It's been a very productive year here in Dusty Kibaya. We’ve been as busy as a couple of long tailed cats in a room full of rocking chairs teaching English and educational methodology while reading our Kindles and working our way through all seven seasons of The West Wing . In development speak we have been building sustainable capacity, protecting the planet, activating self-esteem and promoting community fair trade.
After so much hard work Debra deserved to be put on a pedestal
So after all of this toil we had the chance to vacation in Turkey or what Nicholas I, the Tzar of Russia, called The Sick Man of Europe. Well, this is one recovered Sick Man. Turkey modernized its economy in the early eighties and again in the nineties and is now open for business. Like the Chinese and the Indians they have discovered that this capitalism stuff really works. Tanzania could certainly take a leaf out of the Turkish book.
Turkey of the 2000s is a far cry from the old Hippy-Trail-Turkey of the 1970s when the Magic Bus plied its way from Fat City Hostel in Amsterdam to Istanbul filled with a wild assortment of tie dyed Freaks madly searching for the meaning of life or the next Summer of Love, whichever came first.
Not only is the modern Turkey prosperous but it’s a history buff's version of heaven.
In Istanbul we were arm pit's deep in Byzantine and Ottoman history. We hit all the highlights. We shopped in the Grand Bazaar and drank countless glasses of tea while playing backgammon and smoking the nargileh in the cafes of Sultanahmet. The Aya Sofya is most impressive. It started life as a church, became a mosque and is now a museum. How could something built 1,500 years ago be in such good shape?
A ferry boat took us across the Sea of Marmara to Gallipoli, site of the World War I battle. There, in 1915, the Newfoundland Regiment got it's baptism of fire alongside the Australians and New Zealanders. It was a horribly flawed attempt to capture the Dardanelles, support Russia via the Black Sea and knock Turkey out of the war. My great-uncle Frank was part of the Gallipoli campaign.
Intercity buses in Turkey are air-conditioned, safe, clean and efficient. We rode one of them from Gallipoli to Ephesus. This site is one of the best-preserved classical cities in the eastern Mediterranean, if not all of Europe. One day was spent walking around these ruins getting a feel for what life was like in Roman times.
There are thermal baths at the ancient spa town of Pammukale. We soaked in the waters while sitting on submerged ancient marble columns. We walked up and down the bleached-white calcite terraces, bathing in the 36 degree waters as we went. This place is magical.
If I keep this up readers will think I am a Turkey tout. But I have to mention Cappadocia. Caves, Byzantine churches, underground caverns and the spectacular fairy chimneys abound. This place looks like the perfect home for Hobbits.
Fairy Chimney at Cappadocia
My advice to young teachers of English is simple. Grab a handful of chalk, get over there, pick up a job and start teaching. Turkey most certainly works.
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