Well, I didn't get on the train today. It just wasn't the right time, ya know? It's a long, long way to go, and I didn't have a lot of time or money to do it in. I think I got a bit overambitious with that idea. So, I'm scaling down my plans...I just haven't done so yet.
On a completely different note, there was an attempted suicide bomb attack at school yesterday. That was a little freaky.
I have more to write about that.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
And the Winner is....
KARS!
I just reserved my spot on a train to Kars, leaving Ankara at 1:30pm on Thursday afternoon. I'm looking quite forward to this. I haven't been on a good adventure in a while, and I'm in the mood for one, given the fact that it is spring and all. It still looks pretty cold out east, but I can take it. I'm Canadian!
Traveling in Turkey is great. It's pretty darn cheap. I am going on a 1000 and some kilometer journey, in a sleeping car, for 89 Turkish Lira. That seems like a good deal to me. I haven't figured out where I will sleep or anything once I get there. Hopefully there will be some nice ditches, or small wooded areas or something. Or, I suppose, better yet...and safer...would be to find a relatively cheap hotel.
So, this is what I know about Kars. Apparently, they have lots of different types of cheeses. This is significant because the rest of Turkey does NOT have a lot of different types of cheeses. Why Kars does, I dunno. This area of Turkey was part of the Soviet Union for a good number of years so, there is plenty of interesting Eastern European architecture, or so I hear. The town is not far from the Armenian or Georgian borders. There is an interesting place not far from Kars called Ani, which promises to be interesting, if I can figure out how to get there. It used to be a midevil Armenian town that is now abandoned. It seems to be the big thing to see in that area.
Over all, I'm just looking forward to getting on a train and going! It's a bit different nowday, given that we have a little family. I'm going to miss our little son a whole lot, and of couse my wife. And, I know it will be very hard on my wonderful wife to be left alone with the little guy. This will be the first time that I have gone on a trip like this since he was born, so, it will be a new experience. There will be a learning curve. But, I think we can all do it.
So, Thursday, 1:30, Ankara train station....I shall be there.
I just reserved my spot on a train to Kars, leaving Ankara at 1:30pm on Thursday afternoon. I'm looking quite forward to this. I haven't been on a good adventure in a while, and I'm in the mood for one, given the fact that it is spring and all. It still looks pretty cold out east, but I can take it. I'm Canadian!
Traveling in Turkey is great. It's pretty darn cheap. I am going on a 1000 and some kilometer journey, in a sleeping car, for 89 Turkish Lira. That seems like a good deal to me. I haven't figured out where I will sleep or anything once I get there. Hopefully there will be some nice ditches, or small wooded areas or something. Or, I suppose, better yet...and safer...would be to find a relatively cheap hotel.
So, this is what I know about Kars. Apparently, they have lots of different types of cheeses. This is significant because the rest of Turkey does NOT have a lot of different types of cheeses. Why Kars does, I dunno. This area of Turkey was part of the Soviet Union for a good number of years so, there is plenty of interesting Eastern European architecture, or so I hear. The town is not far from the Armenian or Georgian borders. There is an interesting place not far from Kars called Ani, which promises to be interesting, if I can figure out how to get there. It used to be a midevil Armenian town that is now abandoned. It seems to be the big thing to see in that area.
Over all, I'm just looking forward to getting on a train and going! It's a bit different nowday, given that we have a little family. I'm going to miss our little son a whole lot, and of couse my wife. And, I know it will be very hard on my wonderful wife to be left alone with the little guy. This will be the first time that I have gone on a trip like this since he was born, so, it will be a new experience. There will be a learning curve. But, I think we can all do it.
So, Thursday, 1:30, Ankara train station....I shall be there.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Crazy Castle Lady
So, I was up at the castle in Ankara on Saturday. It's a lovely place. I quite like going up there. I was wandering around town, and just ended up wandering up the hill towards the castle. I figured while I was there, I should go through the gates. I did, and then I walked over to part of the castle which makes up a section of the inner walls. At the base is a stone. It's a block, really. There is nothing significant about this stone, as far as I can see. Obviously it is old, and part of the castle, and was probably in a wall at one point in the structures long history. It isn't finished, it isn't refined, it isn't a fine example of anything, as far as I can see. So, I sat.
Now, there is an old lady who lives up in that castle. She can often be seen either giving out religious literature, attempting to get people to come into her house for a fee to see what a real Ottoman home is like, or setting up a small, sad display of second hand items on a TV tray to sell. She's a bit of an odd duck. Generally when I see her, she is yelling at someone about something. This time...it was me that she was yelling at. I had sat for, maybe a minute when she saw me, and started yelling. She grabbed a water container filled with water, running towards me yelling "GET UP! GET UP!" She speaks perfect English. I was caught rather by surprise, and in not the best of moods to begin with. I said "No!". Oh boy, she was screaming and yelling about this stone and how it is a historical relic and it must be preserved (well, I can't honestly say that she wasn't 100 percent right on this subject, and, realistically, it might not have been the best idea to sit there) and she kept yelling at me to get up because she wanted to pour water on the stone so I couldn't sit their anymore. She started yelling at me and asking me if I would I would do this in my country. I yelled back "I LIVE HERE! This IS my country!" And, if I was in Canada where I am originally from, yes, I probably would sit on a square rock, and it would probably be just as old as that one...say 4.2 billion years or however old the earth is...that's generally how old many rocks are. Oh sure, there are newer ones...upgraded models if you will. But, most rocks are pretty darn old. And, this one appeared to have survived a good few thousand years, and I was pretty sure I wasn't going to actually break it. It was good and solid, as rocks tend to be. Heavy. I wasn't about to obscond with it or anything. It was fairly safe as far as I was concerned.
I was mad. I was livid. I was feisty. I was not putting up with this lady. We had a good row. I told her off. She told me off. We assembled a good crowd of onlookers, and, then, a very nice gentleman stepped in, and he was very nice. I would not have moved for that lady, but this guy, yes, I would move for. And I did. But, ohhh, this lady...grrrrr. The problem is, when incidents like these happen, I have so much trouble letting go of them. They stay with me for years. They come up and they haunt me. When I'm lying in bed, trying to fall asleep, my mind will race, and things like this pop in and get me all wired up. I can imagine myself 10 years from now, whereever we happen to be, lying in bed at 2am thinking about this lady in the castle in Ankara and saying "I wish I had said...."
I wish I broke that block...just out of spite.
Now, there is an old lady who lives up in that castle. She can often be seen either giving out religious literature, attempting to get people to come into her house for a fee to see what a real Ottoman home is like, or setting up a small, sad display of second hand items on a TV tray to sell. She's a bit of an odd duck. Generally when I see her, she is yelling at someone about something. This time...it was me that she was yelling at. I had sat for, maybe a minute when she saw me, and started yelling. She grabbed a water container filled with water, running towards me yelling "GET UP! GET UP!" She speaks perfect English. I was caught rather by surprise, and in not the best of moods to begin with. I said "No!". Oh boy, she was screaming and yelling about this stone and how it is a historical relic and it must be preserved (well, I can't honestly say that she wasn't 100 percent right on this subject, and, realistically, it might not have been the best idea to sit there) and she kept yelling at me to get up because she wanted to pour water on the stone so I couldn't sit their anymore. She started yelling at me and asking me if I would I would do this in my country. I yelled back "I LIVE HERE! This IS my country!" And, if I was in Canada where I am originally from, yes, I probably would sit on a square rock, and it would probably be just as old as that one...say 4.2 billion years or however old the earth is...that's generally how old many rocks are. Oh sure, there are newer ones...upgraded models if you will. But, most rocks are pretty darn old. And, this one appeared to have survived a good few thousand years, and I was pretty sure I wasn't going to actually break it. It was good and solid, as rocks tend to be. Heavy. I wasn't about to obscond with it or anything. It was fairly safe as far as I was concerned.
I was mad. I was livid. I was feisty. I was not putting up with this lady. We had a good row. I told her off. She told me off. We assembled a good crowd of onlookers, and, then, a very nice gentleman stepped in, and he was very nice. I would not have moved for that lady, but this guy, yes, I would move for. And I did. But, ohhh, this lady...grrrrr. The problem is, when incidents like these happen, I have so much trouble letting go of them. They stay with me for years. They come up and they haunt me. When I'm lying in bed, trying to fall asleep, my mind will race, and things like this pop in and get me all wired up. I can imagine myself 10 years from now, whereever we happen to be, lying in bed at 2am thinking about this lady in the castle in Ankara and saying "I wish I had said...."
I wish I broke that block...just out of spite.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
I hope this picture of chickens that I took a few weeks ago in the Yenimahalle district in the city of Ankara can distract from the terrible grammar, all of the typos and general slopiness of my last post.
In the shadow of bland, pastel coloured apartment blocks are chickens...and goats...and sheep...and all kinds of other farm friends. I love this city.
And, this Rufus Wainwright does Judy Garland disc that I'm listening to is pretty great as well.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Saturday Night's Alright for Planning
It's Saturday night, and I'm sitting here on the computer trying to come up with some travel plans. I need a new adventure. I need to see or do something different. So, I'm checking out my options. Different ideas keep popping into my mind, but, I think I might be making up impossible scenarios. First off, I had this idea of going to Kars in the North East of Turkey and then taking a train to Georgia. For some reason I was under the impression that a train went from Kars unto Georgia. I'm not so sure about that. There is a rail line going out of Kars, and according to the map, it goes into Iran and then into Georgia, but it doesn't look like something that I can buy tickets to use, which suggests this service may not actually exist.
I'm also thinking of another stab at Bulgaria. I want last year for a few days and really quite liked it. I went to Plovdiv. I'm thinking of going to Sofia. In particular, I want to go to a football game, especially a CSKA match. This team has a hardcore following of neo-nazi skinheads. I'm sure other Bulgarian teams do to, but this one I know for sure does. I don't know why I have an interested in seeing these guys doing their neo-nazi thing at a football game, but I do. Partly, I think, because I have never experienced that. I will avoid wearing my t-shirt that features a swastika with a giant red line through the middle. I may get beat up.
As well, I'm interested in the South East of Turkey, a mostly Kurdish area, which has been very unsettled for many years. I would like to go to the province of Hakkari...to see the point where Iraq, Iran and Turkey meet. I have this desire to at least see the Iraq border. I'd love to go to Iraq, and I know that it is possible, but, I don't know if I'm that adventorous yet. A friend of mine was there during the recent elections as an observer representing the UN. I think she has the best job on the planet. She gets to see Obama in Istanbul. Damn her.
I'm also thinking about Diyarbikar or Van, maybe Mardin. There is just so much to see here in Turkey, and I wonder how I can see it all! I know that isn't realistic or possible, but, I can try. But, even beyond Turkey's borders...Georgia, Iran, Armenia, Syria, Bulgaria, Greece...all within close range, all interesting places, all places I either want to go, or see more of. So, I just have to do it. I have to pick my next destination and go. Maybe I should go to Kars and see how I would get into either Iran or Georgia? Who knows. Or, maybe I should just jump on the bus and head to Sofia. Or, maybe I should do something completely different. Maybe I should just go to the otogar and get on the first bus I can get on going...somewhere...and see where I end up. I like just rambling along, not really having a destination, or even knowing where I am for that matter.
Oh, I appear to be in luck! I have found out how to get from Kars into Georgia. http://www.seat61.com/Turkey2.htm#Eastern%20Turkey Mind you, it doesn't seem to be on a train, and it does seem to be a bit of a logistical challenge, but, it looks pretty interesting. The temperatures are still a little cool in that area though for sleeping outdoors...maybe I'll have to wait a month or so to do that run. And, if I do that, I have to find out something about Georgia. I know very little about it. But, it seems like a good idea to go there....no?
Well, we will see where I end up. Tomorrow, a friend of ours is driving to a town not far from Ankara, near the ancient Phrygian capital, Gordion. Who are the Phrygians, you might ask? Good question. I'll find out the answer tomorrow. This place is, supposedly, where King Midas was buried...and where Alexandar the Great slashed the Gordion knot, which was a good thing, apparently, at least for him. I really must find out more.
Iyi aksamlar!
I'm also thinking of another stab at Bulgaria. I want last year for a few days and really quite liked it. I went to Plovdiv. I'm thinking of going to Sofia. In particular, I want to go to a football game, especially a CSKA match. This team has a hardcore following of neo-nazi skinheads. I'm sure other Bulgarian teams do to, but this one I know for sure does. I don't know why I have an interested in seeing these guys doing their neo-nazi thing at a football game, but I do. Partly, I think, because I have never experienced that. I will avoid wearing my t-shirt that features a swastika with a giant red line through the middle. I may get beat up.
As well, I'm interested in the South East of Turkey, a mostly Kurdish area, which has been very unsettled for many years. I would like to go to the province of Hakkari...to see the point where Iraq, Iran and Turkey meet. I have this desire to at least see the Iraq border. I'd love to go to Iraq, and I know that it is possible, but, I don't know if I'm that adventorous yet. A friend of mine was there during the recent elections as an observer representing the UN. I think she has the best job on the planet. She gets to see Obama in Istanbul. Damn her.
I'm also thinking about Diyarbikar or Van, maybe Mardin. There is just so much to see here in Turkey, and I wonder how I can see it all! I know that isn't realistic or possible, but, I can try. But, even beyond Turkey's borders...Georgia, Iran, Armenia, Syria, Bulgaria, Greece...all within close range, all interesting places, all places I either want to go, or see more of. So, I just have to do it. I have to pick my next destination and go. Maybe I should go to Kars and see how I would get into either Iran or Georgia? Who knows. Or, maybe I should just jump on the bus and head to Sofia. Or, maybe I should do something completely different. Maybe I should just go to the otogar and get on the first bus I can get on going...somewhere...and see where I end up. I like just rambling along, not really having a destination, or even knowing where I am for that matter.
Oh, I appear to be in luck! I have found out how to get from Kars into Georgia. http://www.seat61.com/Turkey2.htm#Eastern%20Turkey Mind you, it doesn't seem to be on a train, and it does seem to be a bit of a logistical challenge, but, it looks pretty interesting. The temperatures are still a little cool in that area though for sleeping outdoors...maybe I'll have to wait a month or so to do that run. And, if I do that, I have to find out something about Georgia. I know very little about it. But, it seems like a good idea to go there....no?
Well, we will see where I end up. Tomorrow, a friend of ours is driving to a town not far from Ankara, near the ancient Phrygian capital, Gordion. Who are the Phrygians, you might ask? Good question. I'll find out the answer tomorrow. This place is, supposedly, where King Midas was buried...and where Alexandar the Great slashed the Gordion knot, which was a good thing, apparently, at least for him. I really must find out more.
Iyi aksamlar!
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