A disturbing new report from Amnesty International concerning violence against women in Turkey is on their webpage.
I now have my Iranian visa and hope to visit Iran in August 🙂
The Iranian Embassy is open Saturdays as they are closed on Fridays (Iran’s Muslim holiday) and Sundays (Turkey’s secular holiday). Normally an Iranian visa is valid for two months. As I wanted to go in August I asked them to extend the validity and now my 30-day visa is valid until 28 August. As banks were closed the official accepted the USD $50 payment in cash after originally asking me to place the money in an account. As Iran does not require visas for Turkish people the embassy is quiet. I believe this is the main reason I was treated so well and why self-serve tea, coffee and water were available. I don’t think the German, American, Australian or other embassies of countries Turks require visas to treat their guests so well.
In other news from Ankara:
– I visited the Cankaya weekly bazaar on Sunday. This provides the same function as the Mersin bazaar described here. However, the Cankaya bazaar:
*Is under a permanent shelter in its own space as opposed to the ‘tent verandas’ on Mersin’s street. I don’t know if the Cankaya bazaar space is used for the other 6 days.
*Has a greater number of suppliers selling a larger quantity of a larger variety of fruit and vegetables
*Features artichokes (enginar) much more than Mersin bazaar.
*Fruit and vegetables are generally of a higher quality but at a more expensive price. Cherries were up to 8 million TL per kilo for the best ones.
*Creates a far bigger rubbish pile by the end of the night.
– On Sunday night there was an amazing sunset combined with an occasional lightening strike – I wish I had a good time-lapse camera and there were no apartment blocks in the way.
Tonight I’m off to Ankara again. Last time it was to apply for my Iranian visa, this time to pick the visa up.
“Mersin VIF”, the bus company I took last time raised their price from 20 to 25 million. The second company I visited also charged 25 million. At “Luks Mersin”, the 3rd company I visited, their tickets to Ankara were only 20 million, the same I paid last time. The bus companies normally raise their prices each summer as there is greater demand, particularly from students and workers on holiday.
This afternoon my neighbour telephoned and asked me to come from work to his place. I believe he was trying to match-make me with a female friend of his. I am already hooked so I will kindly pass this offer up. In Turkey it is common for friends and relatives to introduce men and women to each other.
Last Sunday Orhan and I guided Bakr, the Moroccan trainee, around Silifke and Kizkalesi. In Silifke we could not find a lahmacun restaurant Orhan, Liam (brother) and I ate at last year. We settled instead for kebab.
On the way back I bought scrumptious strawberries from the side of the road. Silifke is known for producing the best strawberries around Mersin.
For your viewing pleasure,following are 3 photos from the weekend (thank you Bakr).
On the way down in the work car.
With the offshore castle in the background, Kizkalesi.
The beach in front of the onshore castle, Korykos. In ancient times there was a causeway connecting Korykos and Kizkalesi.
Yesterday I visited the weekly outdoor bazaar (pazar in Turkish) a couple of streets from home. The bazaar (like weekly bazaars all over Turkey) largely consists of fruit and vegetable sellers with the odd clothing, spice or accessory vendor.
Over the past month, with the changing of the seasons from spring to summer (the weather is still spring weather 🙂 the bazaar offerings have changed substantially, largely for the better.
*Cherries have arrived. Yesterday I bought my first for the season. They are delicious but not yet perfect.
*The first apricots, peaches, ripe plums (not the unripe green ones so popular here), melons and mulberries have also entered the market. I haven’t bought any of these fruits yet as I am waiting for the quality to improve.
*The new season’s onion and potatoes are in. The onions are very sweet.
*1 week ago I witnessed and bought my first ever ‘capsicums’ as grown in Australia!!!
The usual capsicums (red peppers) in Turkey are not as sweet or juicy as the Australian ones. There weren’t any ‘Australian’ capsicums there yesterday.
*The other capsicums as well as the chillies and tomatoes have come into season and their taste is better than those bought into the winter.
*Fresh chickpeas sold on the bush were for sale. I had never seen or tasted them before. Their flavour is kind of nutty but nice. I guess they will soon leave the bazaar as the chickpea crop matures.
*The strawberries have peaked. I went to Silifke on the weekend and bought some from the side of the road – fantastic!
This is only my second Turkish month of May. I have little previous experience of the joy of the Turkish spring fruit and vegetables. In contrast, the upcoming summer is my fourth in Turkey!
MixFM, 91.6 fm, is the local dj-free automated foreign music radio station. My company sometimes advertises on Mix so this is the station we listen to at work whenever the radio is on. A few days ago they played “Treaty” by Yothu Yindi. Today, the Aussie music went into overdrive:
– Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan “Especially for You”
By the way, Australia lost 1:0 to Turkey in second and last soccer game of the series in Melbourne. I still couldn’t find the flag so it was lucky Australia didn’t win. I would have regretted them winning and me not having the flag to taunt the locals 🙂
UPDATE [26/05/2004]: Today on Mix was another Aussie tune: “I Touch Myself” by The Divinyls.
An email account at work received the following scam letter. It is typical of many scam letters claiming to come from Africa and asking help in moving a substantial sum of money. I only posted this letter here because of the writer’s names. Follow the directions in the above post title (‘Add a H to the first and an N and E to the last’) and what do you get?
—– Original Message —–
From:
To:
Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2004 12:52 PM
Subject: Very Urgent
> FROM: SITHOLE BALOY.
> TEL: 27-835-184-080.
>
> ATTN: DIRECTOR/C E O,
>
>
>
> I know you will be surprised to read from me, but please consider this as a request from a family in
> dire need of assistance.First, I must introduce myself. I am MR. SITHOLE BALOY from Angola. I am
> the first and only son of BRIGADIER BALOY JONES. I am presently resident in South Africa.
> I got your contact address from a business directory in Johannesburg Chamber of commerce and Industry. On behalf of my widowed mother MRS. ELIZABETH BALOY, I desided to solicit for your assistance to transfer the sum of US$21.5 MILLION( TWENTY ONE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS)inherited from my late father, into your personal company’s
> account.Before my fathers’ death, he was a Brigadier in charge of Arms and Ammunation procurement for the Angola Army. In his WILL, he specifically drew my attention to the said sum of money which he deposited in a safe box of a private Security Company in Johannesburg- South Africa in a treasure box, fully documented in my name.
> IN FACT MY FATHER SAID AND I QUOTE MY BELOVED SON, I WISH TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO
> US$21.5 MILLION . I DEPOSITED THE BOX CONTAINING THIS MONEY IN A SECURITY COMPANY IN JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA. DURING THE WAR, I WAS VERY DEDICATED AND OFFICERS AND GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONARIES WERE BUSSY HELPING THEMSELVES WITH GOVERNMENT FUNDS AND
> PROPERTIES AND SENDING THEM TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES. DUE TO THIS, WHEN I AND MY FORMER SPECIAL ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT WERE ASSIGNED BY THE PRESIDENT (EDUARDO SANTOS) TO PURCHASE ARMS IN SOUTH AFRICA, WE SAW THIS AS A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY AND DIVERTED THE MONEY AND DIVIDED IT. i GOT A TOTAL SUM OF US$21.5 MILLION. IN CASE OF MY ABSENCE ON EARTH, AS A RESULT OF DEATH ONLY, YOU SHOULD SOLICIT FOR THE FUND FOR INVESTMENT
> PURPOSES.
> From the above, you will understand that the lives and future of my family depens on this money, as such I will be grateful if you can assist us. We are now living in South Africa as political Asylum seekers > and financial laws and regulation of the Republic of South Africa do not permit us financial rights to such
> huge sum of money. In view of this, I cannot invest this fund in South africa, hence i am prepared to offer you 20% of the total fund, while 10% will be set aside for local and international expenses and 70% will be for my family and me. Finally, modalities on howthe transfer will be bone will be conveyed to you once we have established trus and confidence between ourselves. Please treat this matter as very urgent.
> Best regards,
>
> SITHOLE BALOY.
>
Iran threatens Australia with sanctions
According to the ABC, Iran may place diplomatic and trade sanctions on Australia.
That would really be fantastic if Australians receive the same restrictive visa regulations as Americans for visiting Iran (sarcasm intended). US citizens are required to book tours before they receive tourist visas.
My neighbour Hanifi amca was kind enough to let me scan and publish some photos of himself from many years ago. Although retired now, Hanifi previously worked for the Turkish Railway, the TCDD. Several of the photos are of him with his fellow TCDD workers. I hope you enjoy a small glimpse of Turkey from long ago (well, before I was born).
NOTE: ‘amca’ in Turkish means ‘Father’s brother’ and is a term of respect for older men. In English the equivalent is ‘Uncle’ although ‘amca’ is used between unrelated people in Turkish far more than ‘uncle’ is in English. The female equivalent is ‘teyze’ which means ‘Mother’s sister’ or Auntie.
Hanifi as a young boy (front-right of photo) with his family more than 55 years ago.
Hanifi (to the right) during his military service.
With another TCDD employee at Mother Mary’s House, Selcuk.
Ephesus Group of 4
Ephesus Large Group
Two photos at Ephesus
Two photos in the town of Selcuk.
Pamukkale Single
Pamukkale Group of 6
Pamukkale Group of 3
Pamukkale Group of 12
Four photos in Pamukkale. I’m sure Pamukkale was whiter and more pristine in those days than today.
Hanifi in front of a bay in south western Turkey. I believe it may be one of the Greek Islands in the background. And, yeah, Hanifi does not have as much hair now as in the photo!
