Guanajuato Gringa Goes To Turkey
Merhaba! That's "Hello" in Turkish.
Talking to my friend Trisha yesterday, I told her I had wanted to keep writing my blog but I felt funny writing something called "Guanajuata Gringa" when I haven't been in Mexico, have not been thinking much about Mexico, and in fact, am departing for Turkey today for a long visit. Earlier, Barry had offered to build me another blogsite for my non-Mexico stuff, but that felt too complicated.
Trisha said, just call it, "Guanajuato Gringa Goes to Turkey."
Something shifted into a different slot in my brain. Duh! So that's the decision. We are flying to Turkey and I'll write about it.
Barry and I decided only about three weeks ago. We had just enough frequent-flyer miles to get to Frankfurt, Germany, from where we'll fly to Istanbul. We looked up what available days were left to fly on United's website, and--hmm!--the only day left in all of Sept. and all of Oct. was Sept 11. The little window on the calendar stood out in gray next to all the blank unavailable dates.
Funny. I know several friends flying today. We're all taking advantage of Sept. 11. I bet the airports will be quieter.
We've been to Turkey before, so we're not trying to cram everything in. This time, we'll take a train from Istanbul to Ankara and explore Hittite ruins outside Ankara. Later we'll hike part of an ancient route known as the Lycean Way. I'm excited about being in a Muslim country for the first time in 7 years. So much has happened geopolitically. Not good, of course, but from a traveling point of view, interesting.
Some people inevitably ask, "Aren't you nervous?"
Not for a second. It's a great time to go. Fall is a good season. There will be fewer Americans because most Americans are still afraid to go to Muslim countries, not that Turkey is all that Muslim. As a culture Turkey is at a crossroads, examining whether it wants to stay secular and join the EU, or whether it will become more fundamentalist. (Sounds familiar). I like talking to people about culture and religion, how they feel about their country and its future, what they are happy about, what their fears are. I hope Barry and I can offset some of their probable stereotypes about the U.S. We have signed up with a great organization called Couchsurfing (www.couchsurfing.com) where you meet people from other cultures for tea/coffee and sometimes stay on their couches, so we already have 4 people to meet and one person to stay with in Ankara.
I do want to describe my experiences; on the other hand, I've been trying to reduce some of my shadow life online, and live life more than write about life. Still, I'll post some blogs.
On the Mexico front, our house still has permit problems and our remodeling is still on hold. We have, however, moved along and are closer to resolution.
All right! Onwards!
Talking to my friend Trisha yesterday, I told her I had wanted to keep writing my blog but I felt funny writing something called "Guanajuata Gringa" when I haven't been in Mexico, have not been thinking much about Mexico, and in fact, am departing for Turkey today for a long visit. Earlier, Barry had offered to build me another blogsite for my non-Mexico stuff, but that felt too complicated.
Trisha said, just call it, "Guanajuato Gringa Goes to Turkey."
Something shifted into a different slot in my brain. Duh! So that's the decision. We are flying to Turkey and I'll write about it.
Barry and I decided only about three weeks ago. We had just enough frequent-flyer miles to get to Frankfurt, Germany, from where we'll fly to Istanbul. We looked up what available days were left to fly on United's website, and--hmm!--the only day left in all of Sept. and all of Oct. was Sept 11. The little window on the calendar stood out in gray next to all the blank unavailable dates.
Funny. I know several friends flying today. We're all taking advantage of Sept. 11. I bet the airports will be quieter.
We've been to Turkey before, so we're not trying to cram everything in. This time, we'll take a train from Istanbul to Ankara and explore Hittite ruins outside Ankara. Later we'll hike part of an ancient route known as the Lycean Way. I'm excited about being in a Muslim country for the first time in 7 years. So much has happened geopolitically. Not good, of course, but from a traveling point of view, interesting.
Some people inevitably ask, "Aren't you nervous?"
Not for a second. It's a great time to go. Fall is a good season. There will be fewer Americans because most Americans are still afraid to go to Muslim countries, not that Turkey is all that Muslim. As a culture Turkey is at a crossroads, examining whether it wants to stay secular and join the EU, or whether it will become more fundamentalist. (Sounds familiar). I like talking to people about culture and religion, how they feel about their country and its future, what they are happy about, what their fears are. I hope Barry and I can offset some of their probable stereotypes about the U.S. We have signed up with a great organization called Couchsurfing (www.couchsurfing.com) where you meet people from other cultures for tea/coffee and sometimes stay on their couches, so we already have 4 people to meet and one person to stay with in Ankara.
I do want to describe my experiences; on the other hand, I've been trying to reduce some of my shadow life online, and live life more than write about life. Still, I'll post some blogs.
On the Mexico front, our house still has permit problems and our remodeling is still on hold. We have, however, moved along and are closer to resolution.
All right! Onwards!
posted by Louisa at 3:27 AM
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