Oct 3, 2014

Left the hostel and got 1 of my 2 nights prepayment back.  Left one night's fee on the table, but was anxious to get to the And Butik Hotel.  Walked around some after packing and ran into the wild college kids from last night.  They were all hungover but still friendly.

Took some shots of the view - or lack of view - at the hostel in modern downtown Ankara.

Took a cab up to the castle - it dates back to before the Romans, who conquered this region of Turkey.  Some remains still exist.of their monuments, baths and amphitheaters.  The castle area - maybe 1/4 mile on each side - was the old, original Ankara over 2500 years ago and today 4 million residents reside around original Ankara.  I am now staying in a hotel inside the outer walls of the castle shown below.  There are two Roman arch gateways for entrances.

Arrived 15 minutes before the 1 PM call to prayer.  The mosque 50 feet from my bedroom dates back to about 1000 AD and is the oldest in Ankara.  Walked down the hill about 1/2 mile to another mosque -  larger, better maintained, more decorative and the second oldest in Ankara.  Took my shoes off, went inside and took lots of pics.

Stopped on my way back to the hotel and spoke with Hasan.  I like him and will include a pic of him on Sunday before I leave.  

Walked the narrow, steep, windy streets below the Castle and went into dozen of stores and shops.  

Carpet stores, art stores, junk stores, food stores - everything that caught my eye.  Spent 45 minutes in a carpet store speaking with the owner, who spoke excellent English.  Could easily have spent thousands and only bought one rug.  Really liked the little 15"x24" silk rugs that were about $350.00.  Would make a nice wall hanging, but have no more wall space.

Came back the hotel and spoke with Haydar, the hotel manager, in his 30's and who lived in NYC for a year studying English.  Met his wife and 7 month old daughter,  his mother in law and his 7 year old nephew.

At the 4 PM call to prayer, went to the mosque across the street and took some pics.  Took about 100 pics today.

Haydar offer me a homemade Turkish dinner dish - tomatoes, peppers and egg stir fried together - but before eating I walked down the hill twice to the lower mosque looking for the store that sold beer.  On second trip finally scored, thanks to Hasan's excellent directions.  Did quite a bit of hill walking today.  God is great, beer is good........

Speaking of beer - bought several EFES, a Turkish Pilsner - 1/2 liter for $2.00 each.  Drank one with the tomato dish and watched the sunset.

Haydar dialed the TV into the Bloomberg network - sometimes in German, sometimes English, sometimes in Turkish.  Sometimes in English is a compliment to music from the jambox and the iPod.  Cannot stream Pandora overseas.

Is now 7:56 PM, dark, and the last call to prayer can be heard blaring from the minaret speaker 50 feet from my room.  I have dreamed of experiencing this moment for many, many years.

The view from up here is phenomenal.  360 degrees, over 20 miles distant in places, hundreds of thousands of dwellings and hundreds and hundreds of 15 to 25 story tall apartment buildings.

Was up until after 3 AM, then awoke around 6:30 AM and have been on the go since my eyes opened.  Thank goodness I moderated the vodka last night.  Could have been a very long day, but was a very enjoyable day.

Tomorrow is a Muslim religious holiday and almost all the shops and stores below the castle will be closed.  Would have liked to explore more, but there is nothing I really need and more importantly, want to carry in my bag for the next 95 days.  Will use the day to chill, read, catch up on some jet lag adjustments.  I have not slept more than 3 hours straight for over 5 days now.

Now 8:15 PM.  Was told that morning call to prayer is at either 4:45 or 5:00 AM.  As it is my birthday tomorrow, I will make believe that Happy Birthday is being sung to me each time there is a call to prayer.  An unbelievable present that means more than any western, material gizmo.

"People Are Crazy" by Billy Currington

This old man and me were at the bar and we
Were havin' us some beers and swappin' I don't cares
Talkin' politics, blonde and red head chicks
Old dogs and new tricks and habits we ain't kicked

We talked about God's grace and all the hell we raised
Then I heard the ol' man say
God is great, beer is good and people are crazy

He said I fought two wars, been married and divorced
What brings you to Ohio? He said damned if I know
We talked an hour or two about every girl we knew
What all we put 'em through like two old boys will do

We pondered life an death, he lit a cigarette
He said these damn things will kill me yet
But God is great, beer is good and people are crazy

Last call it's 2 a.m., I said goodbye to him, I never talked to him again
Then one sunny day, I saw the old mans face
Front page obituary, he was a millionaire
He left his fortune to some guy he barely knew
His kids were mad as hell, but me I am doing well

And I dropped by today to just say thanks and pray
And I left a six pack right there on his grave
And I said God is great, beer is good and people are crazy

God is great, beer is good and people are crazy
God is great, beer is good and people are crazy

Pics Day 2

Reflections on Day 2

A country song passes through my mind tonight - or this morning - at 2 AM - as, with jet lag still present, I reflect some of the many people I met today on day 2.  

"God is Great, Beer is Good, People are Crazy".

Musa, 21, a Turk, now living in Germany, a Fullbright Scholar who I talked with for over an hour at the hostel.  Motivated, mature, very intelligent, inquisitive.  He studied on his Fullbright in Kentucky.  He gave me an informative tour guide quality itinerary for the Black Sea coast, complete with photos.  I told him there is an unlimited future in store for him.  We could have talked for many more hours.  I would enjoy being a mentor to him.

Machmud, 27, nearing graduation from University, working the graveyard shift at the hostel.  "I do not know what I want to do with my life".  I told him it is time to decide.

After wandering back to the hostel from the hilltop castle and buying some beer (expensive) I heard a lot of commotion upstairs.  I took a bottle of beer and went to investigate.  I could tell that they were not Japanese travelers........   

About 10 students - Archeology, Mechanical Engineering, Urban Planning majors that were on a foreign exchange program - all young - several from Poland (that I easily related with), Spaniards, Portuguese, Turks, Germans, Italians.  All young men and women.  They had 3 bottles of vodka and orange, lemon and lime mixers.  I drank mine straight, in the Polish style I so easily learned with minimal coaching during my 2 weeks of travel there.  

I had over an hour of continuous, enjoyable, wide ranging conversation with each of them.  Some conversations were shorter than others.

Work or pleasure travel?  I replied "Neither.  I am on walkabout".

Are you Turkish?

Do you believe the 9/11 event was actually a plot by the US government?  

The male Polish student was the most engaging and enjoyable.  

The women had no use for an old fart like me, but they were quite engaged with the buff young Spaniard.  I wished I was a buff young Spaniard.  They were around him like bees to honey.  

I stayed with them for an hour, sipped some vodka and got exactly what I wanted from the hostel - young, international, intelligent conversation.

I doubt that the hotel beneath the castle and above the mosque will have the same atmosphere tomorrow night.  Almost every room key was hanging on the board behind the desk in the office when I inquired about availability today .........  

Just exactly what I want and need.

Day 2 - Exploring Ankara

Spent most of the AM getting organized.  Went through bags, threw away old boarding passes, receipts, notes, etc.  Showered, buffed and pufffed.  Removed the rats nest in the ponytail.  

Received some tourista info from the host at the hostel and then booked the Sunday flight from Ankara to Trabzon, on the Black Sea coast about 40 miles west of Georgia.

Took off walking.  Walked about a mile or two and saw "the castle on the hill" described by the hostel host in the distance.   Hailed a taxi and in 15 minutes was up there.  The area had an old city feel, much different from the hustle and bustle of the Kizilay area where the hostel is located.  At the castle met 2 women from Estonia - one was teaching English here in Ankara and the other lady had married a Turk from Ankara.  Both lived here.  We talked travel, work, vacations, living the dream of international travel.  

While talking, the 4PM call to prayer stared booming from all the mosques in the city.  The oldest mosque in Ankara is 100 feet below the castle, right across the street from a quaint, classy immaculate hotel I checked out only 30 minutes before.  

Walked down the hill from the castle to the tourist info center and met Hasan.  He was extremely helpful and provided a 30 minute overview of the towns and cities along the Black Sea coast.  He lived in Germany for 10 years, spoke German, English with a strong German accent and is a native of Ankara.  We talked international politics, war in the middle east, radical muslims and ISIS, travel in Europe, and space exploration.  He gave me great info on the Black Sea coast and helped me feel confident about going there in several days.  He had traveled to 70 countries but had not been to the US.

The "And Butik Hotel" is the white building next to the mosque.

Walked all the way back to the hostel from the hilltop castle, the mosque and the "And Butik Hotel" that is smack dab between the two.  The area around and below the castle had a great feel.  Small, winding roads with all types of rug shops, tinsmiths, small quaint restaurants and felt like a world away from the hustle and bustle of the region around the hostel.  I kept telling myself "I am not lost"  "I am not lost" '"I am not lost in a city of 4 million.".  I have found it most beneficial to approach women for directions versus men.  Women have been more helpful for the most part.

Walking back to the hostel took an hour but It was all downhill and I knew I finally made it when I saw the Burger King restaurant.  Everyone was most helpful along the way, even if they did not know a word of English.

Bought a few beers and canceled the room tomorrow night and Saturday night at the hostel.  Had the hostel host book me a room for two nights at "And Butik Hotel" between the mosque and the castle on the hill.

A great day that allowed me to say "This is why I travel".

Ankara Arrival and the Deeps Hostel Day 2

Uneventful arrival at Ankara airport.  My backpack was the absolute last piece of luggage out of the carousel.  It was starting to feel lonely and worries increased with every traveler departing the carousel with their luggage.  Cleared immigration, the online VISA application worked without a hitch and easily cleared customs.

Went to the Turkey tourism kiosk and was offered a piece of Turkish pizza and received great help about bus service to the hostel and travel in Turkey. 

Got on the bus for the 30 minute ride downtown.  Bus was less than $4.00 USD.  Asked a young woman in the seat behind me for directions - she just returned from 9 months of university in Poland.  

We talked about Polish hospitality, drinking with Poles, Krakow, Poland vs. Turkey, the difficulty of the Polish language and our impressions from our visits to the Auschwitz death camp.

After a 30 minute ride to the bus stop at Kizilay, I set off to find the hostel.  The first guy sent me south.  I stopped and asked again - I was sent north.  After going north 3 blocks, I stopped again and was told further north.  Then I stopped at a restaurant and the owner called the bus boy who in a very friendly manner took me to the hostel doorstep, 3 blocks away.  No one spoke any English but somehow I was able to find the Deeps Hostel and my little room for $25.00 USD a night using my map, gestures and a smile and head nods.

At the hostel I settled in and returned 3 blocks to the restaurant to eat and tip the young man that escorted me to the hostel.  Took a sleeping pill and slept soundly.

Will stay here in Ankara for 2 days and leave on 10/4 for the Black Sea coast town of Trabzon via a short 1.5 hour flight.

101 days of Walkabout - Day 1

Up at 4 AM and off to the airport in the early morning drizzle and darkness.   The rains are starting to begin in the northwest and the fall salmon run is over.  After over 60 days without measurable precipitation and hundreds of hours salmon fishing in the boat on the Columbia,it is now time to experience new places, people, cultures,  sights.

At the check in counter I am often amazed by traveler behavior.  This time it was the Chinese guy with the upright suitcase with the 4 roller wheels.  His bag was half the size of a steamer trunk.  My first thought was "I bet that is heavy".  He struggled mightily to put it on the luggage scale and was promptly told that the bag was 20 pounds over the maximum. What was he thinking?  That you could cram 70 pounds of crap in a giant suitcase and get it on an airplane?  Did he read anything during the ticketing process?  

He was told by the ticket agent that he would need to make two pieces of luggage - that baggage handlers could not lift, move and heft 70 pound luggage.  He was told that he would be given a box to put 20 pounds of stuff in and then be charged a fee of $100.00 for the second 20 pound piece of luggage.  He argued with his wife/girlfriend - there was lots of hand waving, finger pointing, heated words were exchanged.  He had no options - either cough up $100 and make 2 pieces of luggage - or not travel. I chuckled and continued to watch with amusement.   More consultation with the traveling companion and the agent.  Finally he was given two boxes - 2 boxes because he could not fit 20 pounds of crap in one box - and the agent said she would tape them together to make 1 box.  He was handed the two smallish cardboard boxes and several other Chinese travelers in his traveling party grabbed the bag from the scale and the two boxes and then cracked open the trunk - right in front of the ticket counter, thus effectively blocking those behind him (me) from using the ticketing kiosk until the task was completed.   He slowed everything down even more at check in.  The suitcase when folded open took up about 20 square feet of floor space and the two boxes and all the clothes being sorted and laid out to find the heaviest stuff took up another 20 square feet of floor space.  The 4 or 5 Chinese pouring over the mess took up even more floor space and effectively blocked other check in kiosks.   I should have taken a picture.

At the kiosk I inserted my credit card and was prompted for the first 3 letters of my destination.  I typed "ank" and the automated check in kiosk spit out this message "no flights in next 12 hours for B Johnson".  Panic.  Heart pounding increase in blood pressure.  My mind started racing.  Was/is my flight yesterday/tomorrow.? Was there a booking problem?  What time is it?  Flight cancelled?  I took a deep breath and confidently said to myself "must have typed "ank" incorrectly.  Retried the process and was rewarded with my 3 flights  - to Washington DC, Munich and Ankara.  The first of many instances of travelers panic I will endure and hopefully resolve favorably.

Finally was able to get boarding passes and bag check my backpack off to Ankara - it has just 30.5 pounds of stuff for my 101 days of travel in 5 countries.  One pair of shoes for 101 days of travel.  OMG.

 I grabbed my carry on day sack and left for the gate.  

Walkabout time, I thought.  I am ready.

Flight was completely full. Not an enpty seat.  Listened to a little Bob Seger - Beautiful Looser which contains "Kathmandu", some Michael Martin Murphy - Cowboy Songs, NeilYoung - Living With War, Mark Knopfler -  Cal and poof, like that, I was in DC.

An uneventful change of flights and then I was on the Boeing 767-400 to Munich.   Found my seat - an aisle seat on an outside row with two seats.  There are 4 seats in the middle row and another row of two on the other side.  

The flight was delayed about 40 minutes and all the while the seat next to me - the window seat - was vacant.  I thought I might have hit the lottery for the 8.5 hour flight with an empty seat next to me and as it turned out, I did.  The gentleman that had the window seat was about the size of a fullback on a professional football team.  He stopped, checked his seat assignment and said "I was told there are empty seats in the rear of the plane, I am going to find one so we both will have more room".  I replied "Works for me".  And it did.  I was able to fold up the armrest between the window seat and the aisle seat and have plenty of room for the entire flight.  A good omen, me thinks