20 April 2013

The Journey Begins

Since September, 2001, right after "911", I have journeyed annually to Turkey.  Known over the ages as "The East of the West and the West of the East", this fascinating country lives up to its title.  An intriguing combination of the ancient & the modern, the conservative & the flamboyant, Turkey is a nation of fiercely independent, proud, determined, & honourable people who value their history & traditions.
For the sake of continuity, I begin this blog with the first post from my last visit to Turkey, in 2012.....




September 6, 2012 saw me winging my way from Vancouver towards Istanbul, where I arrived September 7th.  I expected to take the comfy night train from Istanbul to Ankara before a short bus ride to my final destination of Avanos, in Turkey's beautiful Cappadocia region.

 Taking me from Europe to Asia, still within Greater Istanbul, was a ferry just like the one pictured.

Dozens of these foot-passenger ferries ply these waters daily, along with several car ferries, carrying folks between various city points.  Driving between these points would take at least 10 times longer on average. The ferries share the waters with 200+ passenger tour boats, ocean cruise ships, freighters, coast guard cutters, tugs, deep-sea longliner fishing/packing ships, and tiny wooden dories skippered by single fishermen.  How everyone manages to miss hitting each other is truly a marvel!  

The ferry docks are primitive by BC Ferries standards.  Some have been recently upgraded for more orderly boarding/disembarking; but most are like this one, with primitive gangplanks hauled into place as the boat touches the wharf.

This station, Hydarpasha, is particularly appealing to me, its exterior being decorated with the lively coloured Ottoman tiles for which the Istanbul region is famous.

  Upon arriving at the train station behind the ferry dock, I was surprised to learn that my comfy berth on the night train was not possible. Apparently the train is discontinued for two years while the tracks are upgraded to accommodate faster trains.  Lesson #187: Always check the details for every leg of your journey before leaving home!

  After a challenging hour finding the street with the various bus-line offices (In Turkey, as in much of the older world, all vendors of a similar type are gathered either on the same street, or in very small little clusters in a particular neighbourhood), I bought my ticket & prepared for the 12-hour overnight bus journey to Avanos.  Not exactly a private berth with porter service......

 
Arriving the next morning in Avanos, I enjoyed the brilliance of the September sunshine while visiting a few old friends and making my way leisurely to the studio of Bei Kaya (Cave Man), my potter friend Erdogan Güleç.  Here I'd spend the next 6 weeks immersed in my artwork and living amongst friends in a small Turkish neighbourhood I've come to love as my own.

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Thanks for your visit.