What a Difference a Day Makes

When we think that we missed the deadly suicide bombings at the Istanbul airport by just 24 hours, it is difficult to describe how we felt in getting out of Turkey and arriving somewhere in the world completely different. In Istanbul, we were very concerned for our safety, naturally, and having to fly out of the same airport just a day after the bombings. The old expression 'lightning doesn't hit twice' was now aligning with the likelihood that the organization that convinced three people to blow themselves up so they could kill 41 innocent people and hurt 239 more would not do it twice. The security was unbelievable getting through the airport terminal and boarding our flight to Kilimanjaro.

What a difference in just one day. In Turkey, we were experiencing extremely high summer temperatures of up to 50 degrees; we flew into Kilimanjaro at the end of their winter season and 16 degrees. We've been only hearing Turkish and Arabic for the last 2 weeks; today we're hearing Swahili and English. 

In Istanbul, the city prides themselves as being another European cosmopolitan city with a household income of $800/ month; here in Arusha,Tanzania, the city is poor with a household income of only $40/ month. Quite a difference.

Do you know what got me to thinking back to normal? There was a bouquet of flowers at reception when we reached our hotel:

With all the 'bad' in the world, you can still see goodness if you look for it.

So here's the question I'm sure you're asking as we're just 45 minutes from Mount Kilimanjaro: are we going to climb the mountain? Well- most unfortunately (for me)- the next 8 days is packed with visiting 3 of the best game reserves in the world on a safari. I would have loved to climb it, obviously, but it just wasn't in the cards this time around.

Turkey's Uncertain Future

   

 

Everyone's on edge here. It's not just yesterday's triple suicide bombing at the Istanbul airport although that in itself was absolutely devastating. There is a sense of unrest everywhere.The developing nightmare started after Erdogan was elected President in 2014 and it's getting worse as the months go by. Yesterday's bombings bring the total number to 12 in the past year. The groups responsible are ISIS and the Kurdish PKK. We talked to several dozen people from all walks of life during our tour of the country and they see a very uncertain future. Almost unanimously, they refer to their President as 'insane, dictatorial and power-hungry' and they are gravely concerned. There's good reason.

Erdogan has recently announced curbs on media freedom (he's blocked Twitter saying “I don’t care what the international community says”), he's restricting independent journalism (jailing a lot of dissenters) and he's enacting a new constitution giving him "Vladimir Putin-style" presidential powers. He's also pressing the EU for a deal on Syrian migrants, currently over 2.7 million, and threatening to flood Europe with them unless the EU bows to his demands. He wants 3 Billion Euros cash, visa-free travel for Turkish citizens throughout the EU and he's demanding approval for EU membership bypassing some of the rules.

His stated views on women are alarming. He said a woman who rejects motherhood is ‘deficient’ and ‘incomplete’. By working she ‘is denying her femininity’. In the same breath as urging them to have at least three children (because apparently one alone isn’t enough to make you a woman) he laughingly said that a woman could have a career. Just this month he called on Muslims to reject contraception, saying ‘no Muslim family’ should consider birth control.

Regarding LBGT, Erdogan has stated that homosexuality is a “sexual preference” and conflicts with the “culture of Islam". For two years running he has stopped the Pride Parade activities; last week riot police fired teargas, water cannons and plastic bullets to break up the Pride Parade. 

And Erdogan is not subtle at all on his views towards the Kurdish, a large Turkish population he fears could eventually win government power. There have been reports of Turkish troops recently slaughtering hundreds of civilians trapped in Turkey’s Sirnak province. Some 150 people were allegedly burned to death in one of them. Turkey's newly installed Prime Minister Yildirim (picked by Erdogan) said in a speech that "operations will continue without pause until the (Kurdish) terrorist organization PKK ends its armed actions." Erdogan has a double policy of supporting Islamic State rebels against Syria's Assad for strategic reasons (eliminating Kurds) yet he aligns with the West in their support against ISIS. You don't need to wonder why PKK and ISIS are retaliating.

So there's real cause for concern. The unfortunate thing is that Turkey could have such a promising future. The people are wonderful. The country is among the world's leading producers of agricultural products, textiles, motor vehicles, ships and other transportation equipment, construction materials, consumer electronics and home appliances. After the 2009 global financial recession, the Turkish economy jumped ahead as the fastest growing economy in Europe, and one of the fastest growing economies in the world. 

Up until Erdogan became President in 2014, it looked great; now, not good. It's unfortunate, scary and unnecessary as the country has so much to offer.

Next up- African Safari, Tanzania

Down the West Side and Around Turkey

We logged over 1,200 miles touring the country, going down from Istanbul along the west coast of the Aegean Sea, east along the Mediterranean coast at the bottom of Turkey and then into Cappadocia. 

The country is stunningly beautiful with different mountain ranges (we just looked at them, thank God!), lush olive groves, orange, pear and apple tree farms and all kinds of fruit and vegetable farms and resort towns. Here are some of the places where we stopped:

Gallipoli- I never understood why Mel Gibson produced the movie Gallipoli until I saw the actual battleground and took time to understand the history. I didn't know how bad it was here in the First World War:

The Agean Sea is the only open-water-access going inland from the west coast of Europe up to Russia. During the War, to support the Allies against the German, Turk Ottoman and Arab forces, Australia volunteered to take this passage from the enemy. Unfortunately, they couldn't and failed twice in devastating ways. When all was said and done, over 400,000 lives (Turks, Arabs, Allies) were lost in fighting for this passageway. For Aussies 8,700 died here (a total of 60k Aussies died in WW I and 160k were wounded which was 60% of Australian fighters) and this had a heavy impact on their country for many years. There is a monument of reconciliation which says "To those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives … You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace". Nobody wins in war:

Ephesus- further down the Aegean coast are the remains of the Ephesus Roman empire, built in the 10th century B.C.:

The Romans were so advanced that even back in this time, they had water and sewer systems built:

The pipes above were made by hand, spun, fired and individually fitted into each other for miles. They also had their own toilet systems, one for men, another for women:

 There was also a library with shelves for 12,000 scrolls:

In this region, we also visited the area that historians theorize was the home of Mary, the mother of Jesus, where she and St. John came to live after the crucifixion. If you believe this theory, Mary and John travelled for about 2 1/2 years to arrive here. Historians are 100% sure that St. John lived and died here.  In the 6th century AD there was a Basilica built in his honour that matched the size and opulence of the Hagia Sophia of Istanbul:

Unfortunately, several earthquakes and fires occurred since that time. As well, a lot of stone and columns were used to build newer buildings in the area.

Cappadocia- Turkey has 365 volcanos, all now inactive, with the last eruption occurring back in 200 BC. There's a fascinating history here. First, a brief background if I may.

When a volcano erupts, it sends clouds of dust for hundreds of miles (for example, the Iceland volcano in 2011 sent ashes as far away as London, Paris and Rome). For thousands of years up to 200 B.C., the area of Cappadocia had a lot of ash settling here. These layers accumulated, sometimes 300 feet deep, for literally miles and miles and it became calcified, turning into a type of rock. By about the 10th century AD, wind, water and erosion had 'carved' these rocks into cone formations called 'fairy chimneys'. Believe it or not, people actually built homes into them:

Even their churches were built in these chimneys. There are beautiful original frescos adorning the inside of these cave churches painted directly on the calcified rock. The custodian (for $$) allowed us to take some pictures:

With this calcified rock stretching for miles, entire villages were also built below ground! A fascinating part of Christian history in Turkey- during the 7th Century AD, to protect themselves from Arab invasion and particularly to avoid persecution, Christians built 7- 14 floor deep villages underground: 

Each of these underground villages would house up to 2,000 people. Depending on how aggressive the Arabs were, the Christians could live for months underneath the ground in these 'villages'. These sites were only discovered in the 1970s, and so far 36 have been found.

Last but not least, we took a balloon ride at sunrise in Cappadocia:

Although tourism has been dramatically impacted in Turkey (some vendors say down by 90%), the day we went riding there were 100 balloons flying. If you take a close look at the pictures, you can see the calcified hillside. 

Troy- Fact and Fiction

Brad Pitt got $20 million to make the movie Troy, so you'd think Hollywood wouldn't sway too much off history. Well, I was somewhat dismayed when I visited this ancient city to see the real deal.

The city Troy is a real-life archaeological site about 6 hours south of Istanbul. In legend, Troy was besieged for 10 years and eventually conquered by a Greek army led by King Agamemnon. The reason for the “Trojan War” was, according to Homer's "Iliad," the abduction of Helen, a queen from Sparta. In the movie, Orlando Bloom plays the prince who stole Helen, Brad plays Achilles who is the best warrior against the Troy army and the city itself is impenetrable until the deadly Trojan horse with hundreds of hidden warriors gets dragged into the city.

Here's the real truth on the history of Troy:

True or False- Brad, I mean Achilles, was the main warrior in taking the city of Troy....

False- scholars believe that Homer's Iliad/ stories are a fusion of various tales of sieges and expeditions by the Greeks during the Bronze Age. In particular, Achilles is folklore and was the son of a god Thetis and a mortal Peleus. So Brad playing Achilles is all false (but the $20 million is true).

True or False- Troy was a city with an impenetrable wall that no army could get past the gates...

True- historians believe there were 10 years of war among the Greeks but no army could get into this walled city. These walls still stand today.

True or False- A trojan horse strategy actually got past the city walls.

False- think about it. How could hundreds of warriors get packed together without making a sound and with no smells that would give them away? Plus, do you think they'd have windows like the one you see here? Like really?

True or False- Troy was near the Agean Sea and a perfect spot for trading in the region:

True- the picture above is a view from the walled city. In the picture, you can see the islands in the background. Troy was a major trading hub for several centuries. In fact, the walls of Troy were rebuilt 9 times since 1300 BC. In reality, the city was about 10 miles closer to the Agean however 3,400 years of time, sediment and winds have created beautiful farmland before hitting the sea.

Istanbul, Turkey

Our first stop in Turkey is Istanbul with a population of 14 million people. It is a very clean, vibrant city with lots of history. There are 3 architectural sites that really stand out:

The first is the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Mosque), built at the beginning of the 17th century, with 20,000 blue tiles used to decorate the walls of its interior:

Visually it is a stunning piece of architecture and one of the main tourist attractions of the city. 

Next is the Hagia Sophia, built in the 6th century, over 1,000 years earlier. This building was originally constructed as a Christian church. It is walking distance of the blue mosque and is also breathtaking to see:

In 1453, Constantinople (now called Turkey) was conquered by the Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmed II and he ordered this church to be converted into a mosque! Inside, there is a very interesting juxtaposition of church and mosque:

You can see where the altar is and beside it to the right is the minbar or pulpit of the mosque where the imam (prayer leader) stands to deliver sermons.

The third major site to highlight is the Basilica Cistern, sometimes referred to as the Sunken Palace, is an underground marvel also built in the 6th century. This is an enormous underground 'water tank' that stored up to 5.5 million gallons of water:

It is supported underground by over 300 marble columns that are 9 metres in height. The ceiling weight is distributed to the columns through arches. To give you some indication of size, it's over 2.5 acres underground.

Our trip includes a tour around Turkey- next up, Troy.

Lessons Learned So Far

We are now officially halfway through our trip and amazed at how quickly the time has gone. Here's some interesting things we've learned so far:

Bank charges are terrible:

We don't like carrying a lot of cash so we visit ATMs during the month and these fees add up. Then you need to add conversion fees (charges converting Canadian to local currency are 2.5% or more ). When you use a credit card, their conversion rates are also high. We have a Mastercard with 'no exchange fees' but we've found the final rate to be about the same as VISA.

You have to haggle:

Bartering/ haggling and in-your-face 'buy this', 'eat here' and 'take this tour' are endless. The harassing seems non-stop at times as hucksters can see non-locals a mile away. If you don't haggle, you could be spending a lot more money than you need to.

The big attractions- lots of tourists:

They push for pictures and hurry to get ahead and this gets frustrating. Many tourists (20-50%) are Chinese. They stay together, only speak their language and have the money to spend. When you see a bus unload and the umbrellas go up in perfect weather, you know they're Chinese. It's the butting in line and going in front of you with no manners that is irksome. It's just the way it is.

Traffic is nothing in Canada compared to other countries: 

It is absolute gridlock in some cities. A red light can mean nothing and if you have a green light, you seriously have to watch out! Too many examples but some frightening misses in Quito, Lima and Casablanca. In Cairo, I've never seen anything like it, it's mind-boggling.

Travelling takes time and it can be exhausting: 

We were surprised at the amount of time required for planes, buses, rail, cabs and car hires, including just sitting around waiting.  Security is BIG and arduous. In South America, your luggage is screened before it leaves you and on arrival it goes through another screening process before you leave the airport. In Morocco and Egypt, you're screened at the front doors before entering the terminal. In Turkey, you're double screened. Then you go through passport control and body scan. Even though we're grateful for this, it all takes time. Thank goodness we don't have time constraints.

Compared to other parts of the world, we really have it good in Canada:

We have a fabulous government compared to a lot of what we saw, safe streets, an excellent banking system (no machine guns), our homes are safe and we have an excellent quality of living. At times we were shaken at how impoverished some places were. Yet for the most part they are just as happy as we are (except for extreme poverty).

Our marriage is stronger than ever. This, despite being together 24 hours a day for almost 6 months:

 That said, there have been many interesting discussions like who is right with directions in getting from point A to B (a daily phenomenon), the choice of accomodations (you picked this dump?), questioning how many times one needs to hike mountains (can't we just look at it?)... the list is endless.

Bottom line- we continue to be excited about the new things we see, the tastes of different foods, the different cultures and just meeting so many nice people We're having a blast and we're only halfway through!! 

UN Buffer Zone Separating North and South Cyprus

We are staying in North Cyprus in a village called Bellapais which is small and beautiful. Set on a mountain-top, the main attraction here is the Monastery with a terrific view to the northern Mediterranean:

As this island is separated into two parts- North and the South- we were curious how day-to-day business works. In talking to the locals, the sense is that the North is truly a part of Turkey with all business transactions done in Turkish Lira. And we got a sense here of a very 'laissez faire' attitude of how the government is run and who pays for what. Just one example, the owner of a popular local restaurant we talked to says no one pays taxes, there are no exports but the roads are built and other infrastructure gets done with Turkish government money. It's just the way it is.

We ventured down to the middle of the island and to the capital of Cyprus which is Nicosia. This city of 300,000 people is physically separated by the NATO Green Zone. The separation is very much like the Iron Curtain with a wall and barbed wire right across the city:

You can't take a rented car across as the insurance is void, you have to park it on the north side and physically show your passport at the Border Control set up on Ledra Street to enter the 'Greek' side of the city:

It was weird going across for two reasons, i) this is the twenty first century and you wonder why this exists and ii) in the same 'city', you physically pay in Turkish Lira on the north side of the street, then Euros on the south side. 

We also saw an interesting sign posted at Border Control highlighting the status of refugees. It said that refugees have all legal rights entering Cyprus as any other EU country 'with the exception of Northern Cyprus as it is not recognized'. It went on to quote the 1974 NATO Accord and per this agreement, refugees were not allowed into North Cyprus under any conditions.

Sometimes you just have to shake your head at the crazy things we have in this world.

Cyprus- Greek, Turkish and British Mix

As you can tell, we're a bit fascinated by history and the Mediterranean area is no exception. This is one of the reasons why we've stopped off in Cyprus as part of our World Trip:

The upper part of the map is populated by ethnic Turks (and land closest to Turkey); the lower part is ethnic Greek. It's not much in terms of size with only 1.1 million people for the whole island and only 2,276 square miles in size (a bit smaller than the Greater Toronto Area). But the history is very interesting with the Ottoman Empire collapsing in the 1800s and competing countries trying to take over. Then there's the religious part- Christians (Greek Orthodox) and Muslims- and how the people themselves view this small piece of land.

In an effort to stave off Russia taking control of the Ottoman lands, the rulers asked for help from the British. As part of the deal, Cyprus became part of the British Empire "to protect" the island, then as a Military British occupation from 1914–1925, and then a Crown colony from 1925–1960. 

The problem? The Brits were there only for control. What followed over the next 50 years were government coups and attempts at independence. The Turk portion wanted their independence and the Greek part wanted theirs. NATO got involved in the 1960s- 1990s and put up a green zone to separate the two ethnic groups.

Today Cyprus is now a nation and part of the EU and physically partitioned into two main parts; the area under the effective control of the Republic, comprising about 60% of the island's area, and the north, administered by the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is recognized only by Turkey, covering about 40% of the island's area. 

This might not mean much unless you fly in to the Turkish side- currency is Turkish Lira. Fly in to the Greek side and it's Euros. Try to cross the green line with a car rental and insurance is void. You have to walk across!

More to come...