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Published: November 13th 2009
ISTANBUL - The only city in the world which spans two continents where east (Asia) meets west (Europe) and a narrow watery boundary marks the division. İts hıstory spans thousands of years conjuring up hıstorıcal terms such as Constantınople, the Byzantine and Ottoman empires, Sultans, the Crusades, harems, and more. A place now of Islamic faith where the daily singing prayers echo through the streets from mosques which were once churches ın a Christian socıety.
I was on a tight time-line of 10 days to see the endless sites of Turkey. But within two and a half hours of stepping off the airbus from Moscow, I unexpectedly landed a job at the guesthouse I was checking into after inquiring about a sign posted on the wall in reception, "Bar help needed!". They asked if I could start that night, I said sure, why not. Done! I was serving drinks before I even had seen my room. And with that, I changed my out going flight by three weeks and became the token white guy behind a Turkish bar... which is far better than a Turkish prison.
Working 12-14 hour days, seven days a week for food, a bed, and
alcohol wasn't much, but it was enough most of the time. I longed for a day off after awhile... just to not have to be stuck at the bar. When I had asked for it, the response was - "No Problem! You want time off, you can take off whenever you like. Here, you are family." (5 mins later as I was walking out the door) "Uh, excuse me, Raymond, where are you going? Could you open the bar now?" Crazy Turks! The reality is, an average working day for the Turks is a minimum of 12 hours a day, EVERYDAY of the week, for an inadequate wage. So it goes... I was working under Turkish rule, sitting around most of the day, listening to good music on the fourth floor terrace which over looked the Marmara Sea, reading and writing, eating and drinking, smoking shisha. As difficult as it was, I persevered. About 7pm is when most guests would start to roll in from their day of sightseeing and then we would start to get busy. It was at this time I would start serving up beer and kebabs... Turkish style.
I'd have time in the late morning
to see an attraction or two before I was off to the bar until the wee hours of early morning... that is, if I wasn't sleeping in. The gig was rather easy, all and all. I mean we only served three types of bottled beer, three types of liquor, and three types of kebabs. I also had to pack and light the shisha/hookah/narghile/water pipe. It's not the Turkish experience unless you're smoking flavored tobacco and drinking apple tea while lounging on tightly woven pillows and cushions. Most of the clientele were weekend warrior vacationers or fellow travelers passing through. Indeed, it was a place of Mediterranean leisure.
I scurried off for a few days to see the acclaimed destination of Cappadocia. A place that once inhabited a Christian society which lived within a rocky landscape in carved out villages and cities. The most impressive sight was an eight story city chiseled underground into the stony earth. Here one could walk amongst the endless desert valleys adorned with wild pumpkin patches and apple trees and tour through etched out cave dwellings once homes and churches to a people who lived a thousand years ago. The entire landscape was an outdoor
Turkish Breakfast
For anyone who knows the affinity I have for cheese and fruit... well, this place was a taste of heaven.museum. I caught the night bus from Istanbul and arrived early morning, after eleven uncomfortable hours, to the fairytale rock formations of Cappadocia. The morning sky was decorated with dozens of hot air balloons. What a sight!
Incidentally, buses in Turkey don't have toilets. Yeah, it's the law. Too many bombs were being set off from the bathrooms within the buses. It's a good law. I'm all for it.
When I returned to the hostel I was working at, I was received with open arms like a long lost brother, and everything was on the house for my last three days in Turkey as I prepared for my next stop - Greece.
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Rosemary
non-member comment
that music was pretty great...
...but too bad our turkish friends didn't fully appreciate that. =) great photos...i especially like your first one of the door and pumpkins.