Regardless, my new intent is to alternate between blogs that are about recent times and blogs about events in the past... it will confuse but at least you will be a bit closer to my pulse ... whirring around the world in a blurr!
Anyhow, it was time to leave Istanbul and head south - hopefully find some milder weather and see some sights further afield than Istanbul. I decided to schlep it to the airport by PT... nearly got lost, but these to lovely Turkish gals came to my rescue, taking me there and even shouting me a train fare! (they had this tokeny thing and I had no change! The machine wouldn't accept notes)
Ecem (on the left) is now a facebook friend... I can't read any of her posts, and she can't read any of mine!
Anyhow they got me on my way and I arrived at the airport easily!
THIS NEXT BIT IS EDITED and rejigged FROM AN EMAIL I SENT A FRIEND... it describes my arrival in Izmir
Last night I arrived "here", Izmir. WHat a fucking arrival - the 1hr plane trip was delayed by more than 45 minutes while we sat in the plane on the tarmac... as we leave I count the number of planes lined up on the tarmac waiting to take off - 11 then I stopped counting...a weird little traffic jam.
Anyways the flight was non-descript but on arrival I saw this sign ... yeeks, whatever it means!
decided to PT it to
the hotel... train from airport etc Made it into town no probs in 3/4hr - pretty damn pleased with myself and my decision not to get an airport transfer - money a little tight!I arrive at the station close to my hotel and with my google map on iphone, I start walking, its dark although only 6:30p. I realise after a few minutes something is not right. Of course there are no fucking street signs. I stop to speak to ask for directions from some men at a bus stop. None speak English but one guy kinda gets that I am looking for anafalataratartrat (whatever) street but doesn't know where it is so calls a mate then signals he will take me there. Sweet!
We start walking back the way I came. WE nearly die cos he crosses INTENSELY busy roads Turkish-style (go go go, beep, screech, go, go go). I am lugging a 25kg suitcase (thankfully on wheels) and have a 10+kg backpack on. We keep going - again it feels wrong. I stop and try to ask him and show him my map... we get nowhere. I sigh and keep following. after a good 10 minutes I see a road sign - we are NOT on the right street! I point to the sign and my map. We are on a street roughly 100 metres parallel to the one I need. I stop him again and show him. He gets it but still keeps pointing ahead.. we are not quite getting each other. We go into a hotel - they speak Turkish and English here. Yay. I get them to thank him for his kindness... they also give him new directions - at this point I should have flagged a cab. I didn't! He insisted he would get me to my hotel... So we walk out and he takes my suitcase to cross the road and we turn into some back street. Ok.
Then another.
The footpath (erm I'm being generous) becomes treacherous, there is little light and he is racing ahead with my stuff. (THE PHOTO: is the street by DAY that "pothole" is a good two foot deep in bits and there are many, many of them) I gallop to keep up. We turn in and out of dingy lanes... It is becoming clear he is lost ... he asks a young man who promptly follows us. I am getting increasingly stressed - I am now in back alleys with two men I can't communicate with ... one has my luggage and the only other "company" are men gathered around dodgy street stalls selling second hand shit... oh, and stray cats. We keep going. At last there is a main street ahead but my internal radar says nope...Who cares, we get there and there's a police booth - my guide asks for more directions... the policeman knows nothing so he calls the operator for the address of the hotel... and then points us up a steep windy hill.
Well if the paths before were bad, now they're ridiculous. huge trenches randomly, wobbly paving stones, pebbles, gaps, planks of wood etc. Me thinks we are not heading for the top end of town... unless height counts! The man (whose name I do not even know) has started hauling my case up the hill by walking on the road into on-coming traffic... mainly buses! I keep trying to yell - stop, I'll catch a taxi. But he has no idea what I'm saying and by this point is 10 metres ahead of me. FUUUUCCCKKK I break into a sweat all-but jogging up the hill.
Along the way I try to take pics, but this is all I got!AFter 10min he points t a building that could be my hotel... still up a steep hill but by now I am sweaty and speechless - we head in. I start thanking him and introducing myself ... I find out his name is Mehmet... but the men at reception keep wanting my passport and start taking my bag...they know my name so I guess this is home - I turn around Mehmet has gone - I didn't thank him properly. I feel terrible the man has taken an hours hard yakka detour from his trip home and I didn't thank him properly. FUCK.
My eyes start focusing on where I am - tacky blinged-up beigeness and a babble of men who do not speak English. I ask for a map cos we certainly have not come the way google maps indicated - they don't understand. They indicate for me to follow a man into a tiny lift - the doors wont close with me, my suitcase, backpack and the man. He presses floor 5 and gets out. The doors half close and the lift heads skywards... slowly. A dark hall greets me... and bright blue stairs.
Why did I leave Istanbul?
The man arrives and shows me to my room - it is brown but clean and spacious and... when he leaves, I lock the door.
I want to cry but I sit on the bed shell-shocked... for an hour. Then I grab my suitcase and go to swing it up onto the extra bed. Instead I create two long black scuff marks down the wall. I grab a facewasher but it won't come off. FUCK. I take off my shoes and sit on the edge of the bed in shock, again. Eventually I tentatively head for the window to look outiside. Not good in in the odd street light at night... grungy and ramshackle... I squint at a street sign. huh? its not anafalataratartrat (whatever) street... but we are on a corner. I go to walk to my bed but severely stub my toes - one split, bleeding toenail, the other broken(?) it doesn't bare thinking about! I decide to go to bed and deal with whatever tomorrow. I do.
I find a bedside brochure to read as distraction from the throbbing toe. Holy fuck, I am in the wrong hotel! It is their sister hotel (I am meant to be at Konak Saray, this the Agora Konak Saray!) It all makes a bit more sense... to be dealt with in the morning.
I lie in bed and already I think I'll only stay in Izmir a few days then head back to istanbul (i'm meant to be here 8 days but the vibe hasn't won me) not sure...
I am woken through the night by traffic noises and at 6am by call to prayer - the guys in Istanbul sound much prettier. This voice is old and scratchy... as tired as I feel. I go to the loo and the toilet seat breaks WTF- I am soooooo embarrassed. Now i'm stuck between wanting to get the fuck out of here, not wanting to have to deal with people and knowing I am broke.
The rest of the account incorporates iPhone notes and prompts by pictures...
When I wake up in the morning and look out the window my initial impressions are reinforced. (look close, half of the buildings are collapsing!) Sigh, I put the do not disturb sign on the door - I'm not up to them discovering the dunny-seat situation and head downstairs... WHen I head down for breakfast, I gulp, where the fuck are the women? ALL staff (I later discover there is a cleaning woman) and ALL guests are men. I feel observed. The staff are attentive and friendly but I still feel uncomfortable (some guests eye me off)... I mention that I am in the wrong hotel but have a lot of trouble communicating - they speak only rudimentary English and they suggest I talk to someone else later in the day. Ok.
It is time to headout and investigate where i am... in daylight. I head for the bazaar which is just down the road from my hotel.
The hill down into the bazaar from my hotel is steep and on the way a see a slap-stick moment... a man is holding onto a moving trolley as his mate throws the cargo from the truck onto the trolley. But as I watched the man holding the trolley was flipped cleanly over the handles and lands on his butt (a blow softened by the cargo). He was so shocked but it was so funny! (He was not in the least bit hurt... except, perhaps, by everyone's laughter).
The small moment lifts my mood
The bazaar itself is an array of clothing and domestic bric-a-brac... I know I have just skimmed the surface though because it rabbit warrens in every direction. I find some women but as far as I can tell they are outnumbered by men 10-1>
I must say ALL the clothes and scarves are ugly. Piles and piles of scarves but I want none - very fuddy-duddy! And the clothes are mass produced and dull knits VERY Target/Kmart. What's with that? That has been my impression throughout Turkey. The (VERY) ocasional young person in jeans and a T is a relief to the stretch knits in dull colours. I couldn't stand out more if I was wearing flourescent pink and orange... which I was.
After meandering for a short while I find myself on an esplanade and decide to walk along - the day is mild. It amazes me how many people just seem to be strolling along or chilling at the edge of the water... and not all of them are tourists - in Turkey there seems to be a lot more down time.
Notice also just how close chairs and tables are set to the water (less than a rulers length) - not a possibility in Oz too many council and occ health and saftey restrictions! MEn play backgammon everywhere!
They also have novel touts down here. Portable stands where men take your pic and the provide a colour print out straight away - all for 1 TL (approx 75c)
As I strolled further along I was approached on 3 different occasions by men selling rabbits (baby and full grown) very cute but impossible. Not sure how much these were.
The sun was shining, I bought myself a rose and found a four-leaf clover. Things were certainly looking up.
Then I found a stall that sold cake for 1TL - it was the most fucking beautiful cake I've eaten in... well I can't remember . At a guess it was semolina base with an orangey syrup with hazelnuts, rolled in coconut and served with cream. Awesome!
I also found another stall that sold dip and bought cucumbers and fruit too. ANd one stall that exclusively sold sesame seed products - essentially that meant varieties of halva and tahini - I bought Tahini. These things made great lunches and occasional dinners when I didn't want to go down the restaurant.
I strolled into a plaza where many people were selling cups of grain to feed the masses of pigeons... young children took the opportunity to chase them - a boy was almost dwarfed by the balloons he was selling - it was all a bit of a spectacle
When I got back to the hotel they called the guy who could speak better English. He wanted me to stay at THIS hotel - the rooms were better (and I must say except for being brown, the rooms were good, spacious!) but I wasn't convinced... I said I'd stay anothr night and think about it (I couldn't be bothered moving ;)... yet )
I was given a free taste of lentil soup - the chicken was nice but the lentil soup was better... wish I'd ordered a whole bowl instead. I also had sour cherry juice which came in a can! One waiter was exceptionally attentive, but it was nice speaking to someone who could speak ENglish (I know very colonialist of me but traveling solo can - in moments - be a little isolating) and I think he wanted to practice.
The next day I decided to find the hotel I should be staying at and sus it out. When I looked closely at the map I immediately realised how easy it was to get lost. Notice how half the streets are numbered - not 1st Street etc but 1092 and next to it 785 etc - and not named... and where anafalataratartrat (whatever) street (the street I was looking for on the first night) starts and ends is a mystery I have drawn a line on two bits labeled Anafartakar and guessed at a third unlabelled bit that might connect them...Anyhow I wandered around and happened to find the police hut we asked for direction from on the night i arrived - well fuck me if it isn't on the corner of anafalataratartrat (whatever) street ... and he sent us in the WRONG direction. In retrospect I wander if he didn't call the hotel and they told him to send me to their other hotel... but even when I saw the booth and laughed inwardly, that didn't occur. When I found the hotel I was supposed to be in the nieghbourhood was no less intimidating (WHERE THE FUCK ARE WOMEN... they can be found in the market but only in the company of others and men are in abundance!). I decide to stay at the hotel but to shorten my stay and move on to Selcuk instead (I had intended many day trips via Selcuk... Ephesus etc). Decision made and I am happier... it left me 3 days to explore and frolic in Izmir... a largely dark and seedy place with - a commercial pulse but not a cultural one... well, that I'd discovered to that point.
I spent the next 3 days wandering around the bazaar and along the boardwalk, for the most part very pleasant and chilled... some featured moments:
When you ask for a train timetable in Turkey's third largest city, this is what you get. (Handwritten photocopy- paper sving too :) )
THE MARKET
I discovered a new fruit,
which means
strawberry. It is only sold in side stalls rather than the main market stands - don't know why. When I got to Selcuk I was told its name is Montar and it is often served with egg! For me it was aesthetically beautiful... Deep, burnt orange mini-spikes with a skin of egg-yolk yellow. The outside texture does not sting, it is rough, like a cats tongue, but then it collapses to a custardy and blandish middle... nothing to write home about (oh damn, I am!) here is a wee glimpse of the market in action - not sure why I filmed here, the other sections were far more interesting!
Everytime I went to the market I accidently discovered new nooks and crannies... and only a few I could find again.
Oh and I tried this drink - soz can't remember it's name - but it was gross. Had the texture of liquid snot, was horribly gluey and sweet with an after taste of tahini. I'm afraid I didn't finish it!
THE BOARDWALK
I have no pictures but I had an amusing interaction one day with 2 girls. I'd sat down along the boardwalk for a glass of cay (tea) and to write postcards. At the table next to me two girls were getting their palms read. I thought nothing of it... until every so often I'd hear a word of ENglish.... with thick Aussie accents.
When the fortune teller left, I said hello. Turns out they were from the Burg (Coburg) too - my peeps! Local Turkish-Australian girls who had come to do hospitality training here as they hadn't got the scores for the courses they wanted in Melbourne. And boy, weren't they girls from the Burg! They made me want to giggle - with their attitudes to school "twas alright but I neva learnt nuffing much." They stayed and chatted then revealed they were late to hospitality class - they liked the luxury of a seaside lunch before school ("It's like goin to Toorak everyday" - erm, ladies ain't no beach in Toorak maybe WIlliamstown? .... one was eating fish and chips, the other a burger) "Besides, we got a good excuse to be late we were "lost" it's only our 3rd day'
Fair enuf
In a lobby of a resaurant I saw this awesome "chandelier" - it made me think of the one in my lounge in Coburg even though it is nothing like it! Guess I'd hit Coburg mode.
Further along the esplanade (btw what is the difference between an esplanade and a boardwalk... who cares) I saw a man with several GUNS lined up. Yep, guns. Was he selling them? Wisely, I decided to get a closer look :) I mean what else do you do when you see a man with guns. No-one else even blinked. Admittedly it was a tentative, furtive approach... but I got close enough to realise he ws like the equivalent of an amusement booth at a fair. He had a string of small, half-blown-up balloons in the water. and people paid to have a shot at them. BEside the guns were pellety-like metal bits (not normal bullets) but they'd still do damage if they got ya... I suspect occ health and safety means nothing here!
Turn up the volume on your computer as you listen to this - the music was melancholic but beautiful. I bought a home-burnt cd from the busker so you can download some when I return but for now, here's a glimpse... and a surprise at the end.
MERHABA (hello) indeed!The woman I was sharing the bench with and I had an amazing interaction that again lifted my spirits. A warm woman, an hour, a Turkish/English dictionary and atmospheric music- it is all I need and often.... in different guises what I accidently uncover. Our conversation ranged over the sadness of the music and how it matched that day's sky, our respective work lives, weather, Izmir, parenting, birds - she was the first person in Izmir to say "i love you" with laughter and perhaps a little imprecision... the joy of travel.
It is easy pretend all travel interactions are like this- they aren't
SHe leaves and I wander further along the boardwalk planning to catch a ferry back to my area at sunset. I do so knowing clouds will either make or break sunset - creating light lays or obscuring it entirely. At the moment they create painterly tones of grey and bright white
I walk, then I sit waiting for sunset and my ferry - I have just eaten peanuts in a paper cone from an old man on a bike. I pay in euro coins he is happy and so am I... Until he leaves and the perfect photo I have taken deletes itself from my iPhone.
A cat strolls across the open square to the men along the waters edge fishing. One man nudges the cat away with his foot, the other feeds it some bait - a third man laughs uproariously - I have a feeling this is a daily routine. The cat settles behind the shelter of the bin. Waiting for more.
Perfectly timed for sunset the ferry arrives... unfortunately so does a strong breeze and the thick clouds I had been concerned about.
On the ferry I chat to a man with perfect ENglish who is surprised I am not visiting Gallipoli as every Australian he has met, did.He also told my that up the hills (the whole of Izmir extends up the sides of large hills) the settlements grew "overnight" in the 50s and 60s. WHat that meant was that newly arrived immigrants, in the dark of night would head up and build a house overnight! The Turkish government retrospectively gave title and citizenship to these immigrants - they were not removed, detained, tortured, vilified etc. Much more civilised!
This is what it looked like when I get off the ferry. The large plaza-y thingy with a lit-up mini-mosque this leads to the market and then my (uphill) walk home.MY HOTEL
I can't remember what time of day this is either dawn or dusk. probs dusk- it seemed to be pitch black when they started up in the mornings... but here is a vid looking and listening at my hotel bedroom window - usually the traffic is much more chaotic and loud.
On the left is a typical Turkish breakfast (always included in your accommodation). Cheeses, hard-boiled eggs, cucumber, tomato, olives, a cooked tomato/capsicum thing, bread ... there are also cheesey pastries (must have been restraining myself that day!) and tea on tap (no milk of course!) with sugar cubes... oh there are also lots of jams and breads (I don't tend to eat that) and cold meats and frankfurtery things that are a disgustingly artificial shade of pink (they taste of but on the few days I wanted to change things up!).
Oh and the other tables - breakfast and evening - were always inhabited by men - solo or in groups. This night while I ate my dinner these men played cards (often it was backgammon) and smoked - everyone smokes everywhere and all the time in Turkey (in fact much of Europe)! WHile they played cards, one kept accusing the other of cheating and the other kept saying "oh, oops"... if I was getting the general tenor of the situation! WHo really knows though.
A day trip to Kadifekale.
After the chat with the guy on the ferry, I was reminded that I had intended to visit Kadifekale - at the top of the highest hill that surounds Izmir. It is famed for two things the ancient castle ruins and the amazing views of Izmir and the sea.
I had read in Lonely Planet that I could catch a local bus up - cool, I hadn't done a bus in Turkey yet. Finding the bus stop was, of course and hour long saga. WIth a man, who had hissed something at me earlier in the plaza area, following me. Oh happy, happy joy joy!I ducked in and out of alleys, crossed roads and, eventually, signalled in no uncertain terms to fuck off... without actually using the word. I eventually lost him but was still having difficulty finding the bus. Eventually I did with the help of some women who were heading there themselves. I used the travel ticket I had gotten on the night of my train journey and joined the bus...not having a clue where I was meant to get off... but figured it would become apparent.
Not that I knew when to ring it but the only 2 bus "dingers" were positioned above the door and on the roof... which seems quite cruel - I am tall compared with many in Turkey. The bus wound its way up and around and around and around a high hill... through suburbs and shopping strips... eventually the window show became more "rustic" and sparse. The bus stopped on narrow roads on an extreme angle... it beeped and bullied it's way through when the road width did not accommodate it and the oncoming traffic.
I could see ahead a huge Turkish flag that inevitable signalled the castle remains and the top of the mountain... we were getting close. But just as suddenly the bus stopped and everyone got off. We were at a village just down from the peak... I got off with everyone even though the bus continued upwards... I was interested in this place.
I got the stares as soon as I got off - I stood out as a brightly attired non-muslim woman... on her own. Oh well! I was struck by ... everything here.
the cutest truck ever!
The butchers... (look close, it's a carcass hanging from a tree - he lops off the bits you want
I turned down a side street and could hear the echoing smash of tiles and bricks - in a derelict shop front kids were playing and taking debris.
In the next side street was a hairdressers - a street stall with blue tarpaulin and the equivalent of a milk crate.
It was my intention to head up to the castle ruins after a bit of an explore of the village... I turned a corner and this is what I saw...
were these the houses the guy in the fery talked about? The ones built in one day by migrants? Whatever, these building were clearly not made to last... it was quietly - disquietingly - fascinating.
Eventually I do make it up the top... around the corner from the modern ruins lie the ancient ones. It is fascinating how a 100 metre radius of pristine lawns and unpotholed roads lead to this tourist site... TOurists either arrived by taxi or coach... I never saw one exit the castle gates. I did the reverse.. I made it to the gates... stuck my head in saw tourist stalls of souvenirs and immediately reversed
The ruins I had come to see were nowhere near as fascinating as the ones I had accidently discovered.
On my way into the toursit zone I had noticed a group of young men sitting on stairs eating... the perfect spot, the perfect view. When I was coming back down I noticed they had gone... I headed to the kebab shop and returned to the stairs...
A magnificent view, glorious sun, a comfortable possie, the best food I'd eaten in Turkey and time to sit and contemplate. One of those perfect moments.
The kebab was surrounded by a light/bubbly sour bread
And I washed it down with the salty yoghurt drink of choice.
Then I sat there observing others observing me- I am not approved of (I don't think?!)
And why should I be, I sat there exotifying the everyday lives of others - imagining the task of putting plastic on the roof as akin to mowing our lawns.
Men men everywhere - eating, talking, drinking (not alcohol) - where do women do this?
The only women I saw were with one another and children...
All the kids I saw were playing with "garbage" either in the housing ruins or scraps of paper or empty drink bottles.
I sat and wondered which of their houses would collapse next...
Then I caught the bus back to my hotel, turned on the heating, played on Facebook,downloaded my photos... and remembered how different lives can be.
