TARSUS

Today I took my first day trip in Turkey and I went to Tarsus. The city has been one of the oldest inhabited cities in history and still has a lot of that old world charm.

I started the day at the well of St. Paul. Next to the well they have dug up an old home as well. Convenient! They can't be sure it is actually PAUL'S home but trust me they also don't try to deny it either. It is all under glass and there are a few shards of pottery that date back to his time period on display (see pics below)




I then walked through the old houses section. The houses and the details were lovely. All very different and all very cool. The saddest part was that most were either empty or rundown. I was taking pics of one place and this man came over, motioned for me to follow him, informed me he was a police man and took me inside the house. He spoke Turkish the whole time and I am sure I was getting an amazing story but sadly I couldn't understand any of it. The house was INCREDIBLY creepy and wild. The couches covered in dust, pictures of family members on the wall, stuff still in the wardrobe but apparently they had just disappeared decades ago. Great experience though!







The Turkish people are INCREDIBLY nice. Like that guy! I mean I was just walking down the street and he decided to show me the house.

I walked through this section for awhile taking WAY too many pics - most are on Facebook so check there if you want to see more pics than are on here. I shortly found myself in the middle of downtown and looking at the ruins of a Roman bath.



As I walked around I just imagined the stories those walls could tell. What it would have been like to use them during their heyday and when they went into disrepair.

As I walked through the alleys and back ways - I NEVER take the main roads - I ran across the cafe section of the city. As I walked by a whole horde of men were playing Rummikube and drinking coffee. They yelled at me in Turkish to come over and berated me with questions, only 3 of which I could answer. I was told to sit and a steaming hot cup of tea was brought to me. I sat and just soaked up the atmosphere. I drank my tea - called chai, that tastes well, like tea - and watched the men play them game. There was the obvious ring leader who sounded like what a bullfrog would sound like if he could speak English, the coach, Mummad the elder, and Ali the young (all names made up by me). They were clearly old old old friends and often met to play, gossip and drink tea. I said my thank yous and TRIED to pay for my tea but was refuted and my money was brushed aside - This would be come a theme of the day!

I bid farewell and began more exploring. I walked down alleys to nowhere, streets full of people speaking something akin to gibberish and delighted in the sights and sounds and SMELLS! I stopped by a pastry shop to sample some of the goodies I saw in the window and found that, once again, my money was no good! Lots of bowing and thank yous were exhaled and I left full and overwhelmed.

I walked through mosques, markets, and stared at people who all seemed genuinely thrilled to see me. As I walked I would often be touched on the back by a stranger only to turn to find a smile on his face and a Salam or Merhaba coming from his mouth in a greeting of HELLO! Sometimes it came in the form of English but mostly it was in the local tongue which made it even more exciting.

I visited a hamam - bathhouse - were legends says The Snake Queen was killed. I was shown the spot and indeed there were - what appeared to be splatters of blood on the wall - but the reality is it could just be rust. But I want to believe. Our schools big musical this year is an original musical about this Snake Queen so it was cool to see where she supposedly died.



I was thought to be Russian, French, Italian and oddly enough, Spanish.

I went to St. Paul's church which is really only named after him and was not created or visited by him but none the less is beautiful!

I walked to Cleopatra's Gate. This is the very spot where she and Mark Anthony first met. For some reason they have decided to cover the original stones of the gate with new stones. I would like to met the person who thought this was a good idea and smack them!



Walking back from the gate I wondered around trying to find a place my co worker told me I should eat at. It is a humus place that is supposedly out of this world. On my way I past a bakery and her shouts of "HELLO! PHOTO!" I, of course, stopped and took photos of the bread and was handed a small round "pizza". It is a small thin piece of bread with meat, spices, onions and herbs on and it was OUT OF THIS WORLD! I ate 4!!!! I was then given even more bread FRESH FROM THE WOOD BURNING STOVE! oh lord, Jesus! I was given a bottle of water and took photos. And, second verse - same as the first, when I asked how much, I was waved off. I couldn't believe it!!!! I ATE 4 PIZZAS, & 1/2 of 3 other breads and they wouldn't let me pay. Again, I bowed, professed my gratitude and smiled A LOT!



I did finally find the humus place and WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW! I must admit, I am not a HUGE humus fan. I like it but I don't live for it but this was like no humus I have ever had. Each bite was like a whole new dish! I could and probably will - I bought take home - eat for days!


All in all it was a wonderful day strolling through history. I can't wait to check out some more!

Keep checking in and when I have a new adventure or crazy story I will be sure to post it!

He shaved the faces of gentlemen

This morning I woke up and took the boy and a book to the pool. He was unable to control himself so sadly he had to come back home. I hung out and swam and read a bit and thought to myself it was a great way to start the day.

Later I went with my co-worker to the fabric district where we bought fabrics for my room. Turkey is a fabric exporter so everything is incredibly inexpensive. We bought this year’s IKEA fabrics for $1.75 a meter; they are $26 a meter in America. Our meeting place was at the oldest building in Adana – a mosque. I am going to back tomorrow to take pics!

If you haven’t already checked them out I put up some pics of the world’s largest mosque on Facebook already!

So without future adieu, today’s adventure!!!!!

BARBER BLISS

I have been looking a bit like Grizzly Adams over the past week since I am technically on vacation and HATE to shave but I figured it was time. I heard that the barbers here were an experience and I am always up for a good story so……… here goes one!

I walked down my street in search of a barber and decided before I left I would stop at the first one I saw. This way I don’t debate about which one to go to or which one might be better. Before too long I ran across one and went in. I was greeted by an old man who was just shy of his 190^th birthday. The walls were a pale lavender but the barber chairs, tables and accessories were a bright royal blue with white trim. It reminded me of a Greek village right before a storm. I motioned for a shave by rubbing my beard and thumbing out the window. He smiled a toothless smile that was at once knowing and startling. He motioned me to a chair and I sat. The man moved around the store in 2 speeds: 1.Turtle and 2.Turtle stuck in molasses. As he puttered around I prayed to God that all would be well.

He leaned me back in the chair and began preparing my face with some warm water and tonics. He then prepared the straight razor and creams. Every time I get a shave with a straight razor that scene from “The color purple” comes to mind where Celie is about to shave Mister and well… cut this throat. At the same time the entire score of Sweeney Todd goes through my head. The shave itself was pretty basic. Foam, shave. More foam more shaving. It only got interesting AFTER I was cleaned.

After the shave was complete the man grabbed a small bar of lemongrass soap and rubbed it all over where he had just cut. It literally felt like 1000s of little bees stinging me. I am very pampery with my skin using only the highest quality of products on it and nothing with chemicals such as alcohol but to have lemongrass soap rubbed over freshly shaved skin is tantamount to torture!

He then shaved my neck and well upper back! The neck is common the upper part of my back, not so much!

Just when I thought it was all over I realized the fun HAD ONLY BEGUN!

He then decided to shave THE REST OF MY FACE! Of yes, he shaved every inch of my face. Now, I am a fair haired boy and not really Jo Jo the dog faced boy so I really didn’t think this necessary but apparently he did. It is HIGHLY disconcerting to have a razor so close to ones eye, let me tell you! Blinking is NOT an option! He shaved everything: my ears: INSIDE and out, my nose – INSIDE and out, and even the small baby hairs that still linger at what used to be my hair line.

He then reached into his little drawer pulled out what appeared to be an incense stick, light it and put it on my face! I simply closed my eyes and began the rosary and wished I were catholic! The heat touched my skin quickly followed by a light smack. If I had thought a razor next to my eyes was petrifying, I had obviously not anticipated FIRE! I can only guess this was to kill any small hairs that might have existed unseen on my visage. My eyebrows were then plucked within an inch of their lives.

Then I was showered in oily water that smelled faintly of Old Spice and cinnamon and my entire face was massaged. Have you ever had your eyeballs and eye sockets massaged? I HAVE!!!!!! It wasn’t entirely unpleasant; as a matter of fact it felt really good, it was just bewildering at first. I was then instructed to lean over the sink in the table. My face was then washed THOROUGHLY with a lathery soap that was made of, of course, LEMONGRASS! Again the 1000s bees revisited my ugly mug.

I leaned back once more and was given an astonishingly strong upper body massage. Shoulders, upper back, arms, and OH YES!!!!! HANDS!!!!!!!!!! Thank you grandpa! He then reached into his drawer of horrors and pulled out a familiar friend, nail clippers. He then picked up my hand and shrieked and recoiled in horror at the sight of my exceedingly over bitten finger nails. He simply looked sad and slowly – even more than usual – put the clippers back in their home.

I was then lotioned, massage once more for good measure, saturated in an extremely pungent and very manly cologne and handed the customary cup of tea.

And all of this happened for $3.25

Welcome to Turkey!

FIRST WEEK IN ADANA!

Well, thanks for dropping by! This is a new blog about my life in Adana, Turkey. I will try to update often and regale you with lively stories of the craziness that I experience in this extremely chaotic and interesting place.


Let’s start at the very beginning shall we. I went to the airport with my boyfriend Jung Woo and that was pretty much terrible. We cried and cried and made fools of ourselves. We have only been together for 4 months but within those 4 months we have grown extremely close and truly love one another deeply so needless to say, saying good bye to all those memories and connections was difficult. Luckily, we had two wonderful friends Andrew and Fahad who volunteered to come to the airport with us and see Jung Woo back home so he would have someone to talk to and not be alone. THANK YOU GUYS!


The flight was thankfully uneventful as I left at midnight I mercifully slept most of the way. I was constantly updated on Shik Sa’s well being and comfort and was ensured he was doing well. I got to see firsthand when he was loaded onto the plane in Istanbul how well the staff took care of him. The talked to him and got him out of his crate and allowed him to walk around and do his business before loading him onto the plane.


When we arrived we were greeted by my new boss man and a school driver.
My first impressions driving through the city were “WOW! OK this isn’t exactly what I was expecting!” I knew it would not be ultra modern like Seoul but I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so rural and developing! I have always wondered what it would be like to live in developing country – I have visited many – and now it seems I will know. My apt however, is like an oasis in the desert! A huge monolithic resort complete with pool, balconies and busy workers. Needless to say, it is quite a contrast to the surrounding area. I am excited to get out and explore the area though. I am sure there is a lot going on beneath.


The week was spent shopping for furniture, unpacking, cleaning, and exploring the cuisine. I am now extremely familiar with the mall! I must admit I did eat at a Sbarro but only because it had been so many years since I had had it that I justified it as a foreign food. So far the Turkish food seems to be very delicious but also very same same. I am sure once I get deeper into the society I will learn all about the loveliness that is Turkish Cuisine.

Now on to more exciting tales of adventure & intrigue!

1. The old run around


The first adventure was going to get my boxes from the airport. What an ordeal! I thought Korean bureaucracy was bad but lord almighty is Turkish worse!!! We (the driver and assistant assigned to me and I) set off to the airport cargo hold where we found my boxes. We were then told we need to go to an agent’s office and get the paper work and pay any fees. Great, where’s the agents office? 15 minutes down the road. So into the van we went. At the agents office we were greeted at the door by a very familiar sight in Turkey the NAZARS – amulets to ward off the evil eye! This was not a good sign since the ENTIRE WALL of the place was absolutely COVERED in them! A bad omen of things to come. We paid the fee received the paperwork, were given instructions on what to do and headed on our way. Little did we know this is where the adventure would begin.

We arrived back at the cargo hold show them the paper work only to be told we had to get a customs clearance. OK, where’s customs – another 15 minutes down the road! So into the van we go. Get to customs and it seems as if no one has ever seen, heard of, has any knowledge of, or participated in the receiving of boxes before. For 2 hours, 2 HOURS! We walked every square inch of the place looking for the right stamp. “No! No! go to the next window.” “No that office is upstairs.” “Nope not here. I don’t know where!?!?!” This is where I got a real sense of Turkish business practices. Pushing, shoving, yelling, throwing papers in front of others, explaining over and over only to be told the next window…Finally 15 minutes before lunch we found the right office got the stamp and were ushered into another office. We were then told we would need some sort of letter. Where do we get this letter? ………… Luckily, it was down the hall. We walked into the room and it was like stepping back in time. There was ONE computer from TANDY!!!! Flipping TANDY ya’ll. If you don’t know Tandy – it was the Radio shack brand of computers. Very cheap, very poorly made, very – as my friend Brian says – low budget! The thing had a GREEN SCREEN! A GREEN SCREEN!!!!!!! When was the last time you say a computer with a green screen? It’s like seeing someone walking down the street with a telephone the size of a large basketball players shoe attached to a briefcase. Next to said ONE computer with a green screen was a series of typewriters, each from a different decade. The earliest being around the time of prohibition. We got the only one available - THE LAST ONE. Yes, I do believe Charles Dickens wrote his novels on something very similar. It was massive! And the woman typing for us was clearly trained by a Kung Fu Master as she attacked the buttons with the force of a sledgehammer. One button at a time. Honestly, I don’t speak Turkish and I think I would have been a faster typist. But the best part came when I was asked what my address was and I pulled out my I Touch. Seeing those two devises next to each other made everyone cackle with laughter. It was like seeing a model T next to the Jetson’s car. We laughed for hours. I mean we had them to spend. Finally the boxes were released and all it took was going back to the original place we started and talking to someone different. OF COURSE!



2. Roses, lakes and my boy


Facebook is a wild and wonderful world. I recently – yesterday – discovered/remembered I had Turkish “friends” I had taught while teaching in Australia. On a lark I thought I would see if any of them were in Adana and lo and behold 3 of them were! So I contacted them and one replied immediately. We made plans to meet that evening and he was going to take me to his favorite lung kebab place. LUNG? YES! Apparently! Fortunately for me they were out so we just got the regular kind. I have since learned it might not actually be lung but more like intestines. Not sure which is better really! Anyway, the meal was wonderful and it was next to a large lake that was nice. After eating we went to a smallish island in the middle of the lake to sample Adana’s most famous desert Bici Bici (pronounced biji biji). The bici bici came and was very interesting! It was shaved ice with powdered sugar, bananas, and small square jellies in rose water. I have to say it was delicious. Like eating a liquefied Turkish Delight! The small cart and seating were right on the lake. It was quite romantic and made me miss my boy A LOT! The adjustment has been hard for both of us. I miss him terribly and think about him at every step. He is suppose to becoming to visit before the end of the year and I can’t wait to bring him here!



3. The bathhouse


Today I meet my new boss man and had breakfast at a very nice Turkish Buffet Breakfast place. The building was very modern and beautiful. The buffet was a fascinating but ultimately satisfying mix of Turkish and Western breakfast cuisines. The atmosphere made the food even better. After chatting and eating and relaxing I decided I would like to take in a Turkish bath. Now I have always heard of Turkish baths and I am a huge fan of saunas back in Korea so I thought it would be nice. The weather I might add is 104 F with 100% humidity but sweating inside or outside – you’re going to sweat, might as well make it an adventure!
The hamam – or bathhouse I went to was build on top of another bath house that was “reportedly” used by Alexander himself – YES, THAT Alexander! This one was build in 1682.

Upon entering you walk into a room that looks like a medieval castles drawing room. It has a very high domed ceiling with medium sized squares cut into it to let the light in. A massive iron chandelier with is unfortunately now fitted with halogens. On the back and left side of the walls are what looked like baseball locker room change rooms. A large wooden covered patio with hooks on the back wall. Small rugs were evenly placed for people to sit. Above this was a rather precarious looking wooden walkway that looked like it had been build when the hamam was. I was escorted to a locker and handed a swath of fabric. Unlike Korea you are in no way shape, form, or fashion allowed to be naked. Muslim men are not allowed to view other naked men. I changed, was then escorted to the supply shop and given shampoo, then taken to the bathroom. The bathroom was original and kind of cool! I was next lead into the shower room.

Another slightly small dome, but had small round holes cut into the stone to let in beams of light and give it some character. In this room were modern showers, a cold pool and small niches for bathing. These niches consisted of a small marble seat & a marble basin filled with water that ranged in temperature from, depending on when they were filled, center of the sun to arctic snow. The niches are all white marble with veins of grey and rust. When the light hits them they become luminous! A beautiful and awe inspiring place to bathe one ’s self. After being clean you walk into the last section. A great cavernous room all of the same white marble.
In the center of the room is a mammoth white octagon marble slab with small inlay of black tiles. This is directly under the largest dome yet. The light wafting through the circular holes was mind blowing and immediately brought you back to a time long ago and far away. It was the perfect effect for a newbie like me. For the first time really, I KNEW I was in a new place about to experience something quite familiar and yet foreign. You could instantaneously feel, see, and definitely smell, the places 400 + year old history.

I walked around and lead myself to the sauna room. A typical sauna made of wood. The stones were covered in lemon grass which gave the room an aroma that was a welcomed respite from the rest of the place. After sweating it out in there I ventured back out to the big room where Jabba the Hut’s older, hairier and slightly larger brother ordered me to lie down on the huge marble slab. I was then scrubbed from head to foot. I was expecting a Korean style scrub that barely leaves any skin on but despite his size he was remarkable gentle and yet thorough. He then took me over to a marble basin and washed my hair and face with lemon grass water. Did you know that when you get lemon grass up your nose and in your eyes, IT REALLY STINGS!!!!

He then passed me one to an ex mafia member who gave me my massage on a marble slab that was designed for this very thing. The massage was wonderful though some slight differences occurred from what I am used to. First, he mopped me down with soap. LITERALLY! He had a mop head and mopped me down with it. The bubbles bursting all over my skin was lovely and relaxed me even more. I was then massaged head to toe in a tender yet pressured knead. At the very end he sat me up and got behind me and gave me a head massage. Little did I know that his co-conspirator was sneaking up with a bone chilling, heart stopping, special place shriveling bucket of ice cold water to throw on me. The blood curdling scream that escaped from my mouth was only matched by the gales of laughter that exploded from theirs! I was then taken back to the basin and given warm water to wash off with. After relaxing some more on my own I was ready to leave. I went back out to the lobby and was quickly rushed over to one of the rugs, sat down and completely wrapped in towels. Head, chest, well you name it, it was covered with a towel. I felt like the Prince of Towellandia! I sat there “drying off” and then changed clothes, paid and left. I can’t wait to find another bath house and see what lies waiting for me there.

Stay tuned for more adventures and photos. Leave comments if you like!