Turkey April 30-May 10

We have been in Turkey for a week and have gathered the following impressions from our stays in Antakya, Kac, Patara and Mugla.

The geography is impressive: out of the sea rise rugged hills strewn with boulders and scrubby trees. The fertile valleys are green with intensively farmed olives, oranges and lemons as well as the most delicious tomatoes and cucumbers. The Mediterranean Sea is bright blue in most places where cliffs go straight to deep water, then turquoise in the coves with beaches. The first few days were cool enough to have us buying long pants, but then summer arrived and it has been at least 30 degrees every day. Many beaches are actually pebbles, but Patara, where we stayed three days, boasts 20 km of fine sandy beach and some very large sand dunes.

Two thousand years ago the southern area of Turkey was the Lycian empire, which was part of the Greek confederacy (a fact that is never mentioned in the Turkish literature) and was later conquered by the Romans, Ottomans and others. At their height, the Lycians used local marble and limestone to build impressive cities with theatres, temples, aqueducts and plenty of tombs. Most are gone forever, but what remains is still more than what can be seen in Greece and Italy combined. The hills around Kac were actually littered with Lycian tombs and the museum in Antakya had some of the most exquisite mosaics I have ever seen. Tomorrow we go to Epheses, which was originally built in 600 BC and is reputed to be the most complete ancient city on the Mediterranean.

Coming from the Middle East and Asia, we are struck by the European-ness of Turkey, which gets ever more pronounced as we move west. The people are quite fair skinned and, apart from some of the older women, most wear western clothing. Although Rob and Kathleen still get plenty of smiles, most of the time we do not stand out, and walking down the street we do not attract anywhere near as much attention as we have in the past six months. People are very welcoming and show their hospitality by inviting us to join the family for tea at the places we stay. As well, strangers we stop on the street will take a few minutes and even stop others to confer before giving directions in some combination of English, German and Turkish. Yesterday at the post office three employees stopped what they were doing to help me to find the dialing code for Canada.

The products in the shops and scene on the street and in the market have more in common with southern France or Italy than Jordan or Egypt. And, as travelers, we are most impressed by the sparkling clean restaurants and bathrooms found in even the cheapest and most out of the way places. Of course all this modern western-ness comes at a price; most things in Turkey cost about as much as they do in Canada, but still less than we are bracing for in Greece and Italy.

Still, Turkey is a very foreign country, made more so by the fact that very few people speak any English. While walking through an orchard, we came upon a group of women pruning the trees whose clothes and equipment could have been from a hundred years ago. This week the country has seen huge protests, which have forced the government to dissolve and call elections. The main issue is the separation of the state from religion. The present government is overtly Islamic and has been putting through laws to move Turkey to being an Islamic country. Although 98% of the population is Muslim, modern Turkey was founded as a secular government and most people we talk to want to keep it that way.

Turkey is a fascinating country and an ideal transition between Asia and Europe. We had originally wanted to stay here for a month or more but extentions in India, Nepal and Egypt have cut our time to a busy ten days. Next time we will get to Istanbul!

Syrıe parRob

Le voyage en bus d’Aman ‡ Damasce a durÈ quatre heurs. ¿ la frontiËre Syrienne, nous avons voulu un visa pour sept jours mais, nous l’avons eu juste pour trois. DËs notre voyage en Syrie Ètait plus court que planifiÈ, nous avons visitÈ que trois places, Damasc, le Crak de Chevaliers et Allep.
Damasc est une des villes capitales la plus ancienne du monde. Nous avons marchÈ ‡ travers l’Ènorme vieux Souk ´†bazaar†ª jusqu’au quartier ChrÈtien o_ nous avons visitÈ l’Èglise o_ St Paul Ètait baptisÈ il y a presque 2000 ans! En revenant nous avons passÈ une toute petite ruelle o_ travaillent des artisans en bois. Ils fabriquent des plats et boÓtes finis des couches dÈcoratives faites de centaines de toute petites morceaux de bois. L’aprËs-midi nous avons visitÈ le musÈ Palais d’Azen. J’ai beaucoup aimÈ les salles avec des meubles dÈcore de perle et la chambre musicale. La crËme glace ‡ la fin de la journÈe Ètait dÈlicieuse!
La Crak des Chevaliers est un ch‚teau trËs bien prÈservÈ parce qu’il n’avait pas beaucoup de batailles aprËs les Croisades. Le ch‚teau est en haut d’une colline. Nous avons aimÈ courir dans les corridors, monte dans toutes les tours et voir toutes les salles. Le Crak des Chevaliers est un des ch‚teaux de la pÈriode Croisades. En haut le vent souffle trËs fort et il faut se tenir bien. Le ch‚teau Ètait trËs beau.

Syrıa April 27-30

On his birthday, Rob made a wish that we would be allowed into Syria. The next day his wish came true and we were issued three-day visas at the border. Just enough time for a whirlwind tour of the cradle of civilization: a day in Damascus, a day to visit the Crusade Castle and a night in Allepo.
We had heard that Syrian food is delicious and were hungry to confirm these rumours when we arrived in Damascus in time for supper. Al Kamals, with its Parisian-style dÈcor and a menu with many home-style dishes proved to be a fine choice. Although the sidewalks were dark and quiet at 9pm, the brightly lit restaurant was a beehive of activity with decked-out waiters serving the many clients. We sampled the mezze of olives and pickles that magically appeared and sat back to see what the locals were ordering. We ate well and devoured the scrumptious salads, which were the first in a long time that we were not worried about food poisoning.
The next morning we headed out early to explore the old walled city, hoping to find a quick bite for breakfast along the way. Nothing seemed to be open. Finally we came upon a small bakery and ordered four cheese pastries, then four more, then another two just because they were so good (10 cents each; Syrian food is also inexpensive). As we stood munching we noticed across the laneway a doorway opening to a beautiful courtyard. We peeked in to find it was a restaurant complete with bubbling fountain that was just opening up for the day. It was beautifully decorated with an inner courtyard. We ordered coffee and sat back to enjoy the atmosphere and sip our coffee. Heaven!
We wandered the maze of alleyways in the souk marveling at the variety of goods in the tiny shops and the crowds in the narrow alleys. We visited the Christian quarter and walked along the famous Straight Street to St. Paul’s Chapel, where St. Paul was baptized after losing his sight on the road to Damascus. Later, we came upon an atelier where we met three 60-year old brothers who showed us how they make intricate inlaid boxes, trays and furniture with very tiny pieces of wood and Mother-of- Pearl. We now have a much better understanding and appreciation of the dexterity of this work. We found another restaurant with an inner courtyard and ate more delicious food for lunch. At the table across the fountain was a scene with all the contradictions of modern and traditional life in Syria: A group of women wearing head scarves, smoking the hubbly-bubbly, eating lunch, bouncing babies on their knees and talking on cell phones!
The afternoon saw us tour the Azam Palace, built in 1749 by the then Governor of Damascus. The rooms of the palace are magnificently decorated with inlaid tile work and exquisitely painted ceilings. With time running out we headed for ice-cream at a Damascus institution, Bekdach’s. It only serves one flavour: pistachio-topped ice delight (what a marketer’s dream) but there were so many people lined up for a cone that Steve had to fight his way in while we waited outside. Delicious! We dashed to the bus station with full tummies and a firm commitment to return to this beautiful, exotic and enticing city.
The next morning we saw what T.E. Lawrence called "the finest castle in the world", the Crac des Chevaliers. Built largely by the Crusader knights during the 12th century, this remarkably well-preserved castle sits at the top of a hill. With its inner and outer walls separated by a moat and its strategic position, the castle was in fact never breached, which is the main reason why the fortress has survived more or les intact. We arrived early to explore the castle while empty of tourists. We climbed the exterior walls and the narrow spiral staircases up the 13 towers checking out the views from all angles. We wandered around stables, a Gothic church, the water closets and a network of cellars capable of storing five years' worth of food. There were no guides, no lights, no fences and no restrictions, so the kids had a ball running along dark corridors with flashlights, causing their parents the odd heart attack as they climbed crumbling walls and dangled over openings onto 100-foot drops. Their imaginations were working overtime thinking of King Arthur and his knights.
By two pm we were on a bus to Aleppo. If Damascus is the oldest capital city in the world, Aleppo is said to be the oldest continuously inhabited city on the planet. (Varanasi also claims this honour). We dropped our bags and walked to the Christian Quarter, the most charming part of Allepo with its beautifully maintained narrow stone-flagged alleyways and age-old houses. Many of the manors have been converted to restaurants and after peeking at a few we opted for the Sissi House. With all the inlaid wood, a grand piano and an host of waiters in black suits it was in one of the most beautiful restaurants we have ever seen. Everything was delicious, appetizers, main courses even local wine, and the most amazing thing was the cost-$25 Canadian for everything!
The next day we had time for a quick tour of the Old City. We strolled the famous covered Souqs, some of them dating to the 13th century, visited the citadel sitting atop a huge manmade earthen mound which dominates the city skyline, and wandered through the Great Mosque. At a street stall we gobbled a shwarma for lunch and dashed to the border by taxi so that we could cross into Turkey before our visas ran out.
We loved Syria. Before, we had heard only of the Mahar Arar case and the Government of Syria from the media. We now know first hand more about the people of Syria. They are generous and welcoming. Everywhere we went we heard "Welcome". They love kids and would come up to Rob and Kathleen to talk to them. People asked us on the street if we needed any help finding places. We were not hassled to buy things. We also met numerous Iraquis who had come to Allepo to escape the troubles at home for a few days. On our last day, over shwarmas, we met an Iraqui couple who, with their minimal command of English, shared some of their thoughts on what it is like to live in Iraq these days, and about their tragic loss of family members. They hoped to immigrate to Canada in six months. We would have loved to talk to them longer but had to make our run for the border.
We would like to go back to Syria again for a longer period and we hope it will be sooner rather than later.

Ferry to Jordan

Thıs post should go before the Jordan reports.

Leaving Egypt we took a ferry across the Red Sea from Nuewaba, in the Sinai to Aquaba, Jordan. There are two ferries each day, the fast and the slow ferry. They both leave about the same time, while the slow boat is only an hour longer, the fast boat is sold as the more comfortable "tourist" boat, and costs fifty dollars more. We opted for the cheaper, local boat.
From the peaceful beach hotel it was a 15-minute ride in the back of a pick-up truck with the warm desert wind whipping our faces, to the bustling port trucks everywhere and hundreds of people lined up for the security. The ferry was supposed to leave at noon and passengers were to be at the terminal two hours before departure. From the terminal, we piled on to a bus for the 1-minute ride to the boat. As our bus arrived in front of the boat, we could see many passengers were already on board as we filed through more checkpoints until we were able to move freely on board. It seemed as everyone was heading to the top deck so we followed (or were pulled by the crowd). Once there we could see why. Everyone was jockeying for a spot to sit for the trip.
It was baking hot in the sun but we found a spot under an awning with freshly painted white benches full of men stretched out, catching their afternoon siestas, most likely because they have been up since 5 am with morning prayers. We claimed a bench and sat back to watch the scene unfolding before us. As it was the middle of the day, the starboard side of the ship was turned into a prayer centre with men lined up in rows, laying out their mats, taking off their shoes and facing off toward Mecca, Saudia Arabia in the distance to say their prayers. More men kept arriving so those lying down were forced to sit up and once all the benches were full, the latecomers spread blankets on the floors to sit on. Everyone was smoking constantly so even though we were outside the air was blue. Soon it was time to eat. I counted at least five whole cooked chickens that appeared out of bags, which men sat around to pull apart and eat with pita and pickles.
Although everyone seemed to be on board by noon, we sat until three o’clock before our ferry left! Apparently, this is a normal occurrence. By this time we had eaten our lunch and the kids had done their schoolwork, so Steve started to read the kids a story. As I listened to the story and watched, I saw that everyone within earshot was quietly listening and watching Steve read. I think we were as interesting to them as they were to us. By then we had realized that we were the only foreigners and there was only one other woman in this section of the boat.
At the time for evening prayers we were sailing beside the Saudi coast, so the men were no longer facing the front of the boat towards Mecca but off the side. An hour before arrival Steve went to find out about our visas for Jordan which, according to the guide book, could be obtained on board. A few minutes later he came back saying that he had found the visa man as well as the indoor lounge for families (a sea of babies, children, women, men, smells, noise and smoke) and a first class, air-conditioned dining room that was empty. We headed down to it and were pleased to see that we could plug in our laptop and order something to eat in a quiet, non-smokey place. We made friends with the Chief Purser who invited us to visit him in his hometown in Northern Jordan (as he was heading home on a week vacation) while the man in charge of visas told us that he would come for us when we docked. As we arrived in port 1,500 passengers, all eager to get off, had filled the hallways and corridors before the gangway. We decided to relax and get off last because we have so much luggage, it would have been impossible to manage it with the crowd. Magically, moments before we docked, the visa man arrived and asked us to follow him. He led us through back corridors until we arrived at the front of the crowd. The doors opened and we were first off the boat and onto a waiting bus. In two minutes we were in the terminal building and our visas were being processed. At this point we realized that we had been the only non-Middle Easterners on the ferry. All the other Western tourists we had seen in the terminal in Neuwaba had taken the faster ferry. A few minutes later we had our passports in hand and the visa agent then led us through the terminal and organized our taxi ride into the city. Wow, we were impressed by our first minutes in Jordan. As we walked through the terminal, everyone kept saying, "Welcome to Jordan". We felt very welcomed indeed!

Rob’s Birthday

Rob turned 10 in Amman, Jordan.

We celebrated with a delicious dinner at a fancy restaurant. In fact it is so fancy they even have pictures of King Abdullah of Jordan eating there! The shrimps and lamb were scrumptious. As an appropriate present we gave Rob a red and white Jordanian headdress, which has earned him many compliments from Arab men on the streets of Jordan and Syria.