Advertisement
Mevlevi Dervish Magic
Credit: technique pioneered by A. Arenstein The past 15 days In Turkey were more than what I could have asked for. Combining the history learned, the people met, the lessons grasped, and the experiences went through, I will need much more than two weeks to fully digest and appreciate. The past blogs were bombarded with the little history and social situation that I came across. This time I will attempt to highlight some quintessential Turkish experiences that every traveller should go through.
Melevani Dervish
It's much more than the mesmerizing twirling. Combining the rhythmic music, which is mainly drums and flute, with the rituals each Dervish goes through before, during, and after the prayer, it is a spiritual experience to say the least, even if you are not religious.
Turkish Bath
-Sit in a dry sauna for 20 minutes, or until you are drenched in your own sweat
-Lie on a heated marble slab, have a burly and/or hairy man (women if you are female) scrub you down with a spongy mesh
-Have layers of bubbles poured on you. Then comes the bone crunching, joint twisting, muscle tearing massage
-Get doused with alternating cold and hold water
Result: you are minimum 5 pounds lighter,
due to dehydration and excessive skin loose
Food
Where should I start. Aside the Turkish breakfast that is consisted of a cornucopia of food (cucumber, tomato, bread, boiled egg, cheese, bread, olive, and more bread), I can separate the cuisine into two major types. The Mediterranean is invariably the kebab (which comes in more than 10 different forms and tastes), the grilled vegetables (some of which are heavily yogurt based), and the dessert (eating 4 baklava at one sitting is not recommended). Then there is the Ottoman, which has lots of stewed meats and stuffed vegetables. Of course, somethings are uniquely Turkish, such as the ayran (yogurt mixed with water, with a pinch of salt) and raki (anise based, licorice tasting hard liquor, which turns milky when water is added). This is a poor description, thus you have to come to Turkey to experience the deliciousness.
People
Brush aside the abrasive and adamant carpet sellers, you will get the chance to meet amazing locals. There is the generous and hospitable hotel manager, who not only made the hotel felt like home, but also went out of his way to track down guest's lost belongings (if you are every
in Cappadocia, stay in SOS Cave Hotel. It's one of the best traveler's hotel I've stayed at, perhaps around the world). There is the idealistic tour company owner, who studied political science and worked for the government, and now aspires to be a mayor and eventually a member of the parliament. Then there are the welcoming farmers who love to strike up a conversation, even when the only Turkish I speak are hello and check please.
In addition to the locals, I have also met some interesting travellers. Brush aside the inconsiderate but rare tourists (who happened to be Americans from LA...no offense to those who lives in LA...it's a big place), the stories and backgrounds make the journey much more interesting. Coincidentally, most of the travellers I met happened be in health care: USC neurologist coming out of his residency, Canadian nurse who used to transport dead bodies, soon to be UCSF 1st year, AIDS vaccine scientists from NIH, Aussie cholera vaccine scientist, and German med school couple. Maybe this is a confirmation sign that I've signed up for the right major at school.
I have already told myself that I will revisit Turkey. Two-week time is
only the introductory course.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.124s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 10; qc: 61; dbt: 0.0582s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Li
non-member comment
wow
Wow! What a trip so far! Take care and enjoy!