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Published: November 29th 2011
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Kaş
The only picture I managed to take... that I forced myself to take. My friend Alana is everything you could want in a travel partner, and in a human being. She is calm, cultured, and has an extraordinary ability to see everyone’s inner Buddha – and she couldn’t have come to Turkey at a better time. Weeks of traveling through new culture and old history had left me tired and overwhelmed. In Kaş, I hadn’t even been able to leave my host’s porch.I sat there for two days, looking out on the world, but taking no part in it. Within an hour’s drive were some of Turkey’s most famous sites: the tombs of the Lycian way, the sunken city of Kekova, and the 12-kilometer stretch of sandy heaven, Patara Beach. I didn’t feel excited about any of them. I only felt excited about Alana. After what seemed like endless waiting, I ducked my head into a carpet shop in Selçuk, and there she was, smiling. I never wanted our hug to end.
I could have easily spent the day talking and walking aimlessly, but we were only minutes away from Ephesus, an important center for early Christianity and the Mediterranean’s best-preserved city. I felt a sense of obligation to go. The nearly perfect
remains of the Library of Celsus should have had me standing slack-jawed in awe; I should have marveled at the last home of mother Mary, but I didn’t. I was completely desensitized. It looked like just another Roman city to me, crumbling columns and an amphitheater. I felt like a cheap tourist; like someone who had come to haggle over the price of a scarf, snap a few pictures and return home to brag to friends about my trip to the exotic land of Turkey.
When Alana suggested that we return to Istanbul, I hesitated slightly. I had wanted to see another handful of sites (highest among them Troy, in honor my nephew), but I realized I wouldn’t be able to appreciate them, so I agreed. I’d been dreaming of Istanbul since I had left and, the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to return to its energy. There’s nothing like dancing to reinvigorate a tired spirit. Once back, however, I found that the crowds irritated me. I didn’t want to be implored by waiters and vendors, “Yes, please, lady. Would you like to see what I have?” No. Definitely not. I do not want
to see what you have. I also didn’t want to do any sightseeing, but I did have an interest in visiting the Archaeology Museum, which I hadn’t had time for on my previous visit.
A collection of three different museums, the Archaeology Museum houses over one million objects that represent all of the eras and civilizations of Middle Eastern history. It’s impressive – and overwhelming. There was so much that I didn’t know, that I hadn’t seen and I felt a frustrating sense of failure that I couldn’t do it all. Amidst the centuries-old potshards and tombstones, my entire life was reduced to a mere blip on the geological timeline. After a few hours, it was too much to handle. With my head spinning and my stomach grumbling, I left Alana alone with the Roman statues to get some fresh air.
The next day, seeking some peace from it all, we took the ferry to the Princes’ Islands. In summer, they are bustling with people, but in winter, they are blustery ghost towns. We arrived, after countless cups of tea, with full bladders. By virtue of the car-less, horse-filled roads, the entire island smelled like a toilet, yet,
Potty Break
Toilets in ancient Rome were no private affair. we couldn’t find one anywhere. Our sightseeing consisted of looking for the WC signs that announce a porcelain hole in the ground. All we found was a wooded area and we took turns squatting behind a bush. Just as Alana reached the “point of no return” a group of kids passed on the path above. It was no trouble for their young, innocent eyes to spot Alana’s red backpack through the leaves. She tried to lower her jacket over her bare ass and I tried to be sympathetic, but I laughed so hard that my eyes watered and my abs cramped from the strain. It was just what I needed to rejuvenate my spirit.
Lengthwise, life is short, but there’s no limit to how wide you can live it. Traveling can’t be all about places and history. It must be about touching peoples’ lives, sharing energy and spreading joy and laughter.
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Tiffany Kreger
non-member comment
Thank goodness for friends!
You know you just say the right things at the right time. Skyler was bullied again by an older boy who thought it necessary to call her a dork and that is why no one sits by her on the bus it almost brought me to my knees. The principal can deal with this all I can do is to spread joy and laughter to touch my girls with that energy that makes you stronger. I am thankful your friend is there. Take time to enjoy the guilty pleasures to my girl it takes the edge off. Now I must take care of Tamberly she is sick sorry I could not be there to hug you and tell you your exceptional and wonderful you are a rainbow and colours outshine the dark spots.Luv me