Istanbul Not Constantinople…
Had a good day of diving my last day in Kas. Met a nice Turkish couple who now reside in Tel Aviv – will probably go see them when I finally get to Israel.
Our guide for the dives was a slapstick guy named Oray. He actually took the time to sketch out the dive geography and profile on a whiteboard. I almost fell over – most dive guides in this part of the world are way too relaxed about this part of the job. I was reassured and happy he took the time to make the dive better for all of us.
Across our two dives, saw perhaps more barracuda than I’d ever seen – sinister but beautiful creatures traveling in small packs. We visited a midsized wreck that was covered in mud and thus fairly well-preserved. And our small group of divers was well-synchronized – no lone wolves racing off to check something out 50 meters away. Pretty close to the perfect day of diving – much better than I’d had in Ayvalik. A shout out to Sirena Dive Shop in Kas for putting it all together – for a fee, of course.
Had lunch with my fellow divers when we got back to town. Then we parted and I went back to my hotel to watch the highlights from Game 5 of the Red Sox-Rays baseball playoff game, in which the Sox came back from a 7-0 deficit to win. Watched the big plays, then packed and went to the bus station to catch my bus overnight to Istanbul. The manager of Kalahay Hotel, Deniz, gave me a lift to the otogar – I had a very comfortable stay at Kalahay and as I mentioned last week, was lucky that Deniz had come and snatched me from the bus station when I arrived a couple days earlier. Sometimes everything works out even when you’re lazy and unprepared…
When we were diving, one of the Tel Aviv-based Turks, Erol, told me that Turkish buses are equipped with the equivalent of ‘flight recorders,’ which measure speeds and problems. Since these were installed a few years ago, the drivers have dramatically slowed their speeds and accidents have dropped as well. Turkish drivers are pretty wild and this was good news.
Overall, traveling in Turkey, largely by bus, is easy and smooth. Lots of companies, lots of competition, and the buses are usually newish and comfy. The only issue is that the otogars are often out of town and you don’t always have a servis shuttle to and fro. Otherwise, it’s a user-friendly and flexible system.
As our bus pulled out of the Kas otogar, some mellow Turkish music came on. We traveled for a while on the coastal road, back to Fethiye, and then turned inland and north, towards Istanbul. I had someone next to me so wasn’t able to stretch out that much – and didn’t sleep much either. Oh well.
As the sun set and I tried to settle and get comfortable, I reflected on recent weeks and thought that I could easily do this for years. The traveling had been so random and full of flavor and adventure, and without much ordeal. We’ll see what happens.
Had just finished Queen Noor’s book, ‘Leap of Faith.’ Good book through and through – right-wing Israelis (and AIPAC) certainly wouldn’t like or agree with it, but I thought she did a fairly balanced job highlighting King Hussein’s life and deeds, and I learned a lot from reading this book. Kalahay Hotel, amongst its other charms, had a book exchange on the roof terrace so dropped this off and picked up Elizabeth Gilbert’s ‘Eat Pray Love,’ a recent bestseller which appeared a bit of a chick-book but perhaps worth a read.
Recalled that Murad, our kayak guide from a couple days earlier, had told us a bit about the Kurdish ‘problem’ in the east. His point of view was that the fighting was mostly a smokescreen for drug smuggling on and around the border with Iraq and other nearby nations…and that prominent Turks were involved and happy to see the current instability continue. Interesting, and made good sense. I’m by no means sufficiently informed to say yea or nay to that, but sometimes these ethnic struggles do seem to go on forever, well past their shelf life. Kurds more or less have a semi-indie homeland in northern Iraq these days, and while Kurds aren’t monolithic and while some certainly want to ‘liberate’ parts of Turkey as well, the drug argument is provocative and I think it holds some water.
On the long ride to Istanbul, a Turkish couple who spoke English befriended me and told me how long we’d be stopping, how much longer we had to go, etc. As I’ve written nearly every week I’ve been here, Turks are terrific hosts and they’re amongst my favorite people. I exclude, of course, Turkish cabbies and restaurant maitre ‘d’s.
Read for a few hours…listened to a slew of podcasts…didn’t study my Turkish phrasebook…slept a bit. Pulled into Istanbul’s otogar around 9:30 a.m. Saturday. Got on a minibus into the city – worked my way back to Side Pension, where I stayed before. Istanbul felt pretty familiar, which was good – I’d be showing friends Dri and Lisa around the city, to the extent that I could.
Checked in – and wouldn’t you know it, I heard my name called, and it was Ray and Bev, the Aussie couple I’d met in Ayvalik and seen in Bergama as well. They were staying at Side too. World couldn’t be smaller, sometimes. Caught each other up on where we’d been, then I dropped my pack and went out for a bit. Ate a few things – stretched my legs – traded texts with Dri, who was already at her hotel and was waiting for Lisa, her sister.
Went back to Side, they had my mail package from Boston. Cracked that open and the volume was reasonable – lots of magazines, and the only letter requiring attention was from Blue Cross, my health insurer, telling me that my premiums would rise starting in December, did I want to pick a cheaper plan? Yes, I did. More on that later.
Read my Tufts University mag – noticed that one of the main characters in the TV show Heroes was a Tufts grad from 1996, by the name of Sendhil Ramamurthy. Quite cool. Also saw a piece in there about a guy a year behind me named Josh Seftel, who recently connected with me on Facebook and who’s a filmmaker. He shot ‘Taking on the Kennedys’ a few years back, and he recently made a movie with John Cusack and some other stars – might be called War, Inc. Finally, and I certainly didn’t know this, saw a blurb in the mag about Jessica Biel having gone to Tufts not long ago, and that she dropped out when she hit it big. Tufts – home of the stars. I knew it all along.
Met up with Dri and Lisa in the afternoon. I’d snuck a nap so was feeling fine. Had a good few hours with the ladies – first, Turkish coffee and a long catchup call, during which time I got a call from Ken in Europe. He and Dri know each other, so they talked for a bit. Then we walked around town, and when the sun set we went to the nargileh/tea café where Hartmut and I’d gone a few weeks earlier. Had an orange-tobacco waterpipe and some tea – very relaxing. Dri and Lisa are voluble, so we had lots to talk about. Who would have known, 20 years ago, when we were in school together, that we’d one day be here together? And our 20th reunion is next May, so I’m trying to get Dri and other fave classmates to attend.
After our waterpipe, we were famished (but the tobacco was just tobacco – seriously) so went to a kofte (meatball) place for a sizeable feast. After that, some sweets, then Dri and Lisa went back to their hotel to crash – neither had had a nap that day and they were jet-lagged. As for me – I went to a bar in Sultanahmet and had a beer, but was also a bit tired and wanted to get going on my pile of magazines. We’d be moving on in a couple days and I hated the idea of lugging a huge bag of reading material.
Next morning, got up very early and watched Game 6 of the Sox-Rays series. Josh Beckett pitched a solid game and we won. Series tied 3-3. Incredible – could the Sox pull out yet another series in which they were down 3-1? We’d see.
Met up with Dri and Lisa. Walked to the Grand Bazaar – but it was Sunday and closed. Ugh. Rejiggered plans and instead went over to the Galata Bridge. Dri and I ate mussles from a vendor – Dri was a big fan. These mussles are steamed, most likely, and then stuffed with rice – you’ve gotta try them to believe how good they taste. The little kiosk serving these is called Tarihi Eminonu Balikcisi, and also serves fish sandwiches (batik ekmek) which are superb – I just can’t walk by this place without getting one.
We then walked over the Galata Bridge, avoiding fishermen casting long lines into the Golden Horn. Took the Tunel funicular up the hill to Istiklal Caddesi. Visited Galata Tower, Lisa and Dri went up for a view of the city. I’d been there before, with Zee, so stayed downstairs and read Sports Illustrateds. Plowed through two before they came back down. Who says I’m not productive these days??
Walked around Beyoglu. We each got a kumpir, a heavily stuffed baked potato. We were well and truly stuffed ourselves after that, walked some more to digest the portion. Got up to Taksim Circle, then turned around and walked back. Lisa talked us into attending the monthly whirling dervish show – which was alright, not that exciting but I suppose authentic enough:
Later that night, caught a taxi from Sultanahmet to Beyoglu for dinner. Taxi flagfall was reasonable, just 2 lira. I was sitting in the front, talking to Dri and Lisa in the back. After we crossed the Horn I looked at the meter and it was already up to 23 lira. Hmmm…I said something to the driver, he replied that the river drive was long. Not good enough. I said this fare was much more than what I’d paid last time – he muttered something back. But after this exchange, the meter barely moved, even though it was another 10-15 minutes in the taxi. Final tab was 28 lira. We paid but left no tip, and I bitched at him as we left the taxi. I think he was monkeying with the meter using a foot pedal or hidden hand control. I think Lisa was a bit annoyed that I was vocal and annoyed…but I hate thieving cabbies, I hate getting overcharged in general, and I’m willing to be perceived as cheap in order to make my point. I should have taken his license plate or driver ID and reported it. Next time I will – seriously.
Found a good meyhane (tavern/resto) in Beyoglu. Had a very fun dinner consisting entirely of meze, raki and white wine. Loads of old Tufts stories retold and embellished. I love nights like these. Am fully expecting more during our 20th reunion next May.
This place also overcharged us. We complained about the price of the wine, they lowered it – but we probably should have scrutinized the bill more closely. I felt a bit badly, I’ve been traveling for years and still manage to occasionally get screwed. Dri and Lisa are also highly experienced (they grew up in Rome, the world capital of thieving service providers), but still I felt a bit responsible and from now on I promise to be even cheaper and more discerning…
Had my camera with me – got a couple nighttime shots of Aya Sofya and Blue Mosque, without flash. I think the colors are much richer this way…
Got up early the next morning to watch Game 7 of the baseball series. This time the Sox lost, after taking an early lead on a Dustin Pedroia homer. Bummer. Would have been an all-time classic sports tale if they had come all the way back, again, but it wasn’t to be. Tampa had a tough team and this just might be their year. I think the Sox will be back strong next year, and I suppose I can wait. The only positive, if there is one, is that my early mornings will finally be free and clear. Between baseball playoffs and election debates, I’ve gotten up at dawn around 10 times in the past month or so. Do you feel sorry for me?
Heard that Colin Powell endorsed Obama. Wow – not an insignificant endorsement. Of course, Fox News dismissed it as a racial matter. The mere fact that Fox News has a sizeable following is really an indictment of the American mentality…their people are like overaged fratboys hanging around the frathouse 20 years after they graduated. Fat, dumb, and unwelcome. Colin Powell, despite his missteps in the Bush Admin (he had plenty of trogs pushing him into the fire), is an honorable guy and I think his endorsement speaks volumes about the GOP and McCain. Maybe it’s not too late to save Powell’s legacy after all…
Monday, Dri and Lisa did their thing while I caught up on various tasks. Paid my bills and updated my financial records. Ugh. Voted – not that simple a task. Had to download and print a couple forms, fill them out, then find a post office. Unfortunately, the city of Newton, Mass. didn’t send my absentee ballot till 2 weeks before the election date, so it didn’t come in time for my mail drop. Thankfully, there is the online/printout option, but it’s a pain. Still, had to vote and did it.
Did laundry. Went to the tailor to get my daypack and electronics cord pack sewed up. The tailor visit was uneventful this time – nobody came in with a split pair of pants. Then had lunch, and took a nap. These early morning ballgames take a bite out of me.
En route to the hotel, saw a brand-new Corvette parked near the Aya Sofya. Talk about juxtaposition of old and new. If the Corvette has anywhere near the longevity of Aya Sofya, the US auto biz just might have a chance…
Got a text from former colleague Kristina. We made plans to have dinner that night. I was looking forward to getting some new gossip from her, and seeing what she was up to.
Read my emails – heard from good friend and former colleague Eric that he was leaving the firm and taking on a strategy job with Ayala Corp. in Manila. Eric’s Filipino and was looking to get back home, this new gig sounds tailor-made for him. I felt both happy and sad to get his news – he was the last one of us left at the firm from our Aussie project back in 2000 in Sydney, a project that was a professional highlight for all four of us, I’m quite sure. Oh well, time flies and we all move on. Eric and I will see plenty of us each, I’m sure, as I get to the RP fairly often, and might be back there again in March 2009.
Met Kristina in Beyoglu that night. Went to a hip new place called Otto, drank a few beers and had cheeseburgers. I didn’t work with Kristina at the firm, she was usually in London or Istanbul and I was in East Asia and Oz, but we had always gotten along well and it was high time we sat down and had a long chat. Lots of changes at the firm – another longtime colleague, Jim, has left – he was my mentor for a couple years and I always thought the world of him. Gotta get his new email address and track him down.
We talked for nearly 3 hours and I had a great time. I need one of these conversations every couple months, they help connect me with my past. I lead such an untethered life, which I generally enjoy, but it’s good to have a bit of grounding as well.
Said bye to Kristina and walked back to Sultanahmet, over the bridge, took about 40 minutes. Saw the late-night fishermen on the bridge, there are people with rod and reel there at all hours. Walking around a city late-night is one of the best ways to get a sense of the place – the people up and around in the wee hours are the heart and soul of the place.
Before sleeping read the local paper – there’s a huge trial in Istanbul of a group called Ergenekon. These people are accused of lots of hanky-panky in the cause of inciting the army to rise up and declare yet another coup. Murder, kidnapping, etc. – lots of charges against this organization. I don’t know much more than thap, but it does seem a real struggle for the identity of Turkey.
Next day, my last in town, had a few hours before getting on a bus to the central Anatolian region of Cappadocia, where I’d meet Dri and Lisa next. They were in Ephesus today, on a very long day trip. I did a few novel things – got on a ferry to Uskudar, in Asian Istanbul, where I walked a bit but mostly sat and read the newspaper on the harbor while random locals came up and tried out their English on me. Went back to the Euro side, to Karakoy, and tracked down the city’s most famous baklavacisi, where I tried a couple specialties and emerged with a serious case of sugar overload. My head was spinning and I was probably pre-diabetic for a few hours.
En route to the Euro side I spotted a UkrFerry, perhaps the same boat that took me from Odessa to Istanbul a month earlier. Oh, nostalgia…
Went back to the hotel to relax and get my stuff. I had to call Blue Cross to change my medical insurance plan – longtime readers may recall that I did the same thing last winter, from Goa, and it wasn’t a fun process. Some things never change – first, called the Sales Dept and got an online proposal for a new plan. Next, called another part of Sales and accepted the new plan. Third, called Member Services and cancelled my old plan. Also asked this person if I could just continue using my current payment plan, which relied on a cancelled check I’d sent them and direct withdrawals from my checking account. This seemed problematic, even though I’d done it last year. They asked me to call back in 48 hours to get an answer. Torture. At this hotel I had wireless, but you never know what your next hotel will have. Why can’t companies like Blue Cross have someone hold your hand through the entire process? I was on the phone for more than an hour and I had to hurry to get my pack and head for my bus.
Still, there was a fun element to the calls, which I made on my laptop, using Skype, from the rooftop of my hotel. The Blue Mosque was to the right, the Aya Sofya to my left. I don’t think the ancient Byzantines or Ottomans could ever have imagined something like this…
My overnight bus was going to Goreme, in Cappadocia. In a nutshell, Cappadocia is a bizarre section of Turkey where there are crazy rock formations, many resembling erect circumcised penises. The locals and guidebooks call them ‘fairy chimneys,’ but I’m telling you what they really look like. Needless to say, female travelers favor Cappadocia. No wonder Dri and Lisa were dying to come here. Just kidding. I think.
Bus trip was alright. Had someone next to me, as usual, and didn’t sleep much. The guy next to me was another foreigner who fell right asleep. I was jealous, but just read and listened to podcasts. Finally got to the bus depot, not far from Goreme, and switched to another bus. My seatmate turned out to be from New York, Brian, who was traveling for a month in the Middle East. We hit it off nicely and chatted until our bus to Goreme arrived. Got to Goreme, said our goodbyes, and I went to my hotel and checked in. Pretty nice place called Gultekin – the owner and son seem to live in a cave room, these are very common in Cappadocia, the ‘penises’ are hollow or have been hollowed out and are often used for dwelling. Cool in the summer, warmish (with heating from stove) in winter, they’re practical places.
I showered and then crashed for a couple hours. Got up and checked out Goreme. Cool vibe, nice little touristy town. Walked a kilometer or so to the ‘Goreme Open-Air Museum,’ a place with lots of cave churches and rock formations. Ran into Brian just then – funny timing, he’d been on a tour all morning while I’d been sleeping. We walked around the museum for an hour or so, then back to Goreme, where we had a few beers and talked.
Most of our talk centered on politics. Both of us are pretty liberal and ‘elitists,’ of course. It was almost uncanny how our views aligned – we often finished each others’ sentences. Most of our wrath was directed at Sarah Palin – we’d both seen the Saturday Night Live videos and various other pieces which quite effectively demonstrated the buffoonery of our Sarah. Felt good to vent live and get instant affirmation that my views are indeed unassailable. I’d sort of known that all along, but Brian helped me finally ratify that feeling.
The café, Silk Road, had a good playlist. At least two Crash Test Dummies songs came on while we were sitting there drinking.
We finally split up and I went back to the hotel to await word from Dri and Lisa, who were flying in shortly. While waiting, the owner and son invited me to have a bite with them – they had made a batch of spicy rice and liver. Joined them for this, my pre-dinner, and enjoyed it thoroughly.
Then got a text from Dri and Lisa. They were staying one town over, and I’d already decided to rent a scooter to visit them, so went and took care of that. It occurred to me that Brian was probably sitting around and that he’d be great dinner company, so texted him and he was happy to join us. He came down to the scooter place, and in 5 minutes we were riding, in the freezing night air, to Urgup, where Lisa and Dri were soon to arrive.
Random adventure. I’d met Brian that morning (after not a word on the first bus, when he was sleeping – and I probably wasn’t that friendly), Dri and Lisa were still en route, Brian was now sitting on the back of my scooter, and it was all good. Got to Urgup without much incident – found the town center and hopped off the scooter, half-frozen. We were early, so found a bar and had a couple beers, still chatting about politics, and also travel, sports, etc. Brian is a security consultant and wants to work abroad. He’s pretty experienced already – spent a few years in Japan, and has been to lots of other places. Still, he wants more and I think has the same criticisms of America as I do.
Dri and Lisa texted – and we met them at the resto next door. Had a great meal, tried the local specialties, included a claypot kebap. Good local white wine too. Dri and Lisa had had a good trip to Ephesus, and some odd bus adventures as well. Stayed out fairly late, then we were all beat from the long day and the cold. Brian and I got back on the bike. Our waiter in the restaurant had asked Brian what sort of bike he had (Brian had his helmet with him at the table, so it wouldn’t get stolen). The waiter laughed when Brian said 1) we had a Yamaha 100cc scooter, and 2) he was a passenger. I was in the toilet so missed this exchange, which by all accounts was a riot.
Ride back to Goreme was fine, but frigid. Stopped and pulled out a pair of socks, which I’d packed in case of cold, for my hands. Worked OK – last time I’d done this was ages ago, when Dad and I skied the Matterhorn one July 1st morning. The socks warmed my hands, somewhat, but it was also harder to control the brakes and throttle. Took it slow and easy and we were fine. Said bye to Brian, who was doing a daylong tour the next day, then busing it back to Istanbul. My plans were more vague, but was likely to meet Dri and Lisa at the Open-Air Museum, then play it by ear. Was already finding Cappadocia a random and fun spot – might stay a week or so here, exploring the outer expanses on my wimpy little Yamaha 100cc scooter. Over and out.
Tags: Travel
mbsloney
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