We remember Turkey in July as hot, dry and
dusty. As in all developing countries
we have visited we found, in Turkey's larger cities, indications of all the
technological and marketing achievements of first world countries. Air-conditioned multi-tiered shopping
centers with ice skating rinks, ultra modern super-markets with the latest
advances in laser scanners, ATM machines and the ubiquitous cell phone
confronted us. We descended from our in-bound Jet and by the time we boarded
the plane-to-terminal bus, a dozen cell phones were in operation. Cigarette smoke and noisy
conversations quickly inundated us. We soon discovered that American fast-food
restaurants as well as modern technology had also invaded Turkey. We had
traveled four thousand miles to feel right at home.
The Crowne Plaza, Istanbul was our home for several
nights before we flew to Antalya. This hotel was very posh by Turkish standards
or any other standards. We ate our last dinner at the lovely, lavish rooftop restaurant.
The food was delicious nouvelle Turkish
cuisine, deliciously prepared, superbly displayed and served with impeccable
panache. Two waiters simultaneously served
us so that every course was placed before us at precisely the same moment. We have eaten thousands of excellent meals
all over the world but that dinner is one of the very few that is memorable.
In Istanbul every tourist visits famous sites such
as the Hagia Sophia, the Grand bazaar, the Spice bazaar, Topkapi Palace and the
Blue Mosque, and of course we did also. At the entrance to the Blue Mosque that Nick was stopped.
In order to enter he had to put on a
wrap-around skirt that was provided for women who were showing too much leg. By
Turkish standards he was immodestly dressed in just above the knee shorts. He
never looked sillier but he carried it off with aplomb. Women visitors wearing Bermuda length
shorts and even shorts the same length as his were
not required to cover themselves, however all women were required to
cover their heads. When we exited the popular tourist places in Istanbul, and
particularly the Blue Mosque, we were engulfed in a sea of young men hawking
the usual tourist items. They were
persistent as flies and just as annoying. It was the only time we were irritated and felt uncomfortable in
Turkey. Mona
finally said "no, no, no" in a very loud voice and they melted away.
We flew to Antalya and joined a Pacha Bus tour
visiting ruin after ruin after ruin in the blazing sun and it quickly became
obvious to Nick that there was little creative challenge in photographing the
Greco-Roman ruins. He decided to take more people pictures of the Turks, guides
and other tourists. At the next site that we visited, he photographed a young
boy who was vending bread rolls from a large tray balanced on his head. When the boy noticed that Nick wanted to
take his picture, he gestured that he would pose and Nick photographed
him. Minutes later Nick came across
three men lounging under a beach-type umbrella that was adjacent to a soft
drink cooler Nick gestured to them with his camera. They understood and invited him to take a picture for which they
posed very politely. As soon as Nick
finished his pictures one of them jumped up, grabbed his camera and offered to take his picture with the other two.
Nick could not refuse, they seemed so
friendly. One of the men quickly proffered a soft drink from the cooler with a
"you can't refuse this" gesture. The others also helped themselves to
soft drinks from the cooler. Another offered sweet rolls from the young boy's
tray to Nick and his "newly found friends". After he finished his
refreshments Nick was told that he owed them one million Turkish liras, about US $12.50. While they appeared friendly and
generous, they were really very entrepreneurial. Nick later realized that one
owned the cooler, another vended the sweet rolls and the third owned the nearby
camels that were used for tourist rides. Nick admired how well they operated their little scheme and was thankful
they did not "urge" him to take a camel ride or he would have been
out another two million liras.
Our lovely two-week vacation in Western Turkey ended
and then the work began. We flew to Izmir for the beginning of a two-week
EarthWatch expedition in the tiny town of Kula about 80 miles east of Izmir.
Twelve volunteers in a mini bus sans air-conditioning made the sweat-drenched
drive. It was a wonder we were all
speaking to each other when we arrived at the best hotel in Kula, the
Volkan. It did not have fleas but in
most other respects, it was a fleabag. It had water problems that caused the pipes to knock, hiss and belch
unexpectedly day or night at which time no water would be forthcoming. The small shower, which did not have even a
curtain to define it from the rest of the bathroom, rarely emitted hot
water. Taking a cold shower became the
norm during our stay there. Of course, there was no air conditioning, but we
managed to sleep at night with the window open. Kula is at an elevation of
3,000 feet and the temperatures at night were comfortable. But we had the street noises to contend
with, especially the motor bikes, until nearly midnight, when all became
quiet. Our room was very small with a
double bed, one side of which had to be flush against the wall, one straight
backed chair and one table. No towels
were to be found. Eventually after repeated requests, bordering on demands, two
mangy thin towels appeared. Of course, there was no TV in our room but we did
not miss it much; the only TV programs received in Kula were in Turkish. There was a TV in the dirty, unkempt lobby
of the Volkan Hotel but the viewers were always smoking which made lounging in the lobby unbearable.
Our room was on the fourth floor and, most of the
time, the elevator was operating although it rarely opened flush with the
floor. Often we had to step up or down to enter or exit from the elevator
cab. There were occasions when the
elevator would not respond to our call so we had to go to either the third or
fifth floors where it responded more reliably. Occasionally we had to walk up or down from lobby to fourth floor. Our
meals were served in the hotel's dining room, and the cook did his best to
cater to us but the variety and amount of food that we were served was
limited. We often had bread-wrapped
meat or cheese pasties which after two weeks became tiresome.
During our scheduled days off, we took a bus to
Izmir more then eighty miles to the west. Nick’s father was born and raised in Izmir
but left in1912 never to return. We were very curious about the city of his
father’s origin. After living in the Volcan Hotel for more than a week,
anything had to be better and, we expected the Hilton to be very, very much
better. We arrived at the high-rise Izmir Hilton disheveled, dirty, exhausted, hungry and reeking of tobacco
smoke. We thought we looked so bad we might be turned away but instead the
clerk smiled, welcomed us and gave us the card key to a room on the 28th floor
with access to the Executive Club. It
was a traveler's paradise. The room was enormous compared to the miniscule room
we shared at the Volcan, and it was beautifully furnished. The bathroom offered
every possible amenity including thick, fluffy towels that engulfed us each
time we took one of our three daily hot showers. The hotel's hospitality also
included a basket of delicious fruit; a bottle of wine and a keepsake wooden
box of Turkish delights all of which added up to a welcome delightful Turkish
treat. The lovely Izmir Hilton made the
Kula Volkan Hotel bearable.
In spite of the uncomfortable living condition in
Kula we encountered many kindness on the part of the people of Kula. One day, we left one of the older homes that
the members of the EarthWatch team were measuring before the rest of the group
departed. We were confident that we
could find our way back to the Volkan. The old part of Kula is a maze of streets that twist and turn and seem
to double back on themselves and we soon realized that we were completely lost. The streets were
deserted. Even if we had found someone, communication with the Kulans was
always difficult. Very few of them knew
any English at all and we were not there long enough to earn any Turkish. It was hot, very hot, and we walked in
circles. Finally we came upon a pre-teen boy riding a bicycle, and we managed
to convey that we needed directions to the Volkan Hotel. Several times he tried unsuccessfully to point out the way but soon
perceived that we did not understand him. He then dismounted from his bike and
walked us to the front door of the hotel. We attempted to give him a small
monetary gift for his kindness but he steadfastly refused. Then we offered to
buy him a soft drink or some other delicacy but again he politely refused. This
experience helped to restored our sagging spirits.
At another time, we were walking in the old town
when we came upon a group of women accompanied by their children baking bread
in a roadside oven. We saw several of these ovens during our stay; they
apparently are available for the residents who live nearby. We stopped for a while to watch them from across the
road. Many of the curious children approached us and gawked. The women noticed us and one of the women approached
us with a freshly baked loaf of bread in her hands and offered it to us. The loaf was very warm, and when she noticed
my discomfort in holding it, some newspapers were quickly brought to wrap the
loaf. We had a wonderful time taking pictures of everyone and they responded with much laughter and glee. We were
deeply touched by the care and generosity extended to us by the lovely people
of Kula.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Pacha Tours
1560 Broadway Suite 316
New York, NY 10036
(212) 764 4080
(800) 722 4288
www.pachatours.com
EarthWatch Institute
3 Clock Tower Place, Suite 100
Box 75
Maynard, MA 01754
Phone: (978) 461 0081
Fax: (978) 466 2332
www.EarthWatch.org
EarthWatch Institute is a non-profit organization
that matches research scientist and volunteers for research projects aimed at
promoting sustainable conservation of natural resources and cultural
heritages. Mona has been on 5 projects
and Nick on 7. For adventurous souls we heartily recommend them. All ages
welcome.
Dear Madelyn,
I read the article of Mona Magnis published in 2000.
As a traveler I found to be very predatory and unfriendly. I do travel to
several different locations thruout the world for business and pleasure and
I do go to local economies and many of them which has lower living standards
than we Americans. I think your travel magazine shouldn't be a cultural
bashing but a guide. I don't know how this article passed your review, but
you may need to take a more liberal attitude towards to other cultures.
Regards.
TM
In Istanbul every tourist visits famous sites such
as the Hagia Sophia, the Grand bazaar, the Spice bazaar, Topkapi Palace and the
Blue Mosque, and of course we did also. At the entrance to the Blue Mosque that Nick was stopped.
In order to enter he had to put on a
wrap-around skirt that was provided for women who were showing too much leg. By
Turkish standards he was immodestly dressed in just above the knee shorts. He
never looked sillier but he carried it off with aplomb. Women visitors wearing Bermuda length
shorts and even shorts the same length as his were
not required to cover themselves, however all women were required to
cover their heads. When we exited the popular tourist places in Istanbul, and
particularly the Blue Mosque, we were engulfed in a sea of young men hawking
the usual tourist items. They were
persistent as flies and just as annoying. It was the only time we were irritated and felt uncomfortable in
Turkey. Mona
finally said "no, no, no" in a very loud voice and they melted away.
We flew to Antalya and joined a Pacha Bus tour
visiting ruin after ruin after ruin in the blazing sun and it quickly became
obvious to Nick that there was little creative challenge in photographing the
Greco-Roman ruins. He decided to take more people pictures of the Turks, guides
and other tourists. At the next site that we visited, he photographed a young
boy who was vending bread rolls from a large tray balanced on his head. When the boy noticed that Nick wanted to
take his picture, he gestured that he would pose and Nick photographed
him. Minutes later Nick came across
three men lounging under a beach-type umbrella that was adjacent to a soft
drink cooler Nick gestured to them with his camera. They understood and invited him to take a picture for which they
posed very politely. As soon as Nick
finished his pictures one of them jumped up, grabbed his camera and offered to take his picture with the other two.
Nick could not refuse, they seemed so
friendly. One of the men quickly proffered a soft drink from the cooler with a
"you can't refuse this" gesture. The others also helped themselves to
soft drinks from the cooler. Another offered sweet rolls from the young boy's
tray to Nick and his "newly found friends". After he finished his
refreshments Nick was told that he owed them one million Turkish liras, about US $12.50. While they appeared friendly and
generous, they were really very entrepreneurial. Nick later realized that one
owned the cooler, another vended the sweet rolls and the third owned the nearby
camels that were used for tourist rides. Nick admired how well they operated their little scheme and was thankful
they did not "urge" him to take a camel ride or he would have been
out another two million liras.
Our lovely two-week vacation in Western Turkey ended
and then the work began. We flew to Izmir for the beginning of a two-week
EarthWatch expedition in the tiny town of Kula about 80 miles east of Izmir.
Twelve volunteers in a mini bus sans air-conditioning made the sweat-drenched
drive. It was a wonder we were all
speaking to each other when we arrived at the best hotel in Kula, the
Volkan. It did not have fleas but in
most other respects, it was a fleabag. It had water problems that caused the pipes to knock, hiss and belch
unexpectedly day or night at which time no water would be forthcoming. The small shower, which did not have even a
curtain to define it from the rest of the bathroom, rarely emitted hot
water. Taking a cold shower became the
norm during our stay there. Of course, there was no air conditioning, but we
managed to sleep at night with the window open. Kula is at an elevation of
3,000 feet and the temperatures at night were comfortable. But we had the street noises to contend
with, especially the motor bikes, until nearly midnight, when all became
quiet. Our room was very small with a
double bed, one side of which had to be flush against the wall, one straight
backed chair and one table. No towels
were to be found. Eventually after repeated requests, bordering on demands, two
mangy thin towels appeared. Of course, there was no TV in our room but we did
not miss it much; the only TV programs received in Kula were in Turkish. There was a TV in the dirty, unkempt lobby
of the Volkan Hotel but the viewers were always smoking which made lounging in the lobby unbearable.
In spite of the uncomfortable living condition in
Kula we encountered many kindness on the part of the people of Kula. One day, we left one of the older homes that
the members of the EarthWatch team were measuring before the rest of the group
departed. We were confident that we
could find our way back to the Volkan. The old part of Kula is a maze of streets that twist and turn and seem
to double back on themselves and we soon realized that we were completely lost. The streets were
deserted. Even if we had found someone, communication with the Kulans was
always difficult. Very few of them knew
any English at all and we were not there long enough to earn any Turkish. It was hot, very hot, and we walked in
circles. Finally we came upon a pre-teen boy riding a bicycle, and we managed
to convey that we needed directions to the Volkan Hotel. Several times he tried unsuccessfully to point out the way but soon
perceived that we did not understand him. He then dismounted from his bike and
walked us to the front door of the hotel. We attempted to give him a small
monetary gift for his kindness but he steadfastly refused. Then we offered to
buy him a soft drink or some other delicacy but again he politely refused. This
experience helped to restored our sagging spirits. 
At another time, we were walking in the old town
when we came upon a group of women accompanied by their children baking bread
in a roadside oven. We saw several of these ovens during our stay; they
apparently are available for the residents who live nearby. We stopped for a while to watch them from across the
road. Many of the curious children approached us and gawked. The women noticed us and one of the women approached
us with a freshly baked loaf of bread in her hands and offered it to us. The loaf was very warm, and when she noticed
my discomfort in holding it, some newspapers were quickly brought to wrap the
loaf. We had a wonderful time taking pictures of everyone and they responded with much laughter and glee. We were
deeply touched by the care and generosity extended to us by the lovely people
of Kula.