Christmas Just a quick note to say that Christmas was fairly anticlimactic (possibly due to the rain), and my plans for par-tay'ing fell through miserably. OTOH I got to attend/crash a Syrian/Maronite wedding and Midnight Mass at a "Latin" church (naturally in Arabic lightly sprinkled with Latin) which made for an interesting experience.
mehdi hoca, nedir bu insanlardaki `I am the "one"` kompleksi ben anlamadim ki? Bu kacinci mehdi yahu. Herkes ulvi bir amac icin yasadigini, farkli ve ozel oldugunu zannediyor, halbuki degil, kardesim sende herkes gibi yiyip icip sican, sevip sevilen ve sevisen, olunce gotune pamuk tikilan veya tikilmayan, oole bir adamsin iste bunu kabul et artik. Yok `I am the king`,yok ` you will see one day` etc. ooffff...
Neyse guzelim sen kendine iyi bak gerisine kafam girsin - battal gazi
an old friend' den Leocugum,
uzun zaman oldu update etmeyeli.tembel tembel geziyorsun bi update 'e zaman bulamadin.Kayseri ile ilgili anlaticak seyin yok galiba.Ermenileri nasil kestiklerini anlattirdinmi Kayserilere?
bi' dosttan.. merhabalar bedreddin bey,
ben sizin bi hayraninizim da, uzun suredir blog'unuzu takip ediyorum. Size kendimi anlatmak icin ne yapsam karar veremedim sahsen; bir mektup yazsam, kapinizda aglasam; ya da Umit Besen'den I love you'u yollasam yeterli olur mu acaba? Dediginiz gibi, memleket gezisini bir an once bitirseniz de, istanbul'a bi gelebilseniz. Neme lazim, Taksim Galatasaray lisesi onunde karsilasma ihtimalimiz falan olur.. ne de olsa -himm, siz nassi derler??- "it's a very very mad world" degil mi ama? ;) istanbul anadolu yakasindan sevgiler, saygilar, selamlar..
bi' karisik tost.. :)
still procrastinating i'm still procrastinating adding a new entry as i radically overhaul my plans... i'm thinking about skipping the country ASAP... fwiw.
Fun with hostels I'm (still) too lazy to upload the requisite pictures to start a new blog, so I'll add yet another comment. I showed up at Avanos in Cappadocia last night around 7:30, confidently marched to LP's most highly recommended hostel (and even critically contemplated it before ringing the bell), fully intending to meet fellow travelers with whom to explore the region. Imagine my surprise when the innkeeper responded with "I'm sorry, we're empty"... "and?" "I don't really want to turn on the heating for just one person, try the other hostel down the street"... Next hotel: "Hm... so it's just you? I'm sorry, we don't have any single rooms left, only doubles, try the other hostel"... (lying bastard... I know the place is completely empty). I lower my standards and try the first place again: "I'll be OK with an extra blanket, you don't need to turn on the heating"... "oh, you *really* don't want to stay here... I'm sorry... try this other hotel"... "but the guidebook says that's 'mid-range', at least twice as expensive as your place"... "oh, this place isn't cheap either! we charge $25 for a single"... (the price they quoted to LP is $8.50)...
What complete wankers! It's not like I didn't look presentable or anything (I had even showered earlier in the day)... it's because I was speaking Turkish. I swear if I had introduced myself as an American they'd be slobbering all over me. I resolved to stay cool (and to report them to LP and hopefully make them pay)... an old man saw me futile-ly ringing the bell of another hostel, and said he'd help me find a place to stay... when the hotel he took me to was also closed, he asked this potter dude to let me sleep on the couch in his studio, and he said "sure"... I was touched at the warm humanity, and gushed all sorts of warm thoughts and words, and we ended up talking until 1am, and I went to sleep full of thoughts of setting him up with a website with which to better advertise his wares. The next morning he sat me down "to discuss the fee", and that totally ruined the feeling for me... especially when he tried to overcharge me (compared to staying at a reasonable hotel) and tried to convince me that I was really getting a good deal since this was a "touristy place". I must have done something seriously wrong in a former life... All I can say is: *stay clear of Avanos*!
Fear and Love "Irish Blood" huh? Ne yavsaksin be! Bak, seni hic sevmiyorum sutoglan, babani da sevmezdim.
Your story is actually not too different from the bike I got in SF; paid $10 for it, put over $150 into it, and then never really used it. The wheels were a bit bent and all ama asil kabahat bendeydi; salakligim iste. Neyse, I was going to warn you to be careful of biking; it can be great if you have a light pack, but with a lot of bulk it's less romantic. Even if you have a tire patching / repair kit, worse things can happen like the wheel being bent (or the pedal breaking) in the middle of nowhere... then you'll have to ditch the bike and you'll be very pissed off.
I rented a bike in Bintan, and biked around the island; the dandik pedal broke off in the middle of nowhere and I had to carry that stupid bike 2 hours back to the store. I was more pissed off than when she wrote "I ran out of steam." Not amused at all.
Biking in cold weather is no fun either; it's a great way to get a runny nose and a throat full of phlegm... the kind that loves you "long time." Stick to bikes only when the weather is generous and you aren't alone in the wilderness (i.e. help is not more than a half a day walk away) and keep your rass out of the cold. - DL
To fear or not to fear I don't feel like adding a new journal, so we'll make do with comments. One thing I've definitely noticed in Turkey is the amount of fear and uncertainty everyone seems to have. People who I talk to are almost instantly concerned for my well-being, concerned that the next person I see will rob me or worse. My natural inclination is to laugh it off, but I think it's odd that it's the rule rather than the exception. People seem perpetually afraid of everything (above and beyond the "daily bread" needs which are common to gentiles): afraid of someone picking on them, afraid their girlfriends/wives are disloyal, afraid of sticking out, afraid of someone ridiculing them... I'm not even sure of all the reasons, but the fear is very real (flashbacks of "Donnie Darko"... "on one side is fear, on the other love"). It translates to pissed off and stressed out expressions on people's faces, and people aren't willing to go places where they don't know anyone or to step outside of the norm... there's safety within the tribe, but you're on your own (and at others' mercy) once you step outside. The wealthy seem less susceptible to this, but I'm assuming that's because they have their wealth to fall back on, and can pay for the privilege of not fearing. I have pretentions to humanist libertarianism, so I want to believe in man's potential to be good (when not adversely influenced, and given the right combination of the stars), but I'm wondering if maybe I'm delusional. Are people basically good, or is the only thing keeping my head on my shoulders the fact that there's a police force and system of criminal justice to deter people? Combine that with the fact that the police force is essentially a scourge in the hand of the capitalist class to subdue the masses and... what does that say about me? Having said all that, I'm wondering which anatolian town produces those bastard types which wreak havoc on the streets of Istanbul... in all honesty, I didn't feel safe walking around after dark today... I hope the fear isn't rubbing off on me.
Fun with Bicycles (how to buy high and sell low) So... like I said in the blog itself, I had notions of biking, but decided it wasn't feasible... I even convinced myself that it wasn't a good idea considering the weather and all. That is, until I stumbled across a store that was selling brand new mountain bikes for 95million (less than $65)... the bike itself looked reasonable, so I forked out the money and bought myself one. A quick look at the map showed Beyshehir by the lake of the same name, roughly 94km due west as a reasonable target for a day's biking trip. So I made up my mind to set out early the next day after buying some more gear (such as gloves, a raincoat, a wool undershirt, etc). Not surprisingly, when I went to fit my gear on the bike I ended up with a large pile on the back rack which, despite the bungy cords fell over less than 100m later. So, I head back to the bike store, bought (and installed) a "basket" for the front of the bike, was pleased that my gear seemed to fit perfectly, and decided to take the bike for a test run (fully loaded with the gear) to make sure there would be no surprises the next day... The bike was fine until I basically hit the outskirts of town when the right pedal fell off (never a good sign). Luckily there was a repair stand closeby and the guy said the tread was worn but installed a new pedal and said it would be OK. By then the sun had set, so I head back to the hotel (to the general amusement of the manager to whom I had said I was leaving), and resolved to leave the next morning by 9am. Not only that, but I decided to skip Beysehir altogether and strike out eastward towards Cappadocia, as that road is nearly completely flat and would be more navigable than the hilly Beysehir road. The weather report declared that the next two days would be sunny (a welcome change from the rainy weather for the previous couple days), but that saturday night would bring a temprature drop of 8 degrees celsius (13 degrees fahrenheit) -- the temperature officially 12 degrees at the time, although the loacl thermometers read 5-6. I figured I could bike to Capadoccia, use my bike around there and possibly sell it at a loss if/when the temperature forced me to do so. I went to sleep early in complete peace, confident that the next day would bring a great experience. It did, but not the one I was looking for. I woke up on time, ate a small breakfast, loaded up my bike and hit the road. Things were going just fine until about 6km later when the pedal started to feel a bit funny and -- you guessed it -- it fell off. Try to imagine my frustration: I had intended to leave Konya 3 days ago, but had changed my plans to incorporate this bicycle... the bicycle had already let me down twice, and the weather was barely bearable at present, let alone after the anticipated temperature drop. Someone told me they would probably start getting snowstorms in 1-2 weeks. In great agitation I walked the bike back to town, and when I finally got there an hour and a half later I wanted to get rid of it. The guys at the shop were nicer than I expected and paid to have the pedal replaced, as well as for a general tune-up, but I had made up my mind... I wanted a divorce. We're not in Kansas anymore, and the guy looked at me in disbelief and got positively irritated when I said I wanted to return the bike, and wouldn't hear of it even when I said I'd be willing to lower the price... as long as he'd buy it back. The hotel manager offered to buy it off me for 65million (after a bit of bargaining, that is), and when a repair guy offered me 70million (plus 6 million for the miscellaneous tools I had bought), I took it and parted with my (now fully tuned and functional) bike which had cost me 115 million (all told), plus 3 days of hotel costs and great mental and emotional anguish. One hears about these couples who get divorced a couple weeks after they're married... that's what I felt like. We go divorced before I even got to ride the thing in peace, but the relief that came when I shook the guy's hand to seal the deal was very genuine, and beyond any short-term financial considerations. Having Irish blood, I can't help but feel sorry for the whole episode and wish it had never happened, but as they say "zararin neresinden donulse kardir" (lit. wherever you stop your loss is a profit... meaning don't stick to a losing horse). Things weren't working out, so now it's over. Maybe some other time with someone else. So, I have finally made my escape from Konya, a bit sore from the experience, but at least I'm still baggage-free (in more than one sense), and I haven't frozen to a popsicle somewhere on the Anatolian plateau. Maybe I'm missing out on part of the experience, but that experience is going to have to wait till warmer weather. Until that time I'll be sticking with closed metal cages rattling down pre-established roads.
sir fagalot o resimleri oraya koymadan once cocuklarin velilerinden izin aldinmi? ne yani Turk veya cingene diye insandan saymiyomusun?!
bu arada senin babanenpolis, edirne yazmak cok mu zor
To a Greek Fazla kasinma, kardak kayaliklarindan baslar Arnavutluk sinirina kadar heryeri aliriz ve her binaya(sadece kiliselere degil) minare ekleriz
bu arada Arjantinliler Sicarken Zevk Aliyolarmis
Truva Can, Peter o atin icinde birsey kirmamis miydi? Baybora soylemisti ki ona da mutlaka Ak Sakalli Dede soylemistir. Hadi, off to earn my daily rice.
to a Greek first off, racism is ignorant and uncalled for. i don't know what you're trying to get at by saying turks came from mongolia and calling them "newcomers in [sic] europe"; i don't think there's anything shameful about mongolia nor being a "newcomer". information i've come across indicates that ayvalik (kidonies) was granted autonomy by the sultan, and no muslims were allowed to live in the city... that lasted until 1821 (greek war of independence) when apparently ayvalik sided with greece and got its privileges revoked. sounds like pretty good treatment to me. as for what you said about mosques and cemetaries... unfortunately i agree with you there. i think there's a conscious (official) effort to eradicate the history of anatolian peoples and instead engineer the myth of the "turkish national homeland". i truly hope it's just a fad that will soon end. speaking of ayvalik, the church on the facing island (not sure of the greek name) wasn't converted to a mosque and is now falling apart... so it's a tough call: see it converted to a mosque, or have it fall apart from disuse? of course, the root of the problem is the population exchange (in the late '20s), without which we wouldn't have to worry about empty greek churches. finally, i don't know if you personally know any turks, but i'd suggest you try to meet some. there are some bad apples (there always are), but i think you'll find it worth your while. i've met some really cool greeks and armenians (both of which are official "enemies").
mordecai Turk un T sini bi daha kucuk yazarsan oraya gelip sakallarini kesicem! Ayrica rahat birak kucuk kizlari, michael jackson degilsin, katolik papaz degilsin, 30 yasina gelmissin artik insaf!
From a Greek When I see this nice church getting transformed in a minaret I was thinking how our Turkish "friends" who want to join Europe would feel if they see the house in which Kemal Ataturk was borned, in Thessaloniki Greece, transformed to a Bar.
I really do not undesrtand why Turks are always destroying the Greek culture. It is impossible to change history. Kidonies (Ayvalik) was for thousand years a Greek city until the Turks coming from Mongolia occupied it.
By the way, I have also another question: In Ayvalik for thousand of years Greek Christians were burrying their deads in the town's cemeteries.
What happened to them? Turks destroyed them as another gesture of civiliation? Otherwise can you please show just one picture of them?
My grandmother is from Kidonies and her whole family was tortured to death from the newcomeres in Europe, Turks.
Regards
P.S. It is really a nice Greek Orthodox Church. Even without the cross and even if you add hundred of minares it will always be a church!
Finally, pictures. Here are some pictures... unfortunately the blog entry spans a fairly long period of time, so the pictures are all over the place. Enjoy.
My trip began (July 19, 2004) as a 14-month leave of absence from my job, with the intention of "seeing the world", and a bunch of unrealistic ideas of what can be accomplished in a year. Turns out a year isn't as long as it seems, so I've recently quit my job (yeay!) to become a full-time traveler. Until, that is, I run out of money or decide I'm ready to rejoin the ratrace.
In the meantime, I'm trying to blog at least once a month from the countries I'm visiting. I'm not interested in Western Europe, so don't expect pictures of Venice here. My blogs are basically my impressions of pla... full info
bedreddin
Ozgur Can Leonard
Christmas
Just a quick note to say that Christmas was fairly anticlimactic (possibly due to the rain), and my plans for par-tay'ing fell through miserably. OTOH I got to attend/crash a Syrian/Maronite wedding and Midnight Mass at a "Latin" church (naturally in Arabic lightly sprinkled with Latin) which made for an interesting experience.