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Postcards from:
Las Vegas, Nevada USA
Istanbul Turkey
Cappadocia Turkey
Urfa Turkey
UrfaPhotos
Mardin Turkey
MardinPhotos
Erbil Iraq
Erbil
photos
Fethiye Turkey
Fethiye
photos
Aydin Turkey
Aydin
photos
Istanbul Turkey
After
Kurdistan trip
Las Vegas, Nevada USA
Fethiye - I liked the colors and arrangement of this artistic pile of
fishing nets drying in the sun on a dock along the harbor walk.
Fethiye - Alan is a young man I met on the 20 hour bus ride from Urfa to
Fethiye who eagerly shared his views on politics and sought my ideas about
world religions.
Fethiye - He is a 23 year old Syrian refugee. He considers himself Kirdish
first and Syrian by birth. He is nominally Muslim, but does not practice the
faith, except under duress. Not all Syrian refugees are pathetic women in
shawls clutching a mob of grubby wide eyed children!
Fethiye - Alan studies civil engineering and enjoys writing philosophical
poetry, some of which he shared with me. Obviously a very bright young
man, he saw the trouble coming and decided to get out while he could. Since
leaving his home in Syria he has supported himself by working in restaurants
and hotels as best he could... something I too did at a somewhat younger
age.
Fethiye - Alan speaks Kurdish, Turkish, Arabic and English... and enjoys
playing with the tiny ones on our bus. "Why so many pictures?" he asked. I
pointed out most would be unusable and discarded; his weren't.
Fethiye - In a remarkably cheerful mood for his circumstances, he is fleeing
the political trouble in his country with his half sister who travels under
his protection as required by Islamic law.
Fethiye - Alan is fleeing the trouble in his country and possibly a call to
military service by the government everyone fears. I guess that makes him a
"draft dodger," using the American term for anyone trying to avoid military
conscription. Who can blame him?
Fethiye - Alan says he would like to be out of the country and unavailable
for a possibly a call to military service by the government everyone fears.
It makes me wonder about the guys who didn't get out and are now forced to
risk their lives to support the Assad regime.
Fethiye - Blue and white mooring ropes mingle in the embrace with a rusty
ring.
Fethiye - Menu for the Pasamzade Cafe near the Mara Hotel where I enjoyed
pede and ice-cream.
Fethiye - This huge plaza near the Mara Hotel is bordered by the harbor
walkway with resting benches like this one.
Fethiye - Walking around the bay I saw many clusters of boats moored
together like these.
Fethiye - Walking around the bay to the West of the Alesta Yacht Hotel I
enjoyed a never ending series of nautical scenes like this one.
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  11
January 2013
Greetings from
Fethiye Turkey,
This
is my second visit to this seaside town with its huge yacht harbor and
year around holiday spirit that so much reminds me of my old home town
of Santa Barbara, California. The earlier trip back in 2001 allowed me
to write about experiences which on
re-reading prompted this return... excerpted from the main postcard
page. Don't miss all the photos there.
FB
PS: After
lamenting the collective ignorance of our electorate who already "know
it all" and have no need to actually look at evidence, I referenced a new book discovered by Entera in the
Postcard from
Mardin Turkey, "An
excellent examination of the problem appeared in a
book
by Esquire columnist
Charles P. Pierce entitled:
'Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the
Free'
If you are not worried about the state of our union now,
consider the evidence he presents, nicely summarized in this
foreword to his book."
Later, I received the following from this same very wise and well
informed friend:
"I
really should stop reading/listening to our current US news
coverage.
First there is the "debate" format of nearly EVERYTHING it
pedals. If someone says that the airfoil on modern airplanes
is what allows them to fly, that must be debated by someone
on the other side who believes that fairies keep planes from
falling out of the sky. No matter how utterly stupid the
other sides' argument is, it is given equal weight, and the
viewer/reader gets to decide which is real. How utterly
ridiculous.
The other thing is framing almost everything as a
belief, or opinion, and beliefs and opinions = reality.
"Do you believe in manmade global climate change?" That
implies you get to choose your own reality, and that If
someone doesn't believe in something, it will just go
away. It's kind of like if a bear is charging you, and
you close your eyes, it will go away. Does that mean
because you can no longer see it, that it is no longer
going to attack you?
Why aren't these poll takers asking people; "Is fire
hot?" If people can choose not to believe in climate
change or evolution, and that opinion holds some value,
why not turn the American public's wisdom loose on the
science of fire. That way public opinion could cool
flames to the point you will get frostbite should you
stick your hand in a pottery kiln.
Hell, we could solve our energy problem just by getting
people to believe you can run your car on human urine.
Get the Koch brothers to fund some "research" to
manufacture public opinion so that the majority of
people think that urine is the same as gas. Then they
can just empty their bladders into the tank every
morning, and drive their cars to work on their kidney
processed morning coffee. Energy crisis solved! Damn,
that was even easier than "Drill baby drill!"
Also this ridiculousness of the idea that belief/opinion
= reality, gives politicians unwarranted legitimacy when
they say "I believe" then follow that with total
bullshit. Who the hell should give a gnat's crap what a
politician believes? They should be required to provide
PROOF that what they say is true, instead of being
allowed to get away with outright lying under the guise
of some strongly held belief, that flies in the very
face of reality itself.
Okay, thank you for letting me let off steam. Entéra"
Fethiye - Entrance
to the Hotel Mara. Twelve years ago I marveled at the great value I'd
found; there were few competitors back then. Even in March a lively
crowd of guests made the lobby an entertaining place to spend the
evening. Today in mid-January I am among the few hardy souls traveling
in this part of the world who have paused for a rest in the Mara. With
so few travelers and so many hotels, visitors have a large choice of
excellent value lodges from which to choose. The Mara is no longer that
great a value as will become obvious when I describe what else I've
found.
Fethiye - Hotel Mara
in the old town where I stayed 12 years ago. The aging hotel has been
recently renovated so the rooms are like new and quite nicely laid out.
Twelve years ago I paid $18 for a room; today the rate is $33-$44, still
a bargain by world standards, but no longer the best deal in town. Today
there are now much better values down near the harbor area including a
couple 4star deluxe houses for $55. Fethiye is a delightful holiday
destination comparable to Santa Barbara, but at bargain prices.
Fethiye - A fisherman caught this octopus off the harbor wall as I
approached and then quickly dispatched it as it attempted to crawl away.
Fethiye - Anti-sunburn boat sits ready to meet the sun head on.
Fethiye - Boat in the bay sits quietly deserted not far from the harbor
wall.
Fethiye - During my walk around the bay to the West of the Alesta Yacht
Hotel I saw several dry docks and a large number of yachts at anchor in
the shallow water.
Fethiye - Metal ring anchored to concrete wall with taut mooring ropes.
Fethiye - X marks the spot where mooring lines cross along the harbor wall.
Fethiye - Walking around the bay to the West of the Alesta Yacht Hotel I
enjoyed a never ending series of nautical scenes.
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Fethiye - Another view
of one of the cross streets near the Hotel Mara. The old part of town is
located in a compact 4X4 block area and is a delight to walk... as so many
locals do each morning. I felt like I had found walking group home away from
home.
Fethiye - Another view
of the Hotel Mara. Recently renovated, the hotel is being maintained in good
condition. With so few guests this time of year, service has suffered and
the included breakfast is assembled for each guest assuming all will be
thrilled with the usual Turkish fare of olives, cheeses, a couple small
baloney slices, halvah, tomatoes, cucumber, bread and spreads plus tea or
powdered coffee. Not being Turkish it didn't thrill me!
Fethiye 2001: This is
the picture I took twelve years ago; it hasn't changed much on the outside,
except for adding an "H" in front of "otel." "A
three star house: they had first class accommodations. The cost? 18 dollars
per night."
is how I described it
back then.
Fethiye - Another view of Hotel Mara room furnishings; all white, simple but
functional.
Fethiye - Hotel Mara bathroom sink, shallow, but functional.
Fethiye - Hotel Mara lobby furniture, simple but functional.
Fethiye - Hotel Mara lobby furniture.
Fethiye - Hotel Mara room furnishings; all white, simple but functional,.
Fethiye - Hotel Mara room mini-bar, all white furnishings.
Fethiye - Hotel Mara set breakfast; no eggs, but sliced bread in a basket
off to the side. That black blob is a chocolate spread.
Fethiye - A small portion of a dry dock to the West of the Alesta Yacht
Hotel.
Fethiye - Another shot of boats in a dry dock to the West of the Alesta
Yacht Hotel.
Fethiye - As I approached this parked station wagon it seemed to be
unoccupied until I got closer when two heads popped up in the back windows
and then disappeared again as I hurried on.
Fethiye - Looking the other direction down the harbor walkway with resting
benches stationed every few meters.
Fethiye - Row, row, row your boat in the gentle bay. Oars, sails and petrol
power water craft.
Fethiye - Still in the dry dock to the west of the hotel I spotted this
large screw, one of two on a large ship being refitted.
Fethiye - This portion of the harbor walkway with resting benches like this
one runs alongside the large plaza.
Fethiye - Walking around the bay I stopped to record this rural scene where
within the space of a single minute I heard a dog bark, a rooster crow and a
goose honk!
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