Just a quick one here but I feel compelled to write it: We're currently in Kayseri - with Konya one of the Anatolian economic tigers but also a hub for relative conservativism. It's gorgeously set in the shadow of a 4 kilometre high extinct volcano; the very volcano in fact responsible for the otherworldly terrain in Cappadoccia. Anyway basically we're the only tourists in this city of 500 thousand people. And getting over their shock at seeing us people are more friendly and genuinely interested than we've experienced anywhere else on this trip to date. People give us free bus rides, free tea everywhere we go, free extremely detailed historical tours, and free lunches. It's totally ridiculous how hospitable people are, and my western sensibilities are hinting strongly that I should be feeling guilty. I keep having to remind myself not to. That when they refuse my second attempt to insist on paying the jig is up and I should just enjoy the free ride. Moral of the story: If you ever have the chance, spend a couple of days in Kayseri. It's been a total highlight and I haven't even told you yet about the Turkish bath (Hamam) that I'm still tingling and cleaner-than-I've-ever-been-before from which we took a good 4 hours ago.
The one downer... hanging out with our new friends we ended up watching random internet videos and one of them decided to show us this PETA video of an animal being skinned alive supposedly in Canada (it wasn't any Canadian species that I knew of not that that makes a hell of a lot of difference) and we sat through the whole thing out of politesse. It was pretty horrible as PETA scare videos tend to be. One of the guys then turned to us and asked profoundly who we thought was the animal. Oh PETA... how you can ruin what was otherwise so civilized an afternoon.
Ben's ongoing book club of one update: Finished off the Poisonwood Bible a few days ago somewhat less than impressed (although it was absorbing enough that I plowed through it quickly). The one character with any substance was so weighed down with gimmicks as to be totally distracting. Am now almost through a reread of The Great Gatsby and, craving comfort food, will be plunging into a reread of the Fellowship of the Ring probably on the night bus to Nemrut tonight.
Post Script: Unfortunately I was unable to publish this at time of writing last night due to technical difficulaties. In the mean time I've thought of a few other things I've been meaning to mention: (a) I'm a terrible person and haven't sent a postcard for about a month out of sheer crappy inexcusable laziness. I plan on resuming immediately and I apologize to those of you who have not yet received one but were kind enough to send me your addresses. (b) I wanted to share with you a pick up line that this one carpet dealer taught us. He apparently learned it from American troops posted in Turkey by NATO: "My love for you is like diahorrea, I can't hold it in." Who says Americans don't make a positive impact abroad?
No comments:
Post a Comment