What Happened in Turkey [Shan]
What happened in Turkey was that the adventure really began. In Europe, like in New York, people are used to tourists, not too interested in those from America, or annoyed by them (us). I have been guilty of giving tourists the brush-off in NYC, which I will never do again because it makes you feel lonely. There's this whole country where people live their lives happily without us, and it's just impenetrable.
Not so in the Middle East and Asia. People in Istanbul were assertively interactive. Women freaked on my hair color, laughing hysterically (in a nice way) until I figured out I should be wearing a headscarf. Once I did that, a very sweet old lady aproached me in a mosque and said I have a nice face, a religious face. She gave a very convincing argument for why I should consider Islam. "When you get home, examine Islam. Promise me." In soaring blue tiled mosques where night birds circle the minarets lit by golden lights while a sufi whirls below, it's easy to feel Islam as a path dedicated to peace and beauty. People wash their feet before entering, and the call of the muezzin is intoxicating. But the women are sequestered in the dimness behind these birdcagelike screens. Only the men get to pray in the vasty sparkling space. Hmmph.
In the amazing Aya Sofia mosque, groups of Turkish schoolkids surrounded us, eager to know anythang about America. To anything we said, they shouted, "You are beautiful! You are perfect!" They are dying to come to the US. They demand to know why American tourists have abandoned Turkey since 9/11, when they have nothing to do with Al Quaeda. However, they call george Bush a murderer for his actions in Iraq, which is right next door. When they say his name, they make the throat-slitting motion.
Finally, right after a perhaps too relaxing Turkish bath, my credit card was stolen by a very skilled pickpocket. This led to a late-night visit to the Turkish police, a horrible mistake. They not only don't care, they were mocking and detained us with endless questions, which aimed to prove it was not a serious matter and that we were somehow idiots. All I wanted was a police report for the insurance company, but it was not possible. Other backpackers told us similar stories. Turkish police are a nightmare. Luckily I cancelled my card in time and got a replacement sent to Kathmandu.
The last thing we did was smoke a nargila in a carpet-draped room where Turkish men and women smoked and played backgammon. It was just tobacco, but entrancing. Beautiful music played and I drifted up into the stars with the smoke. There's something amazing going on in Turkey, but there's a lot of crap too, hence the adventure.
Not so in the Middle East and Asia. People in Istanbul were assertively interactive. Women freaked on my hair color, laughing hysterically (in a nice way) until I figured out I should be wearing a headscarf. Once I did that, a very sweet old lady aproached me in a mosque and said I have a nice face, a religious face. She gave a very convincing argument for why I should consider Islam. "When you get home, examine Islam. Promise me." In soaring blue tiled mosques where night birds circle the minarets lit by golden lights while a sufi whirls below, it's easy to feel Islam as a path dedicated to peace and beauty. People wash their feet before entering, and the call of the muezzin is intoxicating. But the women are sequestered in the dimness behind these birdcagelike screens. Only the men get to pray in the vasty sparkling space. Hmmph.
In the amazing Aya Sofia mosque, groups of Turkish schoolkids surrounded us, eager to know anythang about America. To anything we said, they shouted, "You are beautiful! You are perfect!" They are dying to come to the US. They demand to know why American tourists have abandoned Turkey since 9/11, when they have nothing to do with Al Quaeda. However, they call george Bush a murderer for his actions in Iraq, which is right next door. When they say his name, they make the throat-slitting motion.
Finally, right after a perhaps too relaxing Turkish bath, my credit card was stolen by a very skilled pickpocket. This led to a late-night visit to the Turkish police, a horrible mistake. They not only don't care, they were mocking and detained us with endless questions, which aimed to prove it was not a serious matter and that we were somehow idiots. All I wanted was a police report for the insurance company, but it was not possible. Other backpackers told us similar stories. Turkish police are a nightmare. Luckily I cancelled my card in time and got a replacement sent to Kathmandu.
The last thing we did was smoke a nargila in a carpet-draped room where Turkish men and women smoked and played backgammon. It was just tobacco, but entrancing. Beautiful music played and I drifted up into the stars with the smoke. There's something amazing going on in Turkey, but there's a lot of crap too, hence the adventure.
posted by squid | 11:37 PM
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