Dangling Earrings and AK-47s: Stray American in Iraq - The Buses - The Muslim culture via riding on in (entry 14)
This entry was posted on 10/21/2008 9:23 PM and is filed under Dangling Earrings - AK-47s.
The Buses - The Muslim culture via riding on in
It became apparent almost immediately that Turkey is a culture of Buses. There are municipal buses, private buses, regional buses, local buses, and corporate buses. It was time for me to move on if I was going to get this project on the road. I had no experience in the Muslim world. I had been in the Buddhist culture of Viet Nam and Laos three times. But I did not have a clue about the anything Islam. The buses it dawned on me, might be a good way to attach myself to the Muslim culture. Rather than flying the 500 miles to the Iraq border, I would take ten days and ride there on buses. Hopefully, I could stay along the way a few days at a time.
I moved the two hundred miles or so east from Ankara to a town called Kayseri. In my state of disorientation, I misread my map and stopped by mistake in Kirserhir, a small agricultural berg - an island of green - in the middle of a barren, hilly, wilderness. There is a neat little town square like in some Anthony Quinn movie. By the time I realized my mistake my bus was gone. Being so far in the middle of no where, no one spoke any English what so ever. The ticket girl in the bus office kept giggling. The bus master kept saying, "Robert, Robert, Robert..." over and over - apparently the only English he could summon.
The next bus finally came and I moved on to Kayseri. The bus broke down on the edge of town and limped into the bus shop for repair. The mechanics made much theater of our arrival with shouting and gnashing of teeth. A small bus took me to my humble hotel. There I had some great beef and rice across the street in a café. The city has an imposing citadel. There is a café near by called Hollywood. The Internet desk girl wore head wear, but the older Internet in-charge dude had long hair, wore his shirt with the top four buttons undone like some 1970s disco dude. He was a bit too retro cool for his own good. The contradictions in this Muslim county are stunning to a Westerner.
I sent this email dispatch off to my list:
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Hello Everyone:
I have moved 200 hundred miles east to Kayseri, Turkey. Note to self: read the names carefully. Today the bus dropped me off in Kirsehir. Thankfully my fate fairies where not out to lunch and the two similarly spelled citıes are on the same side of Turkey. In fact, they are on the same road east. My screw up. After some gnashing of teeth and swearing by the bus master I was back on my way on another bus. Poetically it broke down just outside of Kayseri and driver limped it to the shop where yet another bus was summoned to finish the journey.
Their buses here have attendants like flight attendants of sort. They spray you with cologne, keep your glass full of water, and serve hot tea. This country of Turkey is a culture of buses as Vietnam is to a culture of scooters. Every town has a layer of bus terminals, with a big flagship ''Otogar'' in the main position. These big bus stations are modern and surprisingly efficient.
There is an Autobahn type road going east so far. Here in America we would probable call it a rough-around-the-edges two-lane highway. The trip this far crosses a vast hilly plain. The mountains are often in the distance.
As of yet I have seen not one street sign in the towns. It certainly keeps me lost.
I notice you are given a spay of cologne here after things like a meal and entering a cross country bus. If nothing else I will come home smelling nice.
One last note is that I am frequently asked if I speak German as opposed to English. It seems to be their back-up language of choice. I notice also there is often a German station on television. I speak a little German so I can at least order breakfast. There is some old connection between the Turks and the Germans I believe going all the way back to the Ottoman Empire and World War I. They lost that war by the way and that is how the world got all the weird boarders over here in the Middle East. The victors cut up the Ottoman Empire creating countries like Iraq. History buffs are free to tweak my rough history recollections.
This town is a consummate example of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East colliding. The Internet café girl-attendant is wearing a head cover. The dude next to me is playing Grand Theft Auto, the call to prayer is sounding outside, and pop music is playing in here.
Must go for now and screw my head back on.
Later,
Bob Keith
