Open Arms

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Hello
The land i am in now (Anatolia) and the ways and beauty of its people are a welcomed contrast of what i left behind in Russia.

Remember how i said you needed to stay away from Russian police?
Well, trying to get on my boat i was forced into a bottle neck and had to pass through "customs". There, they made up whatever they wanted and i spent an hour arguing with the cops about a "problem" with my visa and regıstration. Long story short... This bastard wanted one hundred US dollars and i would be allowed to leave the country. So, with the next boat not leaving for another 5 days and me being too full of pride and in the right, i fought it. I argued in english and he in russian. I could see it on his face that he was lying. He thought by being angry or agressive that i (foreigner) would just pay out of fear or whatever. So, 30 minutes later, Bertie is brought into the station. (Bertie is from England. From north London and a student at Oxford. He studies Russian and Italian and was living in Siberia learning and working for 6 months) Bertie translates what i already know and explains to them that i can fıx their problem quite easily but that would mean they would come out of it empty handed. He bargains them down for me and they got 20 US dollars out of me and the small amount of rubles i had left for food too. (Bastards) You know how i hate to go hungry. I left bummed and stressed. Another 2 hour wait and then i head through customs with my offıcial paper that i "needed". Too bad the lady DİD NOT need it or even look at it. All was a scam!!!

I did not care. I was on the boat and was sailing away.
Thıs old decrepit ghost ship i took along with Bertie and some turks and some russian women who spent the summers ın Turkey was straight out of a movie. Most floors of the ship were abandoned and left in decay but you could go in and explore. I found one big ballroom type area that had old beds laying on top of airline type seats so we scored a good sleep that night. After sharing our russian police stories, we (bertie and I) and the russians were led to the room that looked like an old mess hall for the crew of this old carcargo ferry ship. (Cambodian written all over the rescue rafts??) There, we FEASTED on a turkish dınner. All you could eat. Had a sleep and then breakfast was served before we left. What a wonderful surprise. It was pouring the day i left russia and that morning we arrived in Turkey, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. Customs consisted of 20 bucks for a 3 month visa and a "Welcome to Turkey". Yeah, that was it!!!.
I loved this place already. The Karma just hit me.

What a land this is!!
This is the middle east only because it is a Muslim country. The ancient world this is. From the Hittites to the Assyrians, Persians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Armenians, Mongols, Selchuks, Ottomans, Russians, Kurds, and now the Turks. This land has seen much hıstory.
The land i have begun my travels in is mountainous with mıghty rıvers carving enormous canyons and gorges. Bertie and I just decided to check this land out for a bit. He is on a shorter time table than i since he is heading over to Italy to live and work and learn Italian perfectly. Our fırst day in Trabzon was an eye opener. The culture is amazing. The warmest and most hospitable people i have ever been around in my life (besides maybe familyand close friends). We were heading across town, 2 km away, and it took us 4 hours to get to there because every 20 minutes we were stopped and talked to and invited in and given food and tea. We were stared at and little kids who are learning english ask us our names and flock and gather around us and we communicate as best we can. We both have since picked up translation dictionaries. The only young travellers in town we were. Actually, I have not seen another foreigner (young wanderer) since leaving Moscow. And i love that.

We have hitchiked through this NE section of Turkey for days. In one town, (where i will go back to and stay for a couple of weeks when we part ways) we were the town guests. Huge feasts, tea, pastries, supplies from the shop, and a tour of the town by its "godfather" . More on that sometime......but yeah...,
Later
We were dropped off in Erzurum. There, we hit our first Hamam. Turkish bath house. Incredible...
You start in a sauna then you lay on a heated stone block of granite and when you are ready, you wash in a room with stone basins of flowing hot water. As you walk out of the hot rooms you pass this stone well with ice cold snow melt water and you take three buckets of that over you. You are wrapped in a few towels and then led to an open air place to lay and dry and relax. They serve you whatever you want to drink. That was a wonderful and much needed 2 hours.
I love watching the faces of people when they first lay eyes on us. And then there is Bertie......half japanese and half englısh wıth long dark dreads..........good stuff.

We got a ride to a town at the start of this mountain valley carved by the Choruh river. There, while exploring the castle we met some college students who gave us a place to stay for a couple of nıghts. Good tımes. Good small college town and great hıkes all around.
From there, we decided to walk/follow the river down valley to the next major town passing small mountain vıllages and farms and old castles. 56 miles we went. I spent my b-day washing in a waterfall and deep pools and then having good food by a camp fire that night by the river. Great times...Its all i could of asked for.
We camped the first night. Passing through this tiny village at sunset we asked to sleep by the mosque. They did us one better. Two guys gave us their home on the hıllside and drove us over the hill to the nearest watering hole to eat that night and then had a breakfast of dried cheese, olives, bread, yohgurt, cake, and tea waiting for us when we woke up the next morning. You can try and refuse and try to pay but they will not hear of it. At all!! It is their culture they say!!
3 days. Feet are tired and we smashed this town. Good food and drink...

Hearing the calling to prayer echo through the valleys and in the towns five times a day is a fascinating thing.

Muslims will give you all they have. Welcome you at every turn.
Communication is a chore but well worth the effort.
I am however tired of the association with the current leader of the US. But..... of course it comes up and i am asked my opınion. It is out of my control and the decisions made are not mine so in 15 months a new one will be elected and better decisions made. In theory.
But here in Anatolia
The people are real.

The times are real.
The land, old but pure...

My schedule has changed a bit. With much more time being spent here. My Romanian brother has not written back with the possibilities of teaching english this summer in Transylvania. So, Turkey is where i will dwell and explore.

Another valley maybe....Georgia maybe... we will see

The purity of these experiences is almost overwhelming. Bertie and I ask each other .. is this real??
Almost daily...

but.


I think you should do your Life a favor and explore these lands and meet its peoples. Real Muslims living the true way of Islam.


I roll on

Love
Jonathan

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