Sunday, June 13, 2010

ANZACs at Gallipoli


As we set out on the Kiwi (and Aussie) pilgrimage to Gallipoli our group of 10 watched a documentary on the Gallipoli campaign on the bus. We got the low-down on the politician’s reasoning/strategy which ignored numerous intelligence reports and warnings to launch the offensive, and saw personal letters and diaries from soldiers and commanders on both sides revealing their mindset and the atrocities through which they endured (and many who didn‘t). We had the futility of the war which raged on this peninsula refreshed in our minds.

But no documentary can compare to standing on the cliff above ANZAC Cove and seeing the landing site where the troops were mistakenly landed and had to climb the cliff with full (and wet) combat gear. Or looking beyond the graves of 17 year old “soldiers” to the narrow stretch of water that was the reason for the whole conflict. Or standing on a stretch of ground shorter than a rugby field that thousands of men sacrificed their lives for.

Surprisingly, the most memorable part for me was not the ANZAC, Australian, New Zealand, nor British memorial sites, but the Turk memorial. It has a quote from Ataturk - the Turk commander who went on to found Turkey after the war - that sums up the sentiment between the opposing troops, and which lives on today. Though it was their duty to shoot at and blow up each other every minute of every day, both sides also lobbed tins of food and cigarettes to each other across the trenches, and during ceasefires that were called to bury the dead they would shake hands and share family photos. This quote manages to encapsulate the kinship that the Turkish people reserve especially for ANZACs:

“Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives…you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side in this country of ours…You, the Mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.”

This is the kind of understanding and tolerance that Turkey was founded on, and makes it such unique member of the Middle East community today - it is a close ally to both the USA and Iran, and up until the recent events with aid ships, has been a close supporter of Israel while being a nation that is 99% Muslim.

So here are another two (more recent) quotes from some less famous Turks that have stuck in my head:

“We Turks, we LOVE Kiwis and Aussies” - Close friend of Hayden, our local Istanbul Kiwi.

Turkey is an Islamic country, but we have no issue with Jews, or any religion. We have no problem with an Israeli state. We are angry because the country of Israel attacked and killed our civilians” - Driver of a carpet van who picked us up off the side of a country road and gave us a ride back to the village where we were staying.

The Turks that we have met are unbelievably patriotic under their nation‘s flag, yet retain an individual identity (family, religious, ethnic, regional, and more) just as strong, all the while tempering it with a rational tolerance for others. This has been one of the best things about Turkey for me, and continues what is becoming a theme of the trip so far - breaking the negative, one dimensional stereotypes and interpretations offered by news and media, and finding that the world isn’t nearly as scary as it’s made out to be.

Monday, June 7, 2010

From Asia to Europe, and back again




We have been told that Istanbul is the only city in the world which spans two continents(Europe and Asia), and though Brad and I weren’t so sure of this “fact”, we were very sure that we had landed somewhere entirely different to Iran. Arriving at our hostel in the Old Town was like arriving in the middle of a rock concert, except that the draw card of music had been replaced by tourism. Edging our way through thick, sweaty crowds of middle aged white people with large cameras resting against even larger bellies, it was dawning that the tour buses lining the streets were to be a daily reminder of how lucky we had been in Iran.

It took a few days to become accustomed to the ever-present throngs of tourists, and this week allowed us to cover such must-sees as the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace (now a museum), the Grand Bazaar, and plenty more, but personal highlights were:
  • Sitting on the ruins of a cliff top Roman Fort at the Black Sea entrance to the Bosphorous Strait, watching the ships roll on through. Well away from the hustle of the city, we could see all the tankers waiting to pass through the only route out to the rest of the world, and realised how important diplomacy must be in this part of the world - Turkey has control over the main trade route with the world for 6 other countries. No wonder people have been fighting here for thousands of years.
  • While searching for the spice market, we discovered a little Turkish sweets store which was filled floor to ceiling with various lollies, chocolates, puddings, cakes, and of course, Turkish delight. What made it different to any other sweet store was that it was run by a kind old man and his posse of nice young ladies, who all took delight in handing out more tasters and samples than we could keep up with, with no obligation to buy. But of course we did buy. A very dangerous place.
  • Catching the ferry to the Asian Quarter and wandering the quaint little cobbled streets and alleys in search of a good quality backgammon board from an honest shopkeeper (who only started his price at 15% higher than the true price, rather than the 400% standard in the bazaar). Now I can fuel my addiction anytime I can find a willing adversary!
  • Emma flew in from NZ, her 24 hours in transit meaning that she wasn’t in the best shape when we went for a Turkish Bath that night, so she opted for the massage-only option. Brad and I proceeded to lie on a marble slab and be beaten up by a large Turkish man in a towel and moustache. Not the most relaxing experience, but definitely very atmospheric, chilling out afterwards chatting to other travellers in the centuries old bathhouse steam room.
  • Emma’s friend’s fiancĂ©e’s mate runs a tour company in Istanbul (there’s that Kiwi 3 degrees of separation rule!) and took us to an ultra cool little known rooftop bar, frequented by local arts students and film directors, where we had a few drinks and watching the sunset over the city while getting to know it from a local Kiwi‘s perspective (ultra chilled out and modest, rather than Turk-style of ultra passionate/energetic with forwardness that sometimes borders on aggressiveness). Hayden then sorted us out for the next 10 days, making sure that we see the best of Turkey at the best price - go Hayden!

After wandering the town for days we came to the conclusion that this bustling city of 15 million people, two continents, thousands of years of history, and various religions all living together under the same flag, with a patriotism that seems to overcome all other divisions, would be a great place to live - if it weren’t for all the tourists!


Next 10 days include: Gallipoli; Troy; Pergamom; Ephesus; Pammukale and Cappadocia. Basically an anti-clockwise loop down the Aegean Coast, and across central Turkey.

Next 3 months include: Turkey Mediterranean coast, Greece (Crete, Islands, Athens), Croatia(?) Italy (including 3 weeks working on an organic farm and winery on the Amalfi Coast). All suggestions and tips are welcome!)



Photo: Sipping Chay on the streets on Istanbul