Gorkem Turan

After my two days in Batum, I crossed the border from Sarp. The taxi drivers on the Turkish side annoyed me before by asking more money they should so this time I made sure about the money I should pay. But this time they tricked me once more by squeezing me in a taxi full of people. There are some places in earth which you should never ever take a taxi and Turksh side of Sarp border is definetely one of them. Choose minibusses in the border or take a bus from Batumi bus terminal which take you to the Turkish towns if you ever be there. The destination I was going was Macahel which means wristle-hand in Georgian. This is a place located in Turkish-Georgian border with its habitatants all Georgians. The region is actually ... read more

There are some places for everyone which you feel a belonging without knowing really why and Black Sea region of Turkey is somewhere like that for me. Ok my father is from this region and when I seek my ancestory,which ever branch I look for at my fathers side, I always end up somewhere in eastern Black Sea but still I spent a very little time of my life in this region and I was in my end twenties when I first have been to eastern Black Sea. However I always felt a feeling of belonging and longing both to this region and colourful people of it. Maybe there is really something like a genetic memory. I had one week holiday left for 2008 and I really felt tired. Last few weeks the humid air of ... read more

There were many times I saw Van Lake in my dreams. I don't know why actually, those dreams usually start from Ankara or Istanbul and after a ride with a car I end up in the coast of Van Lake. Maybe why this place so much took a place in my under concience is I always find this great junk of water which is in the middle of the high mountains so far from the sea, interesting. I should have seen a place where occupied so much place in my dreams without being there even once, so I decided to do that in a long weekend holliday this month, a friend from the university days was also eager to see the region so we two headed to Van togather. The flight from Istanbul to Van takes ... read more

That is how we hear about Libya for the first time in Turkey, in history lessons with the word "Trablusgarp". The last soil of the Ottoman Empire in Africa would be the first place I would put my feet in Africa. There are also other firsts and lasts in Libyan history. Like the word Asia was first used by Greeks for the land where Turkey is located today, the word Africa was first time used for Libya by Romans. While under Ottoman rule it was the first state which declared war to America and where Americas first overseas military campaign took place. During Italo-Turkish war in 1912, it was the first place where air power used in a war by Italians and where anti-aircraft guns, of course by Turks. Also the first battle of great Turkish ... read more

When the train started to move from Rostov, I was tired enough for a sleep. The destination was from one big river of Europe to another big one which draws the border between Euorope and Asia. I started from Don and I would end in Volga. The wagon I was traveling in was like a dorm. Beds were located right and left along an aisle, and wagon was full of both men and women. As someone who was born in Middle East, it was a little hard to absorb the fact men and women who were totally strangers sleeping all togather in a common place. And I did not know how should I change my clothes. I felt myself close to a Kyrgyz passanger, sitting next to me. He explained to me after a while lights ... read more