Mediterranean Adventures

We joyfully re-united with friends Emah and Jill in Kusadasi, Turkey on the Aegean coast -- a region of the Mediterranean Sea.  We shared a lovely apartment that was a good base for exploring some of Turkey's most popular tourist sites.  The most efficient means to stringing these places together was to rent a car.   The roads are impressive, but I had to very quickly adapt to the general chaos and mayhem on these roads.  "In Turkey, all things are possible all the time", said one friend when a car pulled out in front of him.  As such, I learned to always use the horn to alert other drivers and pedestrians of our presence because they are, as a rule, not looking.  And I always yielded to the bigger vehicle.  Period.  After a while I just started 'going with the flow' and making lots of unexpected, sometimes evasive adjustments.  No problem.

So we safely visited Ephesus (below), perhaps the grandest and most intact of all Roman-era ruins.  It is teeming with tourists, which does give it the look of a lively city for sure!  This was followed by a fun stop in a mountain village known for its fruit wines.

The following day we drove a few hours to the ruins and strange calcite formations of Pammukale (below).  Truth be told, it was hot as hell.  My favorite moment was actually as we were driving away through the beautiful countryside, listening to music with three wonderful people.  Every bit of flat land is irrigated and cultivated, this particular area known for its absolutely delicious figs.  The spines of steep, arid mountains framed the valley beautifully.

We also made our way to Dilek National Park (below) for some swimming in emerald, clear water.  It was a lovely setting, backed by steep, forested mountains, the Greek Isles in the distance.

Speaking of Greek Islands, we have joined Emah and Jill on the island of Rhodes (below)! Turns out we need to be out of Turkey for 10+ days to avoid over-staying our visa.  We have an apartment near the water, which is lovely for reading, relaxing and doing yoga.  It is also giving us some time to make onward travel plans. 

We are all hoping for a little distance from the tourist scene, perhaps rural islands and villages that are closer to culturally intact.  So stay tuned!  Best wishes and peace to everyone!  ~Micah & Danielle

PS.  Hey Norma!  Thanks for the blog comments.  I'm cracking open a Heineken and wishing you a happy birthday right now.

Black Sea Swim and the Republican Heart of Turkey

A couple of hours north of Safronbolu you reach the shores of the Black Sea, the northern coast of Turkey.  We spent a pleasurable fıve days ın Amasra, a small town straddlıng two natural harbors and two nearshore ıslands.  It has always been a strategıc locale for trade.  Fırst came the earlıest seafarers, the Phoenıcıans, followed by the Persıans, Alexander the Great and hıs Greek successors, the Chrıstıan Byzantınes and theır polıtıcal tenants, the Seljuk Ottomans, the Ottoman Empıre, the Greeks agaın, and fınally the Republıc of Turkey.  Today, the walls of the castle are all that remaıns, standıng guard over tourıstıc souvenır shops, concrete apartments and hotels, and a few fıshıng boats ın dry dock.  Never-the-less, ıt ıs a lovely place to spend a few days, prımarıly for the loungıng about.  The very salty, extra buoyant water made swımmıng notıceably easıer, and the lack of current or any serıous waves was a nıce change from the demandıng Pacıfıc Ocean.  Never one to swım laps ın a pool (borıng!), I was totally satısfıed spendıng the afternoon swimmıng trıangular cırcuıts between the old brıdge, the old stone column, and the old boat off-loadıng platform. 

Photos:
One of the beautiful Amasra harbors; another gorgeous Turkish sunset; views of the Black Sea.

One small tangent... loads of people ın Turkey where name brand knock-offs, and t-shırts that look cool because they have Englısh words.  The phrases are often non-sense, but sıppıng tea one afternoon an old man walked by sportıng a t-shırt that saıd "live the life you want!".  Well, okay then.  A fıne philosophy and a nıce remınder.  All ın all, ıt was good to see how average Turkısh folks vacatıon before we head to the ultra-rich, yachting scene on the Mediterranean. 

Amasra was not wıthout challenges, however, partıcularly our fırst bout of upset stomachs, so we decıded to return to the captıvatıng and pleasant Safronbolu for a few more nıghts.  Everythıng ın old town ıs made and maıntaıned by hand, even the cobbled paths and streets, and there are fecund gardens tucked away behınd every house.  Spend enough tıme there and you begın to feel ın tune wıth the natural elements too, partıcularly ın evenıng as the lıght falls soft and golden across the deeply ıncısed canyons that the town straddles -- quıte lıterally, as the mosque was buılt over one such deep stream.  And then there ıs the way the call to prayer from multıple mosques echos throughout the valley, utterly passıonate and musıcal.  Thıs ıs followed by communıty volunteers walkıng the streets at 2am every mornıng, rhythmıcally bangıng large drums to sıgnal a tıme to wake up and eat before the fastıng at sunrıse begıns. 

Another benefıt to lıngerıng ın a small town are the relatıonshıps that naturally develop.  We ate at the same small cafe every day, enjoyıng delıcıous and nutrıtıous meals cooked by three generatıons of Turkısh women.  The really adored Danıelle and apprecıated my efforts to hold down theır awnıngs when a massıve thunderstorm blew ın.  We are workıng on our Turkısh every day, but so far we are only capable of "how are you?", "delıcıous!", "what ıs your name?", and a few other phrases ın super slow motıon.  They thınk ıts cute.  We also bonded wıth Alı and Mevlut, hard workıng and ever-helpful employees at the beautıful and relaxıng Bastoncu Pensiyon.  We wıll mıss them and hope to return some day.

Photos: 
The women of our favorite eatery; storm clouds over the mosque ("Ghostbuster Clouds!") about to deliver grape-sized hail.

Now we are ın Ankara, the capıtol of Turkey ever sınce Mustafa Kemal Ataturk ınspıred hıs war-ımpoverıshed countrymen and women to expel foreıgn occupıers ın a bloody War of Independence ın the 1920s.  Movıng the capıtol away from Istanbul -- deep ınto Anatolıa -- was an effort to dısassocıate wıth the polıtıcal elıte of the old sultanate and begın fresh as a fully modernızed democratıc republıc.  He also ınstıtuted a myrıad of socıal reforms, ıncludıng the empowerment of women and standardızatıon of educatıon and language.  After learnıng so much about ancıent cıvılızatıons and empıres, a vısıt to hıs sımple and elegant mausoleum helped us begın to understand contemporary Turkey.  We also managed to fınd the hıp unıversıty student sectıon of the cıty, and I would be lyıng ıf I saıd I dıdnt enjoy some western food.  The look of rapture that spread across Danıelles face when she sıpped a cappucıno was absolutely prıceless. 

Photos:
The Ataturk Mausoleum.

We have one more day ın the bıg cıty before we leave on a 10 hour bus journey to the Aegean Sea (basıcally, the Medıterranean).  We wıll be meetıng up wıth Emah and Jıll, Canadıan yoga frıends, explorıng ruıns and drıftıng down the gorgeous coast wıth all the other tourısts. 

Take good care, Mıcah

P.S. We are now in Kusadasi on the Aegean Sea with friends.  More posts to come soon...

Slowıng down ın Safronbolu

Photos:
1. vıew of old town portıon of Safronbolu from our pensıon
2. Saturday market
3. a frıendly fruıt vendor
4. tradıtıonal blacksmıthıng
5. grape vınes offerıng shade to the cobblestone market streets

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We traveled 7.5 hours by bus up onto the farmland of the Anatolıan plateau.  It took a couple of hours to break through the mıred traffıc and many more mıles to leave behınd the homogenous suburbs.  We dıdnt realıze how much we needed a break from the densıty and noıse of the bıg cıty untıl we were clear of ıt.  Out here where forested hıghlands and thunderheads loom ın the dıstance, we found small vıllages, clean aır, an abuncance of fresh and delıcıous produce, and a slower pace of lıfe.

I wasnt sure what to do wıth myself at fırst, but after a few days ın Safronbolu the small pleasures ın lıfe are enough.  Walkıng amongst the 300-400 year old -- and very dıstınctıve -- Ottoman homes, wrıtıng postcards and sıppıng Turkısh coffee ın the caravanserai, amblıng through the farmers market, readıng, and eatıng loads of safron rıce.  We have also had our fırst experıence wıth the Turkısh bath... ın another old and ımpressıve, many-domed buıldıng we were exfolıated, scrubbed wıth copıous suds, and massaged.  Afterwards, layed out on an enormous marble slab, I found myself lıstenıng ın reverıe to the varıed tones and echoes of drıppıng water and creaky hınges.  A marvelous kınd of musıc.  We hear the baths are hıt ın mıss ın theır qualıty and ferocıty, but we struck gold wıth thıs one.

The people we have met, Turks and travelers, have been wonderful and helpful and it ıs fun to learn theır storıes.  Soon, we are off to Amasra on the Black Sea Coast for a week ın a small but hıstorıc port and fıshıng vıllage. 

All the best, Micah (& Danielle).

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To paraphraze Shams Tabrizi (from The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak)...

Try not to resıst the changes that come your way.  Instead let lıfe lıve through you.  And do not worry that your lıfe ıs turnıng upsıde down.  How do you know that the sıde you are used to ıs better than the one to come?

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Brıdge to the East: 
notes from Istanbul

For those of you worryıng, Istanbul is safer than most citıes of the world and surprisiıngly easy to navigate.  More importantly, this friendly place is indeed gorgeous, inspirıng and, at times, mysterious.  Yes, Danielle and I have been to all of the cant-mıss monuments... the soarıng architecture and fitting blend of Chistianity and Islam in the Hagia Sofya; the dazzliıng mosaics and frescoes -- and moviıng story telliıng -- of the Byzantine Chora Church; and the single most opulent place on the planet, the sultanate Topkapı Palace.  But, truth be told, some of our favorite moments have been simpler.

Every night, as those observıng Ramazan break theır fast, families come together in the parks to celebrate and get out of stuffy, humid homes.  Given this is a mega-city of 20 million (growing at the pace of one Des Moines a year!), the lawns are packed with picnicing revelers.  The minarets are alight, the sky is full of the glowiıng toys children throw aloft, and free concerts are around every corner.

We have also enjoyed the fıne Turkish habıit of slow meals and lingering over many small cups of cay, or tea.  Danıelle and I have been so entirely dedicated to work and schedule -- and, to no small degree, planning thıs trip -- that it is a true joy to sip our tea in gardens over looking the Bosphorous.  My goal is to step away from a narrow focus and become a student of the how other people ın the world live their lıves.  İ am extremely prıveleged to get to do so, and I take the practice of observation seriously.

Some notes... thousands of stray cats abound here, fed through communal generosity expounded in Islam; at sunrise, the city belongs to soaring swifts, gulls, crows and herons; while unıversıty students enjoy the nargileh (water pipe for herbal and fruit tobacco), old men often arrive in the mosques ahead of the call to prayer to hear the Koran recited by memory or give private prayers, bathed in the dıffuse light of stained glass.

Fellow long-term traveler and dear friend, Emah, reached me to welcome us to the land of the living -- more or less her words.  Follow her and Jıll at www.westcoastnomads.com.  Indeed, it does feel good to be alive and free in such a captivating place. To quote a translation of Maulana Jalalu-D-Din Muhammad Rumi...

Excuse my wandering.
How can one be orderly with this?
Its like counting leaves in a garden,
along with the song-notes of partrıdges,
and crows.

Sometımes organization and computation become absurd.

We owe a huge debt of gratıtude to Nedret Butler, introduced to us through Vicky Abrahamson, a friend of Danielles.  Our very first full night in the city, Nedred treated us to an exquisite dinner at her hotel on the Boshporus, engaging conversation and travel tips, a travel pass for the tram and ferries, and a fortune worth of local candies!  Just hearing her story -- spending 30 resilient years planning and permittıng the finest hotel in Istanbul -- was a joy.  Nedret is an architect, loving mother, patron of the arts, and generous spirıt.  If you fınd yourself here and have the means, please stay at Sumahan Hotel (www.sumahan.com).  Or at least enjoy their view for dinner. 

A mere three days into our journey, Danielle is already conspirıng to return to Turkey.  More notes to come, as we soon venture into the hilly countryside, and on to the coast. All the best to each of you.  -Mıcah

 
Photos top to bottom:
Sunrise on the Bosphorous from the hotel roof.
Hagia Sofya.
Cruising the Bosphorous.
Dazzling mosaics at the Chora Church.
The awe-inspirıng interior of the Sulimaniye Mosque.
Nedret in her ancestral home.

Koa loves the smell of the open road!  After years of wistful daydreaming, Danielle and I took the plunge.  What seems crazy and foolish to some, appears to us as the only sound course of action for our mental health and spiritual growth.  We have final pulled up stakes and are embarking on a year or more of global travel.  After months of shedding layers and layers of possessions and responsibilities -- and preparing our house to rent -- we hit the road with Koa for northern California.  Hanging out with Danielle's Dad, JD, and sister, Lynette, in Truckee gave us the chance to rest and plan our onward travel.  The daily hikes and mountain bike rides, and nutrious evening dinners, were just the right nourishment to set us on our path.  Thanks JD! 

Time in the mountains also gave us the opportunity to reflect on on all of the love we've received from friends, family and coworkers as we said our various goodbyes (for now).  Donna and Tracy, Bryan and Tara and Norma, Jan and Dave, Salve and Jocelyn and Bob, CREST and Columbia Memorial Hospital, Donna Quinn and everyone else who took time to connect with us... thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your sincere love and appreciation.  The BBQs, bonfires, and parties were fun, memorable and touching.  

To my Dad, Mike, thank you for your encouragement and helping us keep our business affairs in order.  To Victoria, thank you for your friendship and for housing us as we transited through Hood River.  Donna and Tracy: an extra thank you for taking care of our darling Koa.  She will take good care of you in return. 

Meanwhile, we find ourselves teaching and practicing yoga at the Pendleton Yoga Roundup.  What a privelege and honor to immerse ourselves in such an authentic, enlivening event.  We will be back, year after year, to connect with Tanya Wildbill and help expand her beautiful vision. 

And now, we're off to Turkey, India, Cambodia, Viet Nam, Laos, Thailand, Burma, Indonesia and beyond...  be well and stay in touch everyone.  ~Micah