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Published: October 15th 2004
Sutuven, Near Akcay
About 7km inland from Akcay is this awesome waterfall and stream leading up to it (I probably won't be there). Note the sweat on my tshirt -- entirely due to my backpack. Speaking of which, I've been wearing that tshirt for about a month now... I'm going to see if it can be surgically grafted to my skin; that way I could shower and do laundry at the same time.So the holy month of Ramadan is here: muslims are commanded to fast while the sun is up throughout the month. Today was the first day and I'm a little anxious about what this will mean for me; finding open restaurants may be problematic in the more devout portions of the country. I was drunk last night -- I'm going to hell in a handbasket. But more about that later.
I've been busy since my last blog at Ayvalik, but I didn't want to post without having pictures, so I've been holding out. Now I'm on an island, and the only internet cafe doesn't have usb ports on its computers, and gmail doesn't support the version of IE it has. Bottomline: no pictures yet (I can't even check mail). I'll upload some as soon as I can.
I abandoned a half-baked plan to head out to Izmir, and went north to Akcay instead (near Edremit, basically where I was 10 days before). The place is famed for its abundance of fresh water, and although many of its streams have been dried out to make way for more concrete, the underground water sources still seem strong. There are tons of
Fishing in Akcay
Fishing seems to be a favorite pastime at all ages. Note the stillness (and glass-like quality) of the water, and keep in mind that this is the Aegean sea, not some small lake. water pumps right on the beach (normally they would pump salt water), and apparently there are underwater fresh water springs in the sea. The place was basically dead and many hotels had shut down; the hotel I stayed at was a moderate disappointment after Ayvalik. I spent one day lounging on the beach and swimming -- the weather was OK during the day, but got cold in the afternoon. The sea was simply gorgeous... calm like glass, crystal-clear, not too cold either. In the morning (basically before noon) there was fog on the water so one couldn't tell where the sea ends and whre the sky starts. There was great (missed) photo potential as the fishing ships struck out towards the hazy horizon... But the real highlight of Akcay as far as I'm concerned was the food. I nearly had to sit down when from the basic restaurant I walked into emerged not one but two 50+ year old men with long hair (shoulder length) and goatees... They apparently own and run the place. The reason for my surprise is as follows: such establishments have a stereotypical staff, usually either gruff men with thick mustaches, bellies and stubble or alternately
Stroll at Sunset
A family taking an afternoon walk at the waterfront in Akcay. Can you tell I'm trying to include more people in the pictures I'm taking? youngish men who wouldn't think of deviating from the norm, and give long-haired men dirty stares. Men with long hair and goatees don't fit the stereotype. Once I recovered from my shock and ordered food I was doubly suprised as the food was easily the best I had eaten (at this type of restaurant) on the road so far. The place is called "Adil'in Yeri" (Adil's place), and comes highly recommended from yours truly.
The sea at Akcay is literally at the feet of the mountains, and the mountains rise with all their majesty a short ways inland. If you swim out 100m or so (far enough to see above the concrete jungle that clutters the water front) it makes for a great view. Which brings me to another point I've been meaning to make: about Capitalism.
I read an interview with David Patterson (he's one of the Gods of computer research) where he said something like "that's the great thing about capitalism -- as long as there's money to be made, the inventions keep coming" (or something equally ignorant). Nevermind the fact that many of the people who do these "inventions" do so primarily because they Hasan Drowned
The details are a bit fuzzy, but there's a legend surrounding one of these pools. Apparently a (not *the*) Hasan fell into one of them and drowned because his girlfriend refused to help him. She then feels remorse and also jumps in, commiting suicide. I will refrain from further comments. The place is a bit upstream from the waterfall at Sutuven. enjoy what they're doing. Akcay, I thought, was a prime example of what capitalism means. So you find this gorgeous spot by the sea, and a lightbulb turns on in your head: I can make money! Why attempt to preserve the olive trees (which, incidentally are hundreds of years old), or anything of the local flora which made the place beautiful to begin with -- just keep building them concrete buildings as fast as you can. You're guaranteed to make money, as you're bound to find someone tasteless or desperate enough to buy whatever you build. That's what unchecked capitalism leads to: the entire coast is lined with concrete, and now people talk about how Akcay isn't any good anymore.
While I'm ranting, I might as well get this one out of my system as well:
I'm amused when people talk about how important it is to vote Bush out of office, and lines like "anyone but Bush", or "it's the lesser of two evils" flow freely. In reality, Kerry is just as much about Big Business as Bush is (maybe not the *same* businesses, but that's the only difference I can tell). Kerry has Walk to Assos
This is one of the many awesome views seen on the 24km road to Assos. The mountain mass seen to the right is the Greek island of Lesvos (Midilli). said he will send *more* troops to Iraq if he's elected. Thank you, democracy, for giving us an alternative to Bush. All the same, I don't think Bush can win this fall. The reason is simple: people are beginning to wake up, and so the ruling class needs a change of face. I'm basing this on the turnout at various protests, most recently at the Republican Party National Convention in NYC. People are getting pissed off. If Bush stays in office (I hope) people will get even more pissed off and might start thinking about changing the system. Furthermore, there's no way the US is invading Syria or Iran or anywhere if Bush is reelected: as if people are going to believe him again. But Kerry... now he has a whole new credibility to ruin. So I think Kerry will win, because the Powers That Be realize that they'll have to let Bush go if they want to continue with Business As Usual.
After Akcay I went to check out a waterfall a short way into the mountain. That was real impressive, and it was a lovely walk. I got a little carried away, and couldn't make
Disturbance in the Force
Further along the road to Assos are these future "villas", threatening to turn the picturesque landscape into another concrete jungle like Akcay. it back down before dark, so had to camp out in an olive grove. Now, the thing will olive groves is that the ground between the trees is ploughed in furrows. So it was impossible to find a level piece of ground, and I slept spanning 3-4 furrows. It wasn't as uncomfortable as it looked. The weather was getting bad, and the sky was covered with clouds, and there were flashes of lightning (oddly, without thunder) while I was going to sleep. This was complemented by howling which didn't match known dog-howling patterns, so I'm assuming they were jackals. A couple of them were wandering around the grove later on at night, but ran away when they noticed me. So lets recap: wavy ground, no tent, rainy weather, jackals. Luckily it didn't rain.
The next day I walked to an "ethnographical museum" in another village; the display was interesting, as it had artifacts from the old "Turkmen" lifestyle. The Turkmens were forced to abandon their nomadic ways and settle down in this village about 150 years ago. And about 50 years ago the mountain range was declared a national park so they were forbidden from entering, which meant they
So close, yet so far...
In the not-so-distant distance you see the Greek island of Lesvos. Ismet Inonu, the chief negotiator who gave it away to Greece without even bargaining, apparently later saw it for the first time and said "If I knew it were so close I wouldn't have given it away so easily". Thank you. I'm growing quite fond of the brown-and-green fall landscape, btw. Despite the darkish clouds it didn't rain (and indeed hasn't rained yet). lost whatever glimmers of their original traditions they had left. It was depressing looking at the items on display and realizing that the homogenization of mankind is progressing with full force.
By the time I was done with the museum and walking it was getting late, so I took a minibus to the turnoff in the road towards Assos (24km), and began walking, fully convinced it would rain but optimistically thinking someone would give me a ride. As luck would have it, no-one gave me a ride so I ended up sleeping in
another olive grove, this time sandwiched between two furrows rather than spanning them. Again it was pure luck that I wasn't rained on. I did, however, eat a delicious pomogranite followed by a delicious juicy tangerine, both picked from trees along the way. The road was gorgeous and literally no more than 10m from the sea (with almost no traffic), so the time spent walking was time well-spent. I walked the remainder of the way the next day, and then proceeded to hitch and walk towards Geyikli (on the way to Bozcaada), skipping Assos. My reasoning being that I had already seen the acropolis (during my
Assos
Here'a the famous Assos I keep mentioning. My guidebook says the hill is an extinct volcano. On the other side of it is the sea. The vertical blocks are the remains of very* impressive fortifications, and the domed structure is a mosque. 1-hour detour on the way to Bergama), and the weather was bad so the beach wouldn't be worth seeing. The road was windy and deserted and the sky cloudy and threatening, but I was picked up by multiple friendly people and had a good time overall. While leaving a village I was told there were sulphur springs by the road further ahead, and sure enough, right by the road there were streams of water and the place was orange-colored, and the water was warm. Then I saw smoke/steam rising from one little pool and there was hot water and gas bubbling out of this tiny little hole. I'm willing to bet money the place was used back in Roman/Byzantine times. There was a little pool-like thing, and some of the stones in it were marble, and on the other side of the road were what appeared to be the remnants of columns. Possibly all that remains of a large complex.
And now, I'm at Bozcaada. It's a large-ish island in the Aegean sea. 3 nautical miles from the Turkish coast. The island itself is fairly small and only has one town, the rest being vineyards, forest or wasteland. It
Respect the Beard
Bozcaada. Here's me, sitting on a bit of rock facing the sea and kicking it listening to Mercan Dede (when not taking pictures of myself, obviously). I don't know what it is people have a problem with... would be possible to walk completely around the island in a day... my kind of place. The place is famous for its wines, and there are at least 3 local wineries in town. I drank a bottle of one last night, and it was fairly decent. The town apparently used to be split with a Greek section and a Turkish (Muslim) section... most Greeks have since fled. Apparently there was a lot of pressure on them to leave, especially during the events in Cyprus back in '74. Bozcaada's real name is "Tenedos", btw. Turkey has another, larger, Aegean island (Gokceada) further north. The kid I was talking with while drinking last night told me that the Greeks in Gokceada didn't get the hint and weren't interested in leaving, so apparently what the authorities did was let the inmates out (the island had a prison) at night and lock them back up in the morning. What the inmates did to the local Greeks would be up to their conscience (or lack thereof). And if something were to happen, well, it was all unofficial, and technically none of this was happening. Pretty messed up stuff in the name of National Identity.
Lighthouse at Bozcaada
Here's the lighthouse tower at Tuzburnu. I didn't end up taking pictures of the town itself, mostly because my camera has been getting very tempermental, which is worrying. I've been wandering around the island, eating pomogranites when I find them, sitting on the lovely beaches and watching the ships which cover the horizon like the Greek fleet on its way to Troy (I've been meaning to use that phrase for a while). The weather is still overcast, but it hasn't rained yet... apparently better (swim-able) weather is on its way this weekend, so I'll be sticking around until that happens at least. Since the tourist season is over, and since the island only has 2500 people, I am having a bit of a hard time finding decent places to eat at. I may end up buying and cooking my own fish (which might not be such a bad idea). The sea is lovely... possibly more beautiful than any other beach I've been to, and the sand on the beaches was mind-blowing (at least to my state of mind at the time). Bozcaada is a beautiful place. The elite are busily buying up old greek vineyard-houses and fixing them up and converting them into summer homes. Apparently the local government is pretty strict about construction and keeping the place's charm, and I haven't seen much tasteless concrete jungle-ism. A large portion of the island is basically barren and windswept, and it makes for lovely walks in the afternoon.
And now I'm sitting here in this internet cafe... everyone else is on IRC or some other form of chat-service, trying to find themselves a cyber-honey. I think one of them speaks some english so he's probably the one-eyed king in the land of the blind. I'm still trying to download a decent browser so I can check mail (it's my 3rd try). The internet connection sucks. I guess islands have their disadvantages as well.
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anonymous
non-member comment
ramadan
Drinking in Ramadan? Did people give you wierd looks for that?