Fishbike53walkabout

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Oct. 7, 2014. I Went Hat Shopping Today

And bought a hat. Tried several on, only found one that fit my big head.

Guess which one I bought?

Monday, October 6, 2014

Oct. 6, 2014

A Primer on Power

I could not travel without taking along music, an iPad, an iPhone, etc. The list of chargeable devices includes:

Jambox

Bose noise canceling ear buds

iPhone

iPad

iPad keyboard

Camera batteries

30 GB iPod

80 GB iPod

Anker 10,000 mAh battery

Everything needs charging, because I use them all the time. First thing I do when I get to a room is start charging.

While traveling in SE Asia last year, I had no problem. The standard 2 prong Apple plugs can be used on the 220 volt systems in Asia since the Apple plugs convert 220 and the US 2 prong can be plugged into the Asian outlets. So while in Asia I needed nothing - I used the same things I use in the US.

No so in Turkey. It requires a round plug with 2 round prongs to plug in. Similar to European electrical systems.

I bought one converter in Ankara and thought I could get by. However, it charges real slow - it took all night to charge my iPad 60%.

Power management is a prime concern and I will head out today in Trabzon and see if I can buy some additional plugs, since I need to have 2 or 3 things charging whenever I am in a hotel room.

The pansiyon that Hasan booked for me seemed a little rough last night....it is not in the best part of town. (Have you ever seen a bus station in the best part of a town or city?).

Not the best vew or a view of the Black Sea from the bedroom window, but for 40 lira or $17.50, what do you expect?

Now in daylight I am confident I will be safe. As it is day 3 of really big Muslim 4 day holiday, I decided to stay one more night here at Ayyildiz Pansiyon, explore the bus station, walk about 5 blocks down to the harbor and explore Trabzon in daylight. It is a city of 750,000.

Would like to rent a car and drive over to Georgia, but all the cars are reserved during the holiday. Lots to see and do around here, just need to get my bearings and find someone that speaks English. The Tourism Center is closed for holiday for today and tomorrow. Will hang, play it by ear....see what Trabzon presents to me.

PS: If you are following me, please send an email to fishbike53@yahoo.com

It sometimes gets lonely out here and opportunities to converse are rare. An email is such a nice surprise!!!!

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Oct 5, 2014

Off to Trabzon today. Left the hotel and stopped by to see Hasan, since his little shop is on the walk out of the castle walls and down to the taxi stand.

His son was there with him - his son greeted me in English and we shook hands.

Hasan was grinning, as always, and greeted me by my first name - in his German accented English.

I told him I was only able to find pricey hotels in Trabzon online and did not want or need a $70.00 USD room. As he was a traveler to over 70 countries, he knew exactly what I meant and wanted.

Hasan opened his laptop, went into the Turkish Google website, pulled up several accommodation websites, made several quick phone calls and in 10 minutes he had reserved a room for me that was 40 Turkish lyra, or $17.61USD. He printed out the hotel name, address and a map of the hotel location. He showed me where the airport was, said that it should cost about 5 lira for a cab, and then he showed me on a map where the bus station was in relation to the hotel......just a block away. I thought "How cool is this? I cannot think of another question."

Hasan, thank you so much for your assistance and hospitality. But then, you are also a traveler.........

We all shook hands, I mounted my backpack and headed down the narrow shop lined street and through the massive Roman arch gateway of the castle, to the taxi stand for the ride downhill to Kizilay.

Funny how Kizilay looked so much different than 4 short days ago when I got off the airport shuttle on 10/1. I was not the least bit intimidated today........

The shuttle to the airport took 30 minutes as we went from the heart of Ankara to the airport on the outskirts of town.

The fare was .5 lira more today.... maybe because it was Sunday.

At the airport I found the "Left Luggage" kiosk and began to inquire about leaving 50% of my stuff at the airport and traveling light along the Black Sea. The attendant did not speak English. As soon as the attendant answered in the negative in Turkish, a guy said "I speak English. How can I help you?"

A fellow traveler, with a cart full of bags he planned to leave some luggage for 24 hours before his next flight tomorrow. Extremely fluent in English, he turned to the attendant and rattled off several Turkish sentences. He then turned to me and said "I live in Australia - have for 40 years. How big is the bag you want to store? How long in storage?"

He was a native Turk, immigrated somehow - he did not say - and I found his Aussie accented English quite entertaining.

The fee for storing 15 pounds of excess baggage was 20 lyra a day - for 8 days. About $20.00 USD more than my hour 20 minute flight to Trabzon. "Screw it, I could throw it all away and repurchase it all again for the $ 80.00 USD they want for storage.

Went to checkin, checked my bag and headed to the boarding gate. Next stop Trabzon on the Black Sea.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Oct 4, 2014 #2

Slept in, relaxed and in the afternoon set out on a walk. Went down to the Anatolian Civilizations Musuem, one of the top musuems in Turkey. The musuem building was orginally built in the 1400's, and rebuilt and turned into a musuem following Turkish independence10/22/1922.

The Allies coalition lost the Turkish Independence battle, all the parts and pieces of Turkey were united by Ataturk, the George Washington of Turkey.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (pronounced [mustäˈfä ceˈmäl äˈtäˌtyɾc]; 19 May 1881 (conventional) – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish army officer, reformist statesman, and the first President of Turkey. He is credited with being the founder of the Republic of Turkey. His surname, Atatürk (meaning "Father of the Turks"), was granted to him in 1934 and forbidden to any other person by the Turkish parliament.^[1]

Atatürk was a military officer during World War I.^[2] Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, he led the Turkish National Movement in the Turkish War of Independence. Having established a provisional government in Ankara, he defeated the forces sent by the Allies. His military campaigns led to victory in the Turkish War of Independence.

Atatürk then embarked upon a program of political, economic, and cultural reforms, seeking to transform the former Ottoman Empire into a modern and secular nation-state. Under his leadership, thousands of new schools were built, primary education was made free and compulsory, and women were given equal civil and political rights, while the burden of taxation on peasants was reduced.^[3] The principles of Atatürk's reforms, upon which modern Turkey was established, are referred to as Kemalism.

Belligerents
Ankara Government Kuva-yi Milliye^[a] (1919–21) Supported by: Soviet Russia^[2]	Greece Pontic Greek Rebels^[3] Armenia France French West Africa^[4] / French Armenian Legion United Kingdom British India^[5]^[6]^[7] Italy Georgia^[b] Ottoman Empire^[c] (1919–22) United States (Naval Support)^[8]^[9]^[10]^[11]^{[note 1]}