Turkey Tales
Not quite 'fifth month update' but thought I'll give you all a short update on my trip to Turkey while I can.
Highlights
Turkish wedding!
Of course the main highlight and purpose of this trip was attending Mustafa and Burcu's beautiful wedding ceremonies. We attended the first Henna night ceremony in Antalya and the second main ceremony in Istanbul. What an experience! So much dancing, laughter, respect and love at the ceremonies. Their families were so friendly, warm and hospitable! They truly put the extra mile in making us feel welcome there. See photos for what went on :) Congratulations once again to Muss and Burcu! :)
Gallipoli
How can I go to Turkey and not go to Gallipoli? Although it was strange to go on a day trip to Gallipoli (which involved 12 hours on the bus that day return) it was definitely a trip well worth going. All the years in NZ commemorating ANZAC and everything does not compare to actually being there, seeing the places where the ANZAC troops were supposed to land, where they landed by mistake (or not), where they were trying to go, the trenches they dug… and all at such a breathtaking landscape. It was beautiful out there, I read somewhere that one of the soldier felt like they were at Takapuna beach there.
I also have to admit that I never thought too much about the Turkish side of the war before… they have lost such great men as well. Such sheer waste of lives (half a million) from both sides, all for nothing. The Turkish and ANZAC trenches were only 8 to 10 metres away from each other. During the nights, they shared supplies, throwing cigarettes, food rations across No-Man's-Land (road which separated the trenches) and also appreciated the other sides' songs and concerts at night. Then it's back to fighting and killing each other during the day. The ANZAC and Turks had a real respect for each other actually and if it's one thing the war did was to create some sort of a bond between the nations.
People
A note about the locals… I remember Edmund's emails about being a kiwi-asian in Turkey. Everyday I got asked where I'm from and when I say NZ, not once did they just accept that it's NZ and not some Asian country.
You also have to be pretty street smart – I love the story when we were walking along the streets and decided to take a group photo somewhere. This guy near us selling souvenirs placed a Turkish hat on me from his stall, and after the photo, demanded USD$20 for wearing the hat! Like whatever!
Anyway, have a look at my photos with captions for more insight into Turkey – it's definitely a country you must visit!!! It's gorgeous and culturally captivating. It was so fun traveling around with Adi, Giedre, Virgis and HD – weddings are great for reunions ;)
Whiter
Turkey Tales
Antalya and Istanbul -
Jul 11, 2007by Whiter
View Album
If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser:http://picasaweb.google.com.tw/whiter.tang/TurkeyTales?authkey=f40_xWkvph8
Highlights
Turkish wedding!
Of course the main highlight and purpose of this trip was attending Mustafa and Burcu's beautiful wedding ceremonies. We attended the first Henna night ceremony in Antalya and the second main ceremony in Istanbul. What an experience! So much dancing, laughter, respect and love at the ceremonies. Their families were so friendly, warm and hospitable! They truly put the extra mile in making us feel welcome there. See photos for what went on :) Congratulations once again to Muss and Burcu! :)
Gallipoli
How can I go to Turkey and not go to Gallipoli? Although it was strange to go on a day trip to Gallipoli (which involved 12 hours on the bus that day return) it was definitely a trip well worth going. All the years in NZ commemorating ANZAC and everything does not compare to actually being there, seeing the places where the ANZAC troops were supposed to land, where they landed by mistake (or not), where they were trying to go, the trenches they dug… and all at such a breathtaking landscape. It was beautiful out there, I read somewhere that one of the soldier felt like they were at Takapuna beach there.
I also have to admit that I never thought too much about the Turkish side of the war before… they have lost such great men as well. Such sheer waste of lives (half a million) from both sides, all for nothing. The Turkish and ANZAC trenches were only 8 to 10 metres away from each other. During the nights, they shared supplies, throwing cigarettes, food rations across No-Man's-Land (road which separated the trenches) and also appreciated the other sides' songs and concerts at night. Then it's back to fighting and killing each other during the day. The ANZAC and Turks had a real respect for each other actually and if it's one thing the war did was to create some sort of a bond between the nations.
People
A note about the locals… I remember Edmund's emails about being a kiwi-asian in Turkey. Everyday I got asked where I'm from and when I say NZ, not once did they just accept that it's NZ and not some Asian country.
You also have to be pretty street smart – I love the story when we were walking along the streets and decided to take a group photo somewhere. This guy near us selling souvenirs placed a Turkish hat on me from his stall, and after the photo, demanded USD$20 for wearing the hat! Like whatever!
Anyway, have a look at my photos with captions for more insight into Turkey – it's definitely a country you must visit!!! It's gorgeous and culturally captivating. It was so fun traveling around with Adi, Giedre, Virgis and HD – weddings are great for reunions ;)
Whiter
Turkey Tales
Antalya and Istanbul -
Jul 11, 2007by Whiter
View Album
If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser:http://picasaweb.google.com.tw/whiter.tang/TurkeyTales?authkey=f40_xWkvph8
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