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Yesterday afternoon I met a friend, Betül, for the first time in Adana. She was an AIESEC trainee in Malaysia and we originally got in contact last year through the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree. Betül comes from Adana but studied university in Ankara. It was fantastic to finally meet her.

As usual, I caught the train to Adana. The walk from my house to the Mersin Train station took 30 minutes of power walking across town. The election posters and banners were everywhere. I wonder how many trees have died because of the 2004 Turkish local government elections?

The gidiş-dönüş (return) ticket to Adana cost 3,000,000 TL. I think the seller gave me a student ticket even though I did not ask for one. Before the crowded train left (I was standing from Mersin to Tarsus) a security guard walked through the carriages with what looked like a metal or explosives detector. He did not pass it by anybody but just walked past. I guess he was looking for large bags that may have contained bomb equipment. Another security guard stood outside. These were the first security guards I had witnessed in the many times I have caught the Mersin-Adana train. I wonder if the security guards were a reaction to the train attacks in Madrid?

On the train journey back to Mersin there were no such security guards in evidence.

I am very happy to say that Adriana, my friend in Madrid, and her husband and friends are all safe and well. Condolences to all people who did lose relatives or friends.

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My last last camera film took 3 months to complete. Now I have a few photos to show.

Magda the Polish trainee with Zubrowka the Polish vodka, New Years Eve, Cazara

Dog at Roman theatre, Hierapolis (above Pamukkale)

Ali in the Pamukkale springs

The white of Pamukkale reflected in a winter puddle

Moon and ferry in Izmir

Karaoke Maria at her ‘last night in Adana’, Cazara nightclub: see the passion in her face

Maria’s supporting cast

With Ebru and Kubilay at their wedding, Adana

Roadworks on Silifke Caddesi (a main road) as viewed from the corner of my apartment

My balcony.

On the pants to the right of the photo there is a grey patch. That is in fact a grasshopper! This grasshopper hibernated for two or three months in the suit pants. A day or so after the photo was taken the weather warmed up and the grasshopper left. The pants are my brother, Liam’s, pants. They are part of a 25,000,000 TL suit he bought in Kadıköy, Istanbul specifically to attend Ela’s wedding back in September 2003.

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Subtitle: This muesli is ridiculous……….ly good!

Last night I made up a new batch of muesli. This was my 5th or so batch and the concoctions are becoming more and more complex and correspondingly more and more delicious!

The ingredients for my last batch (quantities are approximate):

500 gm rolled oats

A couple of shakes of the cornflakes packet

A handful or two of both sesame seeds and coconut flakes

200 gm sultanas

150 gm currants

125 gm dried apple

125 gm dried pear

200 gm dried fig

200 gm dried apricots

100 gm whole hazelnuts

100 gm pistachios

100 gm peanuts

50 gm whole almonds

100 gm walnuts

To serve: add milk or yoghurt and top with chopped fresh banana.

Unlike KFC, I don’t keep my recipes secret!

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Yesterday, lemmings from both the CHP (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, Republican People’s Party, incumbent mayor’s party) and MHP (Milliyet Halk Partisi, National People’s Party, the nationalists) were busy placing banners and flags on my side street. I don’t know why they were only putting them only on my street. Each partys’ flags are similar, both being red and white in colour. MHP’s flag consists of 3 crescents whilst the CHP’s flag looks like a sun ray pattern.

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The electricity is back on and I have not moved home. The matter still has not being resolved though: I have an appearance at a preliminary court before everything is settled 🙂

Apparently the neutral wire of my power meter at the apartment block ground level was not connected. Or something like that. This allowed my meter to not record the total amount of energy used. I found this extremely hard to believe as I, a bachelor in a small (tiny for Mersin) apartment, have electricity bills as large or larger than many of the other tenants. After speaking with my apartment owner he explained that my hot water heater consumes a lot of energy. Many other apartments have solar water heaters (or don’t have showers :-). I reluctantly agreed to pay most of the money with the owner and Ahmet paying the rest. The amount to be paid (372,750,000 TL) was not calculated scientifically and was based on complete guesses. On Thursday Serkan went to TESDAŞ’s headquarters with the millions and when I returned to my infamous apartment Thursday night the electricity was back on.

On Friday Ahmet accompanied me to the Soğuksu police station just down the road where we signed a statutory declaration saying I did not know anything about the faulty meter. Ahmet signed as the tercüman (translator). There were several other people with the same issue. In the afternoon we drove to the court building near the train station and waited outside a preliminary court. After a while doing nothing we were told to go and come back when called, probably in a month. ı will write about it when it happens.

I must thank Ahmet and Serkan for their help during this drama. Except for the wasted time and money I have enjoyed the adventure. I am also happy the government is cracking down on the massive electricity fraud committed in Turkey. I believe Turkey’s expensive electricity prices are due to the amount of fraud that goes on. I am only unhappy that I drew the short straw.

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In a few days I may be moving house – I found out about this today. The explanation follows.

Last night, after dinner (a wonderful chicken salad at Mavi Sanat) and billiards with Kerem I came home to an electric-free house. Nothing unusual about power failures in Turkey, except this time, the stairway lights worked!

This morning my apartment still did not have power. When I went home for lunch, the freezer was almost defrosted (bonus!).

To shortern the story, TEDAŞ, the Turkish Government electricity provider had cut my flat’s electricity because a debt of 372,750,000 TL was owed. This was the first time I had heard of this debt. I had no warning.

From my understanding, there are two possible explanations for this debt:

a) The debt was incurred during a previous renter’s time and TEDAŞ is only chasing it now; or

b) Other people have siphoned electricity from my line before it reached my meter

Either way, it should be TEDAŞ’s responsibility and not mine or the owner’s. I am not paying for the debt and my boss is not paying for it. My boss has contacted the apartment owner. If he does not pay for it I will move out. Kerem is kind enough to let me stay at his place for the short term should the owner not pay the amount owed.

Electric siphoning or meter-rigging is common in Turkey and I’m sure this is a major reason why electricity is so expensive. As TEDAŞ is a monopoly there is fat chance they will get their act together and regulate electricity properly.

The electricity will be reconnected once the 372,750,000 TL is paid.

In the meantime, I will enjoy some romantic candle-lit nights…

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Arab Big Brother show suspended

Read the article about the suspension of the Arab version of ‘Big Brother’. Even with modifications including prayer rooms, a separate women’s room and barring men and women from each other’s sleeping quarters (first time ever for Big Brother) it was still too controversial.

“Our religion has strong values which say boys and girls should not mix together,” said Ms Rabi’i.

“This programme is a threat to Islam. This is entertainment for animals.”

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Almost overnight I have removed my thermal underwear, stopped wearing socks in bed and not worn my jacket and scarf to work.

Why?

The past two days have contained exceedingly good weather – sunny and in the low 20’s C. I hope winter is finished but Sevil, one of my superiors at work, assures me there will be another wave of cold weather before the spring truly starts.