16th March: Istanbul, Turkey
(WARNING: this might be a bit of a sombre entry to my blog – but I’m glad … it means life’s calmed down a bit from my last entry!!)
I’ve been in Istanbul for 8 nights now and continue to love this place.
They say when buying property it’s ALL about LOCATION!! LOCATION!! LOCATION!!
I’ve realised that when staying in a hotel for an extended period of time, LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION is not a bad criterion as well. But when considering property purchases and hotel accommodation in the right LOCATION there comes the demand of CA$H!! CA$H!! CA$H!! You generally have to pay dearly for what you want – yes?
Well, the little boutique-type Radisson Blu Hotel that we (the South African Laundry Management Team) had been booked into on the Bosphorus (sea-front) on the European side of Istanbul was just perfect. Ok, so the traffic noise wasn’t that desirable. And the fact that my window was leaking on the first morning when I woke up meant that I was moved to a better room with a MUCH better view. But on the whole the situation and location of the 40-or-so room hotel was just idyllic.
We happened to arrive in Istanbul in what has turned out to be the coldest week of the winter. So by the late morning of the Tuesday (day after our arrival) it had begun to snow in the City for the first time this season. Needless to say us Africans were like kids. And our conference venue – a glass walled facility on the top of the hotel with 180° views of the Bosphorus and passing ships / boats was just stunning. So I was happy to make that venue “home” for 7 nights. By the weekend the weather had turned into something near spectacularly perfect (can you sense my awe and enthusiasm here??). We had cloudless, windless days of between 14 and 17°C. Who would have said that earlier in the week we were facing mild snow storms. So much so that the rest of the Turkish Unilever R&D Team who happened to have all been away at a conference at a nearby (2hrs away) ski resort (YES, they were intending to work) were snowed in and weren’t allowed or able to leave the hotel for 48hrs because of the storm intensity and depth of snow that exceeded 1.5m in most places. So whilst 95 of our R&D colleagues were holed up in some resort 2hrs away we made the most of our Laundry conference in Istanbul which was a good experience and very valuable i.t.o. face-to-face meetings and getting to know the cultural and working differences / challenges that face our Turkish / South African interactions when we try to work together and land projects.
Fortunately our colleagues were able to finally bus out of their snow prison in the nearby mountains on Thursday afternoon and resume work in the safety of the office from Friday. By Friday afternoon those from the SA contingent that hadn’t returned home on the Thursday night (only 3 of us) were left to our devices for the weekend. I don’t have too much to write about or report on; not after the “comedy of mishaps” that I reported in my previous blog writings. But here are some of the observations I made whilst being a tourist in this entrancing city over the weekend:
· As I snuck out of a meeting on Friday afternoon to start my weekend R&R time I couldn’t help but suppress a giggle at a guy who was in the meeting with us that let out such an almighty sneeze that he nearly blew himself off his chair and landed against the glass wall of the meeting room. I was both impressed and astounded at his ability to regain his composure whilst I nearly lost mine! Oh where was my camera to try to capture a moment?!
· This city appears to be littered with stray shaggy dogs. I am conscious of how many large, long-haired dogs I’ve seen during my stay here just wandering the streets and even curling up and sleeping in the melting snow. It’s a strange phenomenon in this environment and somehow seems a-miss.
· My friend Sadi and his twin (identical!) brother, Javer, were incredibly generous and gracious on Saturday taking Annelize, Thobile and I to the Old City (the original Constantinople) to do the regular sight-seeing “thing” that they’ve done innumerable times before. We visited the Aya Sophya, previously constructed as a Christian place of worship in the mid 500’s AD then later turned into a mosque, which was quite extraordinary. We visited the ancient water cistern. We were inflicted by some minor shopping damage in the Grand Bazaar (and thanks to Sadi, who is a master-negotiator and seems to have a warmly familiar relationship with most people we bumped into, we managed to get a few Lira lobbed off our costs). Enjoyed sipping apple tea at some key stops during our shopping escapade. Mde a bee-line past the Blue Mosque on our way to locate Sadi’s car in the evening before dashing back through the manic Istanbul grid-locked streets to get to the hotel with 10 minutes to spare before Annelize & Thobile’s airport transfer arrived to whisk them off to catch their flight home to SA later that night. And so I was suddenly left alone. Relief. And a strange emptiness.
· But … I loved walking around own my own on Sunday afternoon – enjoying some “me” time after Annelize and Thobile had left me on Saturday night and returned to South Africa – and seeing how life happens in Istanbul on a Sunday.
o Hordes of people catching ferries across the Bosphorus (1.75TL per trip = 8ZAR) going about their Sunday lives.
o 2 men –alongside MANY other fishermen – fishing in their suits as if they’d got sidetracked and forgotten to go to work.
o A grandfather and his grandson just parking off on a park bench alongside the Bosphorus eating the local “pretzels” (I don’t know their Turkish name).
o People target shooting with air guns at strings of balloons floating in the Bosphorus. And here I thought the balloons were just a splash of colour on display at random locations along the waterfront … until I realised I was potentially in the line of fire whilst attempting to take some creative photos!!
o Groups of friends lazing on Turkish carpets on cement terraces overlooking the Bosphorus and the European side of the city whilst drawing on their “hubbly bubblys” and being served tea by runners from the local café.
o Couples sitting at tables next to the Bosphorus playing Backgammon – and most popular past time here in Turkey.
o A ceramic pot Seller pushing a trolley full of ceramic pots in the mayhem of passing traffic trying to find a suitable “parking place”.
· These were just some of the unusual sightings and photos I took during my 3hr ferry ride and walk between my hotel and back on Sunday afternoon. It was a visual and experiential “feast”. And it was made that much sweeter by the spectacular weather that I was so undeservingly spoilt with.
On Monday, after the attempted rest and recovery of the weekend had set in, I relocated to Asian side of Istanbul and to my new hotel where I normally stay. Although it’s more spacious and the facilities are a little better, the LOCATION is NOWHERE near as nice and the costs are exorbitant. But we swallow hard and commit it to “business”.
My week back in the office has been very busy. I’ve just enjoyed a great Turkish dinner with Mehmet who reports through to me in Durban but sits here in Istanbul. I’ve now over-eaten.
Tomorrow I am running trials at the powders factory for a short while.
On Thursday I fly with another colleague to Izmir to visit a Supplier. I was hoping that this visit could happen on Friday so that I could spend the night at this apparently picturesque and popular coastal city, but alas it hasn’t worked out that way. But I have stretched the day and will only fly back to Istanbul at midnight on Thursday night before spending Friday in the office wrapping up some Team work there.
Since there are no return flights to SA on a Friday night I am forced to stay over till Saturday night. So I foresee myself having to enure (ha, ha) another Saturday in this crazy-amazing place.
And then it’s HOME again on by Sunday afternoon when I have to face the reality of a non-functional car and repairs. Oh joy. Reality with a bump.
So what have I learnt during this past month of travel?
It’s NO fun being sick in a foreign country when you’re expected to lead a physically demanding piece of work and deliver on a project (Algeria).
It’s NO fun nearly missing your departing flights from a tenuous politically unstable Region (Algeria / Maghreb).
It’s NO fun breaking down in your car with a mate’s 7 month pregnant wife and 18month old son in rural kwa Zulu-Natal and having the AA tell you that they can’t locate you on the map!!
It’s NO fun racing back to Durban on a HOT Sunday with no electrical reliability in your tiring car and hoping, for 2hrs whilst trying not to break the speed limit, that your vehicle won’t come to a grinding halt … again … and hoping to make it home in time to catch a connecting flight to somewhere else!
It’s NO fun busting your butt to make it to the airport, to take off on a long haul flight, and then to have to return to your destination after 2hrs of dumping fuel over Pretoria on some poor unsuspecting farmer’s maize field only to have to delay your departure by 17hrs for various other legal and technical reasons.
It IS fun finally LEAVING Algeria!!
It IS great fun being in my favourite place in the Berg with my mates, making turning 40 tolerable!
It IS fun travelling overseas for Business with good business colleagues / mates!
It IS fun being in a new city with a rich culture and having some time to ENJOY it!
I guess aspects of life are bitter-sweet. And sometimes the “bitter” makes the “sweet” that much sweeter!
Ah, two other things I have just been reminded of that I should capture for my future recollection.
Firstly, FOOD and EATING here in Turkey remains a highlight and experience in itself. We were hosted by a colleague for take away supper at her home last week which was fun. It’s always nice getting to see friends in their home.
And then last night I was taken to a well-known Istanbul restaurant chain called “Deweli” where I had a sampling smorgasbord of different Turkish food types, ranging from raw beef mince rolled with herbs that you put in a lettuce leaf and each as-is (I think that may have been the culprit for my super runny tummy this morning?? Go figure!!) to yoghurt blended with egg plant and herbs on light seeded shwarmas (?) to pistachio kebaps (oh my goodness!!), Gavurdag salata, Tandir, Adana kebap, … and a sweet dessert layered with cheese – what a winner. Although I don’t think I could eat like this every day lest I become a rival to the Michelin Man!
Secondly, I am reminded and amazed by the Japan earthquake & tsunami devastation that has taken place since Friday’s disaster. Only a few short weeks ago I commented in a previous blog entry about the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. The world surely is shifting in more ways than one.
Finally, I should comment on the fact that amidst the chaos of our 95 R&D colleagues that got stuck in the snow last week, some of them had gone to the ski spot to enjoy its amenities on the weekend before. In a freak succession of events 3 team members from the same (packaging) team all damaged themselves. One girl fell and broke her arm on the Saturday. At the same time one of the guys slipped, bumped his head and suffered some memory loss for a few hours! The next day another girl from the same team also had a slip (I think) and came away only to discover a day or so later that she’d cracked her wrist. Things happen in threes? Well, I don’t know about that but the semi-superstitious Turks might believe it. Needless to say this Team’s Manager is a little anxious about his well-being and wonders whether it’s a matter of time before he is in the line of fire.
Find an opportunity to put Istanbul (or Turkey) on your “must visit” list. It’s just amazing!!
Made that much richer by some amazing (work) friends that I have here. Hurrah for work!! (gotta find the bright side of it somehow, eh?)
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