high strung but I ... [Continue reading this entry]

Well, I think I have managed to ratchet down my stress level a few notches since I at least have my passport back in my possession. If anybody out there can tell me why exactly getting a train ticket can ... [Continue reading this entry]

Salaam friends and family. Tomorrow is my birthday and sadly, sniff, sniff, I will probably be celebrating alone. And a monumental birthday at that. My last year before official old ladyhood. Anyway, i'm now in Hama. Not much here except ... [Continue reading this entry]

Hello all, I have arrived. This is my second full day here and it's a bit sensory overload. Arrived at my hotel at 4:00 am Saturday and headed for the old city and the souks that afternoon. So many people, ... [Continue reading this entry]

I am confused by this site. I am curious if i'll be able to get it to work properly. Today is Monday, which means I have only three more days before I leave. I wish I was leaving later than ... [Continue reading this entry]

Why am I going to Syria? Hmmm? I needed a companion country for my ninth trip to Turkey and well, it was in the neighborhood. Also, it fit the bill on other fronts. I like the vibe from middle eastern ... [Continue reading this entry]