Turkish Delight?

So that’s it back home after my fourth visit to Turkey! 

The important thing to get from that is that the last time of course was, we think, 15 years ago!

In some ways nothing has changed, in others everything has changed! 

Behind that there is some good old fashioned Persian logic! Don’t kid yourself that Persia doesn’t exist. It was a larger, more influential empire than Europe.

Europe is the biggest part of the problem now though. Geographically Turkey is on the brink of Europe, the political and corporate side is headed way down the highway towards the European Union because economically, to them, it makes sense. The people however have no interest whatsoever in being anything other than Turkish.

So let’s think again – 75 million people, 97% Muslim in 300,000 square miles with borders to Asian, European and Middle Eastern countries. That’s a seriously big country with border problems, although less than ever do still exist between both Cyprus and Greece, both in the European Union and in Kurdish territory between itself and Iraq. Human rights issues are prevalent and many other issues with regard to employment, trading  and equality seriously need sorting before Turkey joins any serious ‘Western’ union!

Non of that is said to make any political comment, purely to bring the country up to date in both my own and maybe your minds!!

So 15 years ago Turkey was in many respects a third world country. How ridiculous to ask my son whether there were plenty of both internet cafes or cash machines!!

My memories of my three previous visits in the late nineties were of one or two cash machines in the whole time we were there and only ever a less than 50% chance of them working and as for the internet, yes laugh away!!                        

                 

So what we have now is more ATMs in one place than I have ever seen before and a full on Wi Fi war! Though to be fair Fast Internet has become a bit of a Turkish oxymoron!

Still 15 years ago you were a Lire millionaire with less than £5, the Dolmus’s were cheap and always full and McDonald’s had only just arrived. 

The bottom right I'm lovin' it is Turkish but it's a very strange translation!!

Nothing’s changed, no really, ok they’ve knocked a few 000’s off the currency, Burger King and Subway have joined loads of fast food branches of various descriptions and as for the Dolmus service it is still incredibly cheap and lip service has been paid to both the regulation, what and how many can be carried and the age of the actual vehicles there is no escaping the fact that Dolmus is (still!) Turkish for ‘stuffed’ and that is invariably what they are – with people, animals and locals and touristy things!

Remember Dad it's the pink dolmus - who could forget or miss it?

Yes there has been huge expansions in the tourist areas, making them more commercial than ever, the supermarkets are more prolific, the bazaar more keenly competitive. The excursions are just as tacky and oversold. English is still the chosen language to establish where you are actually are from, you are still for the most part approached at every opportunity to go and spend your Turkish Lire in their establishment. They still accept $’s and £’S at extortionate rates of exchange for almost everything, haggling is alive and well. The poor are still poor, the rich are still rich and the locals are more or less the same as they always have been.

No change at all in the ‘funny’ signs – made all the funnier by either grammar or spelling.

But here is the thing…… I have changed! As a single traveler look at the advantages I have!             

Nobody wants a single ‘old fart’ in their beach restaurants or their late bars/night clubs so I can walk past and observe without being hassled. I have no one to protect, no partner to look out for in this ‘male heavy’ environment. I can walk through the bazaar without offers to swap my ‘woman’ for a camel or two. I have no children to take care of and protect from adult orientated humour or inappropriate behavior.  Neither do I have to explain some of the nuances of a multi cultural society to any other person, young or old.

This time too, it has to be said, some other big advantages.

The main reason for my visit was to see my son and his girlfriend, Matt and Sarah, yeah click the link, perform at a highly prestigious, all inclusive well known venue,for a major tour operator, a distance from the town of Marmaris.  I’ll leave you to work out the advantages of having a son that looks more Turkish than most Mustaffas and works and lives successfully in the community that they all coexist!! Plus how superb is it when the mystery password for all the all inclusive benefits is “I’m Matt’s Dad!!”