Leaving Hot Turkey Cold Turkey

Turkey has been a place of marked contrast to me. Like the sweet juicy nectarines, perfect figs and hot peppers coming out of the parched, arid land. And like the amazing ruins and remnants of cultures past, and the beautiful historic small towns with slower paced life, contrasted with the ugly concrete buildings and modern push in the bigger cities. It is good, it is bad, and many times in the same minute, the same block.
The varied sights, tastes, sounds, and cultures make it a very intense, intriguing and unforgettable experience- I think an experience that will get realized in a deeper way for me as time goes on. Whether you want to get to know the people and how they live here, or just experience things on your own, this country has so much. But whether you’re one to socialize or not, the people of a country will make or break a trip. It’s people that you interact with and who show you the soul of a country, and it’s people you depend on to help you when in a bind.
When I’ve really needed help, some Turks couldn’t have been bothered. When I was clueless as to where I was when getting off a bus, and would point to a name on a piece of paper, some people would just say something dismissively in Turkish and walk on. The language barrier is huge here, and I have missed out on what I’m sure would have been great conversations with very nice people, but it doesn’t have to be a problem in getting around. I’ve gotten by in many countries on hand signals and writing before, and there have been times where if I ask them to do this here, they scoff- they don’t want to make the effort. I could wonder and speculate on the reasons why this happened- like why certain cultures seem to be able to differentiate between governments and the people of that country better than others. But really, the possibilities are too many, and it would be wrong to guess and to concentrate on this.
Because the refreshing contrast to those times are the many people I’ve met that have gone out of their way to help me. Like the Egesels- Cem, Basak and Dogu- who allowed me to stay with them for 3 days in Canakkale. They treated me like a son. And they spared no expense to show me the incredible food and music of Turkey, and make sure I was comfortable in the next town. I will be eternally grateful. And the Tercis- Tuba and Kursat, along with their friends- who showed me around Izmir and took me to the university where they teach. We had great talks and I will always remember them. And Yesim and her husband, who showed me around Istanbul and invited me into their home. It was nice to see that side of Istanbul- the side where people were living, getting by, day to day. And the man who went more than a mile out of his way in Konya to show me to a music shop I couldn’t find. He did it out of pure kindness, and was happy to do it. And Caglar, his family, and Murat in Rize, who called me into their bar, where we played Turkish songs. They gave me dinner and a ride to the bus station, and were just happy to meet a traveler and share some music, an amazing experience. And the lady who took me in her prepaid cab to find a hotel in Mardin, as she could tell I was lost and not prepared. We stopped at 3 hotels, her talking to the people for me, until we found a decent priced one. We had a great talk on the way, where she explained the people of her town to me. These are only a few experiences out of many where I got a look into the benevolent soul of this country.
This, I feel, I hope, is what most of the people are like in this country. It’s hard to tell when you only spend 5 weeks somewhere. I would think it dangerous for anyone to make a blanket statement about my country after only 5 weeks. Turkey seems to me, for the most part, to be a country of inclusiveness, adaptation, and acceptance. Not only in the dozens of cultures that have been through here in history, but in day to day life as well.
So I leave Turkey, not loving it, and not hating it, or... maybe it's better to say I leave, loving it and hating it- I think that’s how you should leave most countries. (I am, by the way, still completely in awe and in love with the music). If all you did was hop from one comfortable tourist site to the next, you would think everybody was out to help you (of course because of your money), and that traveling in that country was easy, painless. But if you make the effort to go a little out of the way, the experience will be a little less rosy; However you will come out with deeper experiences, better friendships, more meaningful lessons, and a more realistic view of that country.
-And probably end up liking the country and the people more and more after some reflection. I think that’s what will happen with me and Turkey.

Diyarbakir and Mardin

A reminder for anyone interested- you can click on the photos and get a larger view if you want to see more details in the pictures. Enjoy!

I spend a decent amount of time at cafes. Writing sometimes, soaking up what's going on, or just drinking the good, sweet tea. I'm not alone. People love to hang out and take a break over tea here.















The best way to get firewood down the steep stairs of Mardin is, actually, a donkey.















Hey, who loves you baby? Yeah, that's style!



















Almost got run over by this donkey. What an ass! (Why would I pass that one up? C'mon.)















Met my friend here in Mardin, nice guy. We tried to talk with each other with limited success. But it's nice to run into a kind soul who just wants to try and talk. Took his picture.



















Looking down into Syria.



















The mesmerizing view over the Mesopotamian plains in the day...















At dusk...















And at night.















Red hot brick oven. These guys were nice and gave me a free piece of fresh baked bread for my curiosity.

She's a Brick...Oven, Mardin from Jason Williams on Vimeo.

The old city walls of Diyarbakir, put up in Roman times. They ring 6km around the old city.




















Residential area in Diyarbakir.


















Old man lettin 'em sag. Some older men wear the Arabic style pants here.















Getting a Kurdish haircut, and my first open razor shave ever. As you can see, I needed it.















Kids playing.



















A dolmus (minibus) stop, and fruit stand guys in the foreground.

Food Good

For some reason I waited until southeastern Turkey to start indulging in the baklava and similar desserts. In saying my goodbyes to this country, I will try to eat as many as humanly possible. They are incredible.


The fish stands in Trabzon, which factor heavily in their local cuisine.

I don't get out much, but I've never seen a tomato stuffed before. Simple, creative, good.

I've been purposefully ignoring some of the national dishes because of the meat inundation. But I was told eastern Turkey is famous for their cuisine, especially meat dishes, so I'm trying them. They are pretty damn good, with much more thought put into it than just meat with yogurt (iskender-you see it everywhere in Turkey.) This is a beef stew.

Roasted chestnuts, for some reason, also a first for me, even though we sang it a thousand times at Christmas.

The old stuffed pepper. It helps when the peppers, all kinds, are in season.

This is kuymak. It's cornmeal with plenty of cheese and butter. It is from the eastern Black Sea area. Damn good. I had a heart attack and loved every minute of it.

A kabob cart in Diyarbakir. This was the most common street food I saw there. A "portion" is 5 or 6 lira, and you get a tomato cucumber salad, whole roasted red or green peppers, tomatoes and onions, sauce and bread. T'was good. See below.


More incredible desserts. With tea...damn.


Sometimes, I've noticed some interesting ways of selling food on the street. Herb wheelbarrow.
Fish cart. Huge fish, from some distant place, as I was in Diyarbakir- ain't no water around for miles and miles, I don't think. And this guy isn't worried about refrigeration. Must sell pretty quick.

Drying grapes and plums maybe.

More of the good stuff. I don't know the name of this stuff, it's not baklava. It's a stringy, gooey mess of goodness.

Cheeses for sale.

A tea overlooking the Mesopotamian plains and into Syria. An incredible sight.

I mean c'mon, that's cabbage? Miracle-Gro needs to do some research in this part of the world I think.

Burning the wheat fields after harvest. It seems most of the plains areas of Turkey are used for wheat cultivation.

In the Blink of an Eye

In the last week- The eastern Black Sea towns, with the dark clouds and rain always possible; And the music- none of it in 4/4 it seemed -5/4, 7/4, 9/8- was exciting, fast. They are still proud of the heritage associated with the kemence and tulum, and you hear it everywhere. The rhythms are fascinating and I felt like in a trance sometimes.
But...I started to get a little bit concerned about money- Turkey is not as affordable as I thought it would be. So while in Rize, I caught a bus, then another, until a day and a half later, I'm in Diyarbakir. Now I'm in the southeast, where there is a Kurdish majority and a more Arabic influence, and ready to head into Syria in a week or so. But for now I slow down and reflect...

The tea filled hills, and rain of Rize.









I love this instrument, the kemence. Like our country fiddle on crack. It is the local folk music, but unlike being relegated to the past, everybody listens to it.












Black Sea rain, never far away in this season.









It strikes me how slow people walk here. It's more of an amble. But when they drive they seem to think they're in a video game. They have vehicular schzizophrenia I think.










Me and the ladies just checkin it out.










Old Seljcuk mosque in Erzurum with the cold hills behind.

I don't know, for public art this stuff is graphic, and caught my eye. It was of course a war and independence memorial, in Erzurum.




War dance, Turkish style. And of course, Ataturk is watching. Damn, does he rest?







Erzurum in the early morning, it was cold in these mountains. Smoke from chimneys filled the air.









Yes, Evis rent a car. I'm telling! We got a lawsuit. And it's no big deal for guys to go down the street holding arms here. Not that different from San Francisco, sure, but for different reasons. It is very different from the U.S.- whole different idea of private space.









Old men chillin' roadside drinking their tea, like old men do.









This is my tour poster. Watch out! The American is loose!

Same (of the) Same but Different

People working in Goreme. Tractors seem to be the vehicle of choice for work in some places. Paired with a trailer, they serve as our pickup.

A view of the damp hills of Trabzon. It could be San Francisco's sister city in the winter.

Turkish people generally have a high sense of style, but the no pants thing is a little Euro for me.
One more look, you know you like it.

A Sultan remembered by Trabzon.

One more damn shot of balloons in Cappadocia.

Check out those melons! The volcanic, porous soil in Cappadocia seemed good for growing.

Making some hot pepper paste. They leave it to roast in the sun in flat pans for a few days.

I was looking for this instrument, the kemence karadeniz, but that might be a little big to ship home.

This guys not yelling at the Black Sea. He's fishing with no pole. It was interesting to watch him reel it in with bare hands.

Work it out, and if you can't, then hug it out.

Don't be so childish, just order off the big person menu.

Courtney, little sister, I'm pretty sure I never threw a boulder at you. Not that I remember anyway.

The bread makers are everywhere here. Bread is king, and the Black Sea guys are known to be the best in Turkey.