-I've learned so much during my travels; each country deepening my understanding of society, culture, mankind and in turn, myself though (sometimes much more directly). Normally there is one person who acts as a catalyst, a person who seems to have an uncanny ability to say/do/be something in passing that hits so close to home you shudder. When you are lucky you find two in one city like I did.
Upon my arrival in Istanbul, like so many times before, I decided that to relax would be just a waste of a day. In the conversation in my mind I came to a compromise as is typical in the ongoing reconciliation of the many facets of my personality: I would go wander around after checking into my hostel and once I arrived at one of the sights on my ambitious list I would have a tea. Pleased with my plan I set off walking. Hungry from fasting for Ramadan and tired from a day of travel, and ended up getting lost...yet again. (It doesn't really bother me anymore to get lost, in fact it's in the category with everyone around me speaking another language, it's inevitable.) I ducked in the first travel agency I saw to ask for directions to the Blue Mosque and met Yalcin. Yalcin and I sat, talked and had tea while he shared (as only locals can properly) the history, must see locations and nuances of the culture. It turned out he and his sister owned the travel agency so the tour he helped me to book was going to be awesome. So fun in fact that at dinner we decided he would come along as well. The next day I saw the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sophia and went with his sister for a much needed mani-pedi and an unbelievable Turkish Bath scrub down before leaving for Selcek. From there we took a day trip to Pamukkale and Ephesus and stayed in Antalya before leaving on the first boat cruise from Olimpos. Over the next 4 days on the boat we saw the Sunken City and docked in Kas and Kalkan to explore the towns. We jumped off the side of the boat in St.Nicholas Bay and Tarzan Bay.
-I'm always intrigued to find out the customs that make the countries I'm in unique. Turkey may be the least conservative of the Islamic countries, but it is still is quite traditional especially when it comes to male-felmale relationships. When a young girl and boy like each other and the family of the boy goes to visit the family of the girl, she can let him know that she likes him secretly. After the tea has been prepared, instead of putting sugar in his cup she puts salt. He will know immediately that she likes him after the first sip. If he likes her back he show her by drinking all of it.
-The Ottoman empire was extremely influential and parts of it's legacy still live on today. The tea cups for example are shaped like tulips because at one point behind the Ottoman gates was the only place in the world they could be found. When the queen of Holland came to visit Turkey she saw the flower for the first time and fell in love with it. Wanting to bring it back to her own palace she asked for a plant, but her request was denied. She wasn't going to let a "no" stop her from getting what she wanted, she was a queen after all. Before she left the grounds she secretly plucked a tulip and hid it under the curls of her up do!! She smuggled the flower back to her palace and now Holland is the world's number one exporter of tulips.
"Money is like dirt, there is always more"
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2 comments:
Wow, I cannot even imagine fasting for an entire day, let along for Ramadan. You amaze me :) You've really changed a lot during your trip...have fun eating lots after Ramadan!
Great entry. I'm gonna have to check out Turkey one day. Sounds like you had fun here!
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