Antalya, Turkey
26 October 2009
12:30 pm
Mehmet: Please come in. Have a tea with me.
Jan: Thank you. I was just admiring your carpets. I am thinking: Tea sounds good. I am tired wandering around the cobbled streets of this hilly old town. Actually, Antalya is quite lovely, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
Mehmet: Are you interested in hand woven carpets?
Jan: Yes. But I am not considering buying one now. Stay strong, Jan. This guy's a Turkish carpet salesman.
Mehmet: Please let me show you a few. Do you prefer hot tea?
Jan: Yes. It's chilly and I'm a bit wet from the rain. My water absorbent Old Navy jacket is not helping at all.
Mehmet: Since it's now the end of the season, I can give you a special price and ship the carpets at no additional cost.
Jan: Thank you Mehmet. Your carpets are beautiful. Please let me think about it. They really are. I am tempted, but....
Mehmet. Perhaps you will come back after lunch?
Jan: I was thinking about visiting the mountain ruins of Termessos this afternoon. Do you know a reliable driver? Jan deftly changes the subject to the Termessians, a Pisidian people who were fierce warriors. They fought off Alexander in 330 BCE. The Romans accepted Termessos as an independent ally in 70 BCE.
Mehmet: I will call Nezi. He is known as "the doctor." But Jan, I recommend that you visit Termessos tomorrow morning. It will rain this afternoon. You will be miserable walking in the rain on the mountain.
Jan: I am optimistic. I will have lunch now. Please ask Nezi to pick me up here at 2:00pm. I know I am being stubborn but I want to be time sensitive in this town. I need to keep moving west. And I noticed a charming patio-restaurant down the street.
Mehmet. Will you return to my shop tomorrow morning?
Jan: Inshallah, I will return. Everybody knows what that means.
..........................................................................................
Termessos 2:30
Nezi: I will walk with you to the ruins.
Jan: Thank you. There are a few "older" folks on the trail so I suppose we can follow them. If they can do it, I can do it.
Nezi: I can hold your umbrella over you.
Jan: No problem. I can hold my umbrella in my left hand and hold my camera in my right. How the hell do I keep my lens dry?
Nezi: You are getting wet. Let me help you with the umbrella.
Jan: The rocky trail looks very steep. Steep and filled with loose rocks. The trees block the views. A wilderness. A wet wilderness. Maybe Mehmet was right and this was not such a good idea after all. Didn't the guidebook say something about a massive city hidden high and deep in a rugged mountain valley?
Nezi: The ruins are not very far. You can make it.
Jan: I am getting tired. Let's turn back. I packed very carefully for his trip. How did I forget my poncho? And my walking stick is still in my luggage.
Nezi: The ruins are just up ahead. Just a few more minutes.
Jan: I have seen enough. The ruins are interesting, shiny and black -- hidden away in the glistening forest. I am glad I came. But I am wet. I am cold. I am miserable. I feel like a drowned loon on Lake Winnipausaukee. Can we go back now?
Nezi: The main temple and the theatre are up the hill just a little way.
Jan: Finally we are here. Nezi, this is a great spot! The theatre is beautiful. Thank you for encouraging me. Now I know why they call you "the doctor." The views are invigorating. Majestic. Can we stay a little longer? I see a break in the clouds. Maybe it will stop raining.
Nezi: We can take a different route down the mountain.
Jan: Sounds good. No rush. I don't want to miss anything. Nezi, you are the best guide in Turkey.
The mountain trail is littered with the broken remains of marble columns and capitals. Two thousand years ago, somebody actually took the trouble to carve them. Now, sadly, they lie, miserably, in the mud or beneath a pile of twigs and leaves. Still, they are on display for me, and for other travelers who are willing to come to see them.
I am so happy to be here in the ancient city of Termessos. Where else should I be? I lived in Miami for ten years and I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I went to the beach. This is where I belong...trudging up a mountain in the rain looking for age-old ruins.
How come they always put the theatre at the top?
Termessos
Jan...
Life occasionally brings us these hidden jewels when we least expect them. Sounds as if your experience in Termessos was worth the steep incline, long hike, and pouring rain...
Keep enjoying! ...
Tom & Marty
Warmth in the Middle East
Hello Jan,
Greetings to you at the beginning of 2010: May the year ahead yield further opportunities to engage wholeheartedly with the multifaceted people, places and experiences of your world...
It was certainly a pleasure to read your travel letters from Turkey and to receive your photos.
We are once again ensconced in the typical Australian life at summertime with its many familiar associations: mangoes, beach, bright glary days, flies, the smell of barbecues and its not so distant relation, bushfires... It seems far away from the Middle East and the intricate, cordial Arabic culture.
Returning home does offer a short window into the things that often become so familiar that I can fail to notice them.
After being away, I once again notice the 'island' nature of this nation, far away from everything else. Refreshingly unburdened sometimes, but perhaps oblivious to the world beyond its seas and somewhat self absorbed... This was such a contrast to our experience in Syria, where the people often expressed an acute awareness of the shifting relationships and fortunes between themselves and other neighbouring countries across their history.
Our trip across the Turkish border via a beat-up old taxi filled with deliveries of petrol, pistaccios and other drop offs on the way was a leap of faith, with our taxi driver unable to speak English and our Turkish limited to 'Meheba'... We got there though with lots of good natured and humourous gesticulations, and along the way were offered sweets through the car window as welcome to Syria.
We were overwhelmed by the welcoming nature of the Syrians and their openess to share tea, food and conversation.
Many fascinating ruins, intricate lane ways through the souks, ancient caravanserai and desert, cardamon coffee, ample sweet shops and intriguing herbalists - all these experiences accompanied by generous Syrian hospitality, civility and warmth.
Alexandra
Reminds Me
Jan
Antalya is beautiful with gorgeous architecture and it looks very clean. The pictures of the Termossas mountains remind me of Ashville, NC, sitting on the veranda of my favorite old hotel overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Dodie
You are always the brave and happy guy!
Hey Jan,
You are always so brave and hot in pursuit of your dreams. Although tough,yet happy,that is really a unique character.
I like your style of life and admire the spirit you showed when you were facing difficulties; that is real life. Cheer up, go as you wish if you have made plans already. Your parents really played an important role in giving you courage in your early years.
You are creating more adventures and others are reading about them. They are amazing and encouraging to us . Thank you!
Jasmine in Beijing ,China.
Dry yet?
No Matter What It Takes!
Hey Jan,
That's the spirit!.. When you're traveling you're on a high and nothing can keep you from your destination. It's all part of the experience.
It's funny because on my recent trip to Myanmar I was pondering how being a good traveler is very much like being a Boy Scout. You need a good attitude and to be well prepared away from home.
Often it's the really off-beat experiences like being cold and wet hiking up a mountain to find the ruins that are the ones we cherish.
Howard
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