The Friday before last, I finally met Onur from Germany. Onur was visiting Mersin with his German wife for a few days. He is originally from Mersin and first contacted me in November 2003 after finding my blog via a web search.
Onur, Seral, Onur (2nd), Mehser and one or two other friends had a few beers and played pool at Pasha. It was a fun evening. Here is a photo of us lads (thank you Seral):
On the weekend my very good Canadian friend, Alicia, married her Moroccan darling, Jamal, in Morocco.
I first met Alicia in my first week in Turkey in 2001, almost four years ago to the day. She lived in Mersin in the summers of both 2000 and 2001, teaching English.
Alicia has written many great stories on her blog. Soon there should be some wedding photos uploaded there.
Tonight Alicia will meet Jamal’s mother for the first ever time!
I wish them all the best as they venture into their next stage of life. In the next few months they will be off to Oman where Alicia has obtained a job at one of the universities.
This recently deceased former British Diplomat was the Consul-in-charge at Mersin during the Second World War. An interesting story about Sir Denis following the fall of the Iranian Shah:
Sir Denis’s reputation as a Persian expert had, if anything, been enhanced since his retirement. Moreover, he had publicly argued against giving the Shah asylum in a recent letter to The Daily Telegraph. He agreed to go, but, since he was at that time a director of Shell, stipulated that he should make the journey in disguise, lest Shell’s interests in Iran be damaged.
Thus it was that “Mr Edward Wilson”, equipped with phoney papers and dark glasses, arrived at the Ocean Club on Paradise Island and, having been frisked by local security guards, was received privately by the Shah.
After a long conversation “Mr Wilson” succeeded in persuading the Shah to accept the British Government’s decision, though he was not able to dispel the Shah’s bitter disappointment. He sent a laconic telegram to London, “Mission accomplished”, and reverted to his usual persona.
This last basketball season Mersin had an American starring for them. Here are a few excerpts from am April EuroBasket article:
Where would the Mersin men’s basketball team be without Ryan Sidney (188-G-82, college: Boston Coll.)? Not in Division 1, that’s for sure.
Thanks in large part to its American star, Division 2 Mersin clinched a promotion to Division 1 last week. But whether Sidney will still be around next year remains to be seen. By averaging more than 30 points a game, he may have put himself out of Mersin’s price range.
Ideally, Sidney would like to play in the NBA next year. But he understands that he might have to put in a few more years overseas before he gets a shot. And that’s fine with him – as long as he’s getting paid.
Sidney says that even with incentives, he will probably only make $55,000 U.S. this year. He’s hoping his strong play will convince Mersin, or another team in Turkey or elsewhere, to offer him more money.
“I’m just looking to get paid six figures man, I’m not going to lie to nobody,” he says. “Ryan G loves the game of basketball and just wants to get paid for it.”
Mersin coach Muhamed Rebah Sidali says the team would love to re-sign him, but expects to have to compete for his services after his strong season in Turkey.…………….
Sidney says he enjoys living in Mersin, a warm weather city on Turkey’s southern coast.
“It’s like Miami,” he says. “Eighty degrees every day. In the next couple of months, it’s going to get so hot, to the point where people don’t go outside.”
Having lived most of his life in Michigan and Boston, that’s too warm for him.
“I can’t take heat like that,” he says. “I’m just trying to win all my games and get up out of here.”
When he’s not playing basketball, Sidney generally keeps to himself in Turkey, though he does occasionally get a chance to hang out with the few Americans he has met. In Mersin, he only knows one American couple, but he has also met a few Americans who live at Incirlik air base in nearby Adana. When he has an off day in Istanbul, he often hangs out with other American basketball players who live there.
“I don’t try to get out much,” Sidney says. “I try to stick to myself. I’ve pretty much figured out how to make it through without getting in anyone’s way. I’m writing a journal and reading a lot of books. It maintains my mind until I get out of here.“
I had to laugh at the last bit 🙂
This Ataturk (the guy on the right) relief is from the facade of Mersin’s regional health management building on a back street in the centre of town. I don’t know the exact meaning of the relief but the design is reasonably old, probably the same age as the building.
I don’t know the exact architectural style of the building but such a style is not very common in Mersin. In my opinion it looks post-Ottoman, if there is such a style. Here is a close-up of the entrance:
With a coat of paint and some attention, the building could look fantastic.
Come to Mersin 🙂
Turkish grandpa detained for not reporting for military service 51 years ago
Fri Jun 10, 7:18 AM ET
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – At age 71, Sukru Hati probably thought joining the military was the last thing he had to worry about.
Hati, who has 20 grandchildren, was applying for free government health care when he was detained in the southern city of Mersin on Friday for not reporting for mandatory military service in 1954, the Anatolia news agency reported.
“I was supposed to go to military service 51 years ago. But I was sick then. I’d had a stroke, I had a hernia. That’s why I didn’t go,” Anatolia quoted him as saying.
Military service is mandatory for Turkish men, who are normally expected to complete 15 months of service before the age of 41.
Anatolia said authorities would decide whether Hati would have to enlist.
Hat tip to Jeff for the story.
Before visiting Tarsus Zoo last Sunday, I never recalled hearing of the place. It would have been better if I had never heard of it.
On the hot early summer day the smell of faeces was almost unbearable. The rows of exotic animals were kept in tiny concrete and steel cages with very little room as if they were all on death row. I don’t think the vulture could even stretch it wings fully.
The Tarsus Zoo is something out of the middle ages, prior to the existence of modern zoological science and animal welfare. I imagine most zoos looked like this 100 years ago.
To see the big cats, birds of prey, bears and other supposedly wild animals in cramped and sterile conditions was heart-wrenching. The following pictures only tell part of the story.
I really hope Tarsus Council either close the zoo or radically improve its animal facilities. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were no tertiary trained zoologists or wild animal veterinarians employed by the council.
I’d be willing to pay much more than the 60 kurus entrance fee if it meant the animals could at lease minimise their suffering. Such a major zoo overhaul would cost millions of lira, something I doubt the council could justify. It wouldn’t cost too much to close, though.
To write to the council and voice your disapproval of the zoo’s animal enclosures, their email is bilgi@tarsus.bel.tr.
As Bill Lawry says: “It’s all happening“. Work, social life and preparing to move house has got in the way of blog posting and writing emails.
Last Sunday (5th) Dragos and I caught the train 30 km to Tarsus
The day was great – the sights, the food, the company, all except for one thing: the Tarsus Zoo. I will write about this in the next post.
