A Month in Review

 

It’s been a pretty zoom-y and eventful month, month plus, since last I wrote, so I’ll just tell you about a couple of the highlights!

Dumpling Party! You read it right, I attended a dumpling party put on by a couchsurfing friend of mine here in DC. There were probably forty or more people in the English basement style apartment, with maybe half that having brought dumplings of various kinds, mostly home made! It was a great party where I knew just a two or three people, but met so many more: Lauren from France, James from California, and many many more. It was a pretty happy crew! For the occasion I had spent the day researching momo recipes. A momo is a type of dumpling I encountered in Nepal, small, delicate, usually filled with veggies or meat, often spicy and served with spicy dip. I seem to come across the reference of their being a Tibetan influence on Nepal fairly often. My favorites were the steamed kind, but they’re available fried, too. After agonizing, I finally whittled my many online finds to one site for the stuff recipe and a second site for the folding technique. Momos have a distinctive shape. To be honest, the prospect intimidated me a bit!

It turned out, however, to be easier and more fun than anticipated. The stuffing was just finely chopped or grated ingredients – cabbage, spinach, carrot, onion, etc – and a nice five-spice blend that, in my opinion, really brought back the taste I remembered. The wrappers were just wonton wrappers. And the folding was hard, but not nearly as impossible to replicate as I’d expected. I made about three dozen of them and it was quite amusing and artsy feeling to me! I steamed them in batches, put them in tupper containers, mixed up one hot and one salty-sweet dipping sauce, and off to the dumpling party I went!

On the Wednesday before the dumpling party, Kim arrived. Kim is a Canadian couchsurfer, a twenty-something traveler who is recently deaf.

Anaelle and Lauren from France stayed with me one night, and while I didn’t get to spend too much time with them, they seemed lively and quirky and fun. Lauren and Nick, a British/American couple, met while teaching English in South Korea, and are now doing a road trip across the US on $50 per day (total, not each).

A girl’s night one Saturday was a big success! DC friends met new apartment friends, my Romanian couchsurfer met a blond Muslim friend I met during an archaeological dig in Israel, and a friend from Jewish summer camp I attended when I was eleven met a girl I served with in the Air Force, in Montana. What a mixed crowd! Everyone brought food and we chowed down, sat in my living room, and chatted into the night. Sometimes it was fractured conversations, other times we were all tossing the proverbial conversation stick around on a single topic. Everyone seemed to have a good time. Success!

The dating scene has been packed, too, though nothing has made it past date number three yet.

On the political scene, I’m watching and listening with some trepidation as the shit-slinging reaches it’s usual pre-election high . A guy I met at the dumpling party introduced me to some of his friends and coworkers and there was discussion of getting together to watch the debates, although I didn’t end up doing that since the debates were so late. And in a sudden rush of civic citizenship I have learned most of my local elected leadership and written down the date and time of the next neighborhood meeting. My neighbor-friend Clare and I are going to go vote together one of these days. Very exciting!

Weekends have been filled with wandering DC and visiting friends, most recently my good friend Joe and his partner Cody. We did a driving tour around DC, Maryland and Virginia on one day; on another we went to a potluck at James’ house (guy from the dumpling party) and the farmer’s market. Another weekend my parents came to visit and check out my apartment! We went to the Library of Congress one day and to the Museum of Natural History the next. It was really nice to chat, catch up and relax with the folks.

Work continues to be challenging and I have up days and down days. I’m enjoying DC very much. The dating is fun sometimes, and there are days I feel hopeful and really enjoy meeting new people; other days I feel like it’s hopeless. It’s hard not to feel like I’m running out of time sometimes. Other days I still feel hung up on recent past relationships.

Other thoughts fluttering through my mind these days: pondering a second master’s degree, in International Development, using GI Bill benefits; wondering if I should apply to Department of Defense schools program overseas, for the school year starting in 2013 or 2014; dreaming about the Peace Corps; and questioning what it is I actually want to do with my life.

Just another day in paradise… this weekend I’m going to a Halloween party and hosting an Australian couchsurfer. Otherwise, just enjoying autumn and the strange weather.

I hope you all are well – those who still read this blog after my long silence. I will do better from here on out, promise!

--Z

Doings Around DC

It occurs to me that I generally write when feeling emotional or wishing I could do something other than what I’m already doing. So today my goal is to show you some of the fun things I’ve been doing and enjoying!

As you know, I enjoy cooking and putting together interesting little meals for myself. Having two farmer’s markets within walking distance on Saturday mornings has been very helpful to this particular hobby and I’ve learned or created some delicious things. One of the farmers told me about a new way to use pea shoots. Normally, they’re tossed into a salad to complement the other greens and add a nice extra flavor. It’s quite good this way, but if you don’t eat salads all the time, a good portion of the pea shoots can go bad before you get around to using them. Anyway, this farmer recommended I try sauté-ing the greens in just a little bit of oil. I did this, and tossed in some shitake mushrooms, and voila! A lovely, tasty dish that goes well with the cheese-and-salt plates I sometimes put together for an after-work snack.

Just two weekends ago I bought a box of tiny eggplants, and have since had fun trying them out in different ways. Although I’ve been primarily eating vegetarian, now and then I’ll toss in some animal protein, which I do my best to purchase from reliable, ecologically- and healthful-minded vendors. In the picture to the left, I’ve baked some wild-caught Alaskan salmon, sprinkled with a bit of lemon and dill; sautéd the coin-sized slices of baby eggplants; and sliced some zebra-striped green tomatoes, packing a lovely flavor. Yummy meal!

Besides cooking, I’ve been trying my best to get out and see some more of DC, whether it be restaurants or sights. In July, I attended my first ever Washington Nationals game at the Nationals Stadium here in DC. It was really spectacular, sitting in the cheap seats and seeing the Washington Monument in the background! The game itself was exciting for the first inning, but then dragged out into no-hits, no-runs for quite some time. Luckily, I was there with a couchsurfer friend and we kept ourselves amused and involved.

Last weekend, I went on a date with a guy I met online, and after lunch we decided to head downtown and check out the postal museum. Well, it turned out that what we visited was the Old Poste Office Tower, not a museum (that’s near Union Station, apparently). However, it still offered some great city views and I learned a few neat factoids: like, the Bells of Congress are kept there, not at the Congress building, and there is a society of bell-ringers who practice every week! I have to say, as dates went this one was pretty good!

More recently, I went on a full moon bicycle ride with BicycleSPACE, a DC-based bike organization. My friend James – who I also met through couchsurfing here in DC a couple years back, then met randomly during a twelve-hour layover in Brussels at a pride parade – has recently become an avid cyclist and he invited me to go with him on this city-street ride. He even loaned me his “beater bike,” which was much fun for me to ride. We whizzed through the downtown DC streets along with over a hundred other cyclists. There was even a unicyclist with us! We howled at the moon and shouted for others to join us. When asked what we were riding for, we shouted, “Happy Friday!” or “Why not?!” or “For fun!” The ride ended at a local bar, which simulated the beach with a courtyard full of sand and beach themed drinks. I’m now pondering getting myself a decent bike and joining BicycleSPACE for more events – they hold bike maintenance classes for beginners and several weekly rides with groups. I will need to invest in some padded shorts, though…

This weekend was supposed to include camping in Shenandoah National Park with my friend Sarah, but she wasn’t feeling well and so I almost didn’t go. At her encouragement, though, and the feeling of grumpiness that accompanied the thought of not going, I packed up and headed out early Saturday afternoon. As always it was a beautiful drive, though the skies were gray. I set up camp in our reserved spot and wandered around. At the camp store I bought myself two nature books to help with identifying wildflowers and trees. Food included pita, hummus, leftovers from meals made during the week and lots of fruit. I went to the 8:30pm ranger’s lecture and learned about nocturnal critters. Did you know that if you count the number of times a cricket chirps in a thirteen-second interval, and add that number to forty, it will tell you the ambient air temperature?! Craziness.

I slept well in my little tent, though it was too damp to get a fire started that night. Sunday dawned with a thin but constant drizzle; I ate some breakfast and meandered around the campground before deciding to hide in my tent and read. That was a pleasant time, listening to the rain and alternately reading and nappy, staying dry and cozy in my tent. Around noon I decided that it was a bit too wet and damp, and packed up the car to head home. Before leaving the park I went on a one-hour hike down to a waterfall, and pulled over to many outlooks to try to pierce the foggy haze to the views beyond. Once out of the park, I stopped and bought apples and honey from a roadside farmer’s stand.

So, although my feet continue to bother me and I can always seem to think of a dozen things I would like to do or should have done… I am keeping myself busy!

Sore Tootsies

It’s been a good couple of weeks and I’ve settled into a comfortable if unexciting routine here in DC. Work goes well, with challenges and fun people and interesting projects. I finally got the bill for making my military time count towards a government retirement and will start repaying that – it’ll take me about eighteen months but it’ll be worth it! I say this because it means that when I retire, if it’s after age 62, I’ll get some sort of monthly check from the government for my time served as a government employee, which will now be extended by eight years because of my military service. Depending on how long I am a government employee, that check will up in worth. And, I’ll get that check for the rest of my life. So, I feel good with that decision made (to pay for my eight years). The cost for me is 3% of whatever I earned in the military (base pay only).

Home life is good, although I have not been as active as I’d like due to my feet; they’re hurting! Stretching and icing does help some, but not enough to make the pain go away. I see the podiatrist on Monday and perhaps he’ll have some additional suggestions. In any case, I stay off my feet as much as possible, which is really tough!

Some fun things have happened over the last few weeks. For one, it was fun to see my friend Diane at her engagement party; I got to meet some of her friends and catch up with her. Also, I went up to the Berkshires and celebrated by grand-uncle’s ninetieth birthday, and so got to see and in some cases meet for the first time quite a lot of family. A week after that, my uncle came to DC and stayed with me for a few nights. We enjoyed Jazz in the Garden at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, Thai food, and good laughs and conversation. He is the first person I’ve cooked for in my new apartment!

Also, my couchsurfing hostess from Singapore, Jo, and her traveling companion stayed with me during a whirlwind visit to DC. It was fun to complete that circle of hosting one who had hosted me! Speaking of couchsurfing, I have started accepting couchsurfer requests again via the website! Next week I will host Pamela from London for a few nights, and then the following week I will host Kim from Vancouver (she’s deaf and saw that I once knew sign language) as well as Anaelle Lobry from Montreal and her friend from France. Since changing my status to “Maybe” for accepting surfers, I’ve received over a dozen requests! I’m looking forward to hosting again, returning some of that karma that made my own travels so great.

Otherwise, I’ve been spending time with friends and looking for new ones – by Sunday evening I will have been on two dates this weekend! Go me!

Coming up, camping in Shenandoah National Park with Sarah over Labor Day weekend. I’m looking forward to the onset of fall, especially since I’ll get to watch the trees change in Rock Creek Park from my window!

For now, I’m off to watch “Some Like It Hot” for the first time with some girlfriends for a chill Saturday night in!

--Z

Settling In

It’s been about five full weeks now since I moved into my new DC apartment and started my new DC job. Things are going pretty well!

The apartment is comfortable and well-placed, the residents are friendly and I haven’t encountered any real problems with my living arrangement. I’ve gone through a dozen nails and hung five pictures on the walls. The rest of my framed art is stacked in a corner awaiting storage or attempted hangings in the future. I’m set for furniture and, for the time being, appliances. There may be a new computer in my future, but that’s a purchase I’ll hold off on for awhile, most likely. As for the building’s amenities, the gym is usable if not impressive, the pool is lovely and comfortable and as I said earlier, the residents are very friendly and chatty.

On the job front, things are going along nicely. I have yet to confirm my enrollment in my chosen health care program but as I understand it, that’ll take a few more weeks. I have, however, gotten paid twice, and I can’t say that seeing the deposits in my account doesn’t make me extremely happy. The job itself is starting to solidify into specific projects and routines, which is nice. As it becomes more clear how my time will be spent and the kinds of responsibilities that will fall into my purview, I can foresee being challenged and busy – but not crazed – while at work. I’m still enjoying my hours (7:15am-3:45pm) and the ability to have a very separate work life and home life.

I’m trying to find ways to get involved with various activities and meet a variety of people. To that end I’ll be attending an event with a twist on speed dating: weeding in a community garden while meeting other weeders. It encompasses two of my desires: to get involved with a community garden and to meet some guys! It’s silly and I don’t expect much from it but fun, but that’s a good goal, right?

Also on my list is maybe joining a dance class for ballroom dancing, but timing and location are hard to coordinate. My desire to delve back into learning Spanish hasn’t quite kicked in yet… but hopefully I can start getting into some kind of routine soon. My more physical pursuits – hiking, working out, etc – are hampered by some real heel pain issues which I’ve yet to resolve. And I’ve decided to settle in to my new routine a bit more before hunting out English-teaching opportunities.

This weekend I took the train up to Massachusetts and joined my folks at a family reunion/birthday celebration, which was lots of fun. Not only did I get to visit with cousins and other family, but I got to meet ones I hadn’t previously. Also, a day on Lake Bule is always a day well spent! In any case, I’m now on the train ride back to DC.

Not an exciting update, perhaps, but I have to remind myself that it’s been only a month since I’ve “settled down” into this new phase, and I’ve got plenty of time for excitement and new experiences!

New Albums

Just a note to point you over to the right-hand side of the page, where there are now links to all of my Sri Lanka and Turkey albums from my May-June 2012 trip. Enjoy!

(Actual update coming soon.)

32 and Counting

Time for an update! Last week I turned thirty-two and for the first time I can really recall, I’m happy not to have done anything too big for the occasion. I did go out for dinner with some work friends, which was just right: a drink, good conversation, camaraderie.

Anyway, an update! I’m all moved into my apartment, missing only one critical piece of furniture (a dining table), which isn’t hampering me too much yet. Moving in was a bit stressful but with the help of many good people it all went off without a hitch. My apartment building, the Woodner, has been pretty good so far. The AC can’t quite keep up with the 100+ degree days and 3,000+ residents trying to keep cool, and my AC in particular started leaking water, but the pool here is nice and people are very friendly.

Work is going well also. It’s taking time for my information to be processed so that I’m “officially” in the system, so I can’t do all the training yet, but a co-worker is teaching me what he can and it’s great getting to see all the familiar faces at the NSOF (NOAA Satellite Operations Facility). Thus far I’m learning to put together acquisition packages for small software license or support packages, plus devising my own way of tracking expiration dates and processing status. In the next few months I’ll become a purchase card holder and be able to make small purchases for my division; plus, I’ll take over from my co-worker doing the larger acquisition paperwork as well.

For the most part, I am feeling very positive! My fear that I’d feel anchored down hasn’t manifested itself very often, and when it does I can usually remind myself that I can always move on if I decide that’s best. I’m enjoying learning my new neighborhood. This weekend included visiting farmer’s markets, swing dancing with friends and playing softball with my old intramural team.

Sometimes, however, I freak out. For instance, on moving day. As more and more boxes appeared in my living room my heart really sank. So. Much. Stuff. Too much, really! Why do I need eight stemless wineglasses? And how about the several sets of flannel sheets?! And more, and more, and more things piled up. It’s something new, this not wanting to have so much stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I like my things. It’s just that after living out of a backpack for over a year, it’s really hard for me to fathom why I would need all this crap!

Today, I bought some picture hangers on the way home from work, excited to finally adorn my walls. But after hanging just one thing – not even a picture but a small planter bulb – my heart sank to my toes and I had to stop. For some reason, hanging pictures has been the activity to make me feel like this is It. This is where I am, and will be, for the foreseeable future.

And it’s not a nice feeling today, whereas for the last two weeks it’s been fine.

It will pass, I know, because it’s still true that I can move on whenever I’d like. My general plan is to give things at least a year and see how I feel then. This will allow me to save, learn my job better, explore the area and research other opportunities. In a year, perhaps I’ll apply again for Peace Corps, or maybe DoDDS. Both will most likely take another year to get a placement, and so I will have given at least a year and a half to two years of good service to my current position before moving on, if I even decide that soon.

Oddly enough, one of the homiest things I’ve bought has given me the most pleasure: a new shower curtain, white with colorful leaves on it. Even now I smile to see it.

So, I continue to settle in and remind myself (with some help from my friends) that I don’t have to have everything figured out right this second. Meanwhile, I also continue to recover from my last trip and the heartache that resulted (also with help from some wonderful lady friends), and am trying to decide how best to move on from that. One thing I’ve taken from it is that I don’t want to be alone any more: I want to find someone to share my thoughts and experiences with! So I’m keeping my eyes open for dating opportunities.

The Earth spins once more around the sun and another year passes. My 32nd year finds me looking forward with curiosity, excitement, and apprehension.

And don’t worry: the pictures will get hung eventually!

Update & Travel Reflections

I'm sitting here in my friend Sarah's apartment in Washington, DC. She's been good enough to give me free reign of her couch until I move into my own place, which will be next Saturday.

It's been a tough week plus being back in the US. Not tough in reality, but in my head. First, trying to wrap my head around not traveling as a way of life any more; second, actively making the various decisions involved with getting ready to start a new job; and third, recovering from my travels, both the recent trip to Sri Lanka and Turkey and the entire last twenty-two months.

To start with, I'm finally getting used to the idea of living in DC. After a few days of roaming and exploring on my own, both on foot and on bike, it's starting to feel less onerous to "settle" in DC, and more exciting. To be honest, I can't yet say that I'm thrilled to be putting down in one place yet; it's too soon for that. But I'm getting used to the idea and not feeling so much dread, anyway. I've been looking around at different things to get involved in: community gardens, hiking groups, farmer's markets and so on. It's fun - and frustrating - to think about how I'd like to live, in terms of frugality of how to spend my time, money and efforts to be 'green' or at least less wasteful.

On the other hand, I still find myself moping now and then. One of the things I took from this last trip is an exact opposite from what I tried to glean from my year abroad; that is, I'm no longer trying to convince myself that being alone is fine. I don't want to be alone any more. I want to meet someone, I want to care about a person who cares about me, and start living a life together. How to do this, I'm not sure, but I do know it's something I want.

Other reflections from my travels? I find myself more motivated to be involved with helping people in some way; English lessons, perhaps, or volunteering in some fashion. I find myself judging my society and myself, knowing what others have, and have access to, as compared to us, and how little we even know we have.

Also, I want to become fluent in another language, and that language is going to be Spanish. I hope to combine Rosetta Stone with finding a local conversation group.

I want to minimize my "stuff" and my spending. And increase my walking and biking and hiking. I want to manifest my travels into a book, be it one of pictures or stories or both, not sure yet. I want to host people from Couchsurfing. And I really want to be more knowledgeable about my building, my neighborhood, my city and my country in terms of news and politics and basic history.

So, yeah, I want to open my eyes and my mind wider. That should be easy... right?!

Turkey: Cappedoccia Whirlwind

Tuesday, 12 June

So yesterday I took a shuttle to the main road and then a minivan to Antalya, and from there a bus to Goreme, which took about ten hours. I asked the hotel information center to call the place reserved for me by Alaturka, Shoestring Cave Hotel, and forty minutes later a car came and got me, toted me and my stuff the four minute drive away. It was around seven in the morning.

Goreme is a neat little town in a hot, rocky, dessert-like, barren kind of place. There are stone cones everywhere, natural formations most of them, dug out into residences, hotels, restaurants and shops. Most hotel or hostel names have the word “cave” in them somewhere. At Shoestring, I checked into the dorms, which truly felt cave-like: dark, cool and packed with beds. There were actually four adjoining caves and I picked one further back. After getting somewhat settled without waking the other dorm residents, I tramped upstairs to a higher cave for breakfast.

Later in the morning, I was picked up by a Nese Tour minivan, which already had several people inside, and off we went to see the south part of Cappedoccia – which, incidentally, has about half a dozen different spellings. The tour included seeing beautiful valleys and panoramic views of the fairy chimneys; this is what they call the tall spires and conical rock structures that even long ago served as domiciles, kitchens, churches and castles. I would like to learn a bit more about how they were formed because all our guide could say was that it’s due to ancient eruptions and lava formations. But I’ve seen other volcanic areas that don’t have such strange formations, so there must be more at work.

We also saw an underground city which was fairly incredible, with air ducts and areas for animal stalls, kitchens and yes, churches and a monastery. The tour lasted until six in the evening, including lunch. Once I was back at Shoestring, I felt the exhaustion settle in and within two hours I had gotten a nibble to eat for dinner and gone to bed. Oh, and I’d also made some plans for early the next morning…

Wednesday, 13 June

My alarm went off at 4:15am and I scrabbled to shut it off before other dorm sleepers could be disturbed. I scrabbled in the cool darkness for the stack of clothes I’d set out the night before, found my hat and sunglasses and day pack, and stumbled out the low cave doorways into the pre-dawn morning. I blinked and hemmed and hawed myself awake until about 5am, when the Urgup Balloons minivan pulled up to collect me. After making a stop to sort us into different groups (mine was the orange group), we drove quite a ways out of town, spotting the monstrous balloons being inflated in fields along the way. It was a magical kind of thing, seeing these huge contraptions in various states of being.

The sun had just risen when we were deposited near three inflating balloons and pointed to the one that was ours. There were maybe eleven of us and we all gazed around as bursts of sound came from each balloon as it was fired up. Ours was the last in our particular area to inflate, which made me happy since I could watch the entire process. When the whole thing was upright, it was time for us to clamber into the basket, which was sectioned off into five parts: a center aisle for the pilot and four corner spots for the passengers, with two or three per slot. The arrangement was quite nice because we could all see and stand along the basket’s edge.

The flight was so magically smooth, with no heaving or drops or anything to make the stomach uncomfortable. Takeoff was just a smooth, slight lifting feeling, barely noticeable. I particularly loved watching as we rose above other balloons: they’re just so massive, yet move so smoothly! Our pilot seemed particularly good, joking (“I name my balloon Titanic!” or “First flight? Yes, me too!” or “And now we clean bottom of basket with trees.”) and pointing out features of the landscape to us. We rose three kilometers into the sky at one point and could see probably a hundred balloons around and below us. He brought us low enough into a valley to talk to some hikers there and ensuring that the balloon was always rotating, but very slowly, to allow everyone a good view at all times.

The flight lasted almost exactly an hour, during which we descended into two valleys and floated across the landscape for miles. It was quiet in the air except for the whoom sound of the furnace blasts keeping our balloon full. I couldn’t quite make out how it all worked, since sometimes the pilot would fire it and we would descend, whereas sometimes we would rise without any action I could make out. Very strange! And the landscape, eerily formed cones and fairy chimneys and banded colors at every turn, just added to the oddness of it all. Toss in sunrise and the cool of the morning and altitude and it was just perfect!

The landing was as impressive as the rest of the flight: a small trailer, only inches bigger than the basket itself, was pulled by a truck into the walking path on a farm and the pilot – I swear! – landed right on it. The crew pulled on ropes and yanked it into perfect place and then we were down! It was really stunning and we all cheered before climbing out of the basket. The crew quickly set up a small table with a tip box surrounded by champagne glasses filled with sparkling cider. The pilot explained to us that it was a tradition to toast the flight, each time, and so toast we did! They handed out certificates with our names on them, declaring that we’d had a balloon flight, and then we were whisked off to our respective hotels. What a morning!

My day wasn’t over yet: after breakfast, Nese Tours came by again and picked me up for the northern part of the Cappedoccia tour. It was a different group than the day before, consisting of two Turkish men, two Australian couples and an Irish guy. We must have visited eight or nine places! The guide today was brand new and it showed. Most of his “guiding” consisted of minimal rote-memorized history and facts followed by “And now I give you ten minutes free time.” It was a bit disappointing but it was still fascinating seeing the castle made out of stone caves; fairy chimneys balancing huge rocks on top of spindly spires; ancient churches and their frescoes in the stone cliffs; a fancy lunch; and a wine tasting at the very end. I ended up chatting mostly with the Turkish guys, who were friendly and cheerful and helped me with my shopping.

It was an exhausting day, hotter than ever and with so much to take in. When I was dropped back at Shoestring, I immediately went off to town to find a bag: I’ve been buying way too much stuff, too much to fit in my pack anymore! I ended up at a little place with a kindly older gentleman in it who climbed on his work table to pull down a variety of bags for me to look at. I also nabbed a turban, a bit late perhaps but still fun to have, and seem to have made a nice impression on the guy because he pinned a little good luck charm on my shirt before sending me on my way. His prices were very fair, too, which was nice after the hiked-price souvenir shopping of the day.

I went for a swim at the Shoestring Pool (icy cold, so lovely!), showered, repacked and headed off for the bus station (“otogar” in Turkish). I’d left myself an hour so I could stow my packs somewhere and have dinner, but it turned out my bus arrived about an hour late. Never mind, I was comfortably tired and managed to konk out admirably for good chunks of the twelve hour bus ride.

Thursday, 14 June

Here I sit on the first leg of my trip home: Istanbul to London. This morning I arrived to the main Istanbul otogar at around 7:30am. From there I took the metro to Aksaray and found an internet café to noodle around at and, later, a café to break my fast at. I whiled away the time there, booking myself a lodge for my evening in London and catching up on the news and happenings of friends and family via e-mail and Facebook. Eventually I hopped back on the metro and off I went to the airport, good and early for this flight, which left just twenty minutes late but seems on track to land on time.

***several hours later***

Made it to Heathrow Hostel, which I booked online as a 4-bed dorm near the airport. Through a series of unfortunate (and all completely my fault) incidents, it took me forever to find it via bus (should’ve taken the underground) and then find the address (I just didn’t think it could be the pub). But now here I am in a mixed 7-bed dorm above the White Bear Pub… ah well, I’ve learned how to get to the airport quickly now and feasted on a dinner of veggie pizza. My plan is to go to bed early and actually get a good night’s sleep, how about that!

Turkey: A Vacation from my Vacation

 

Thursday, 7 June

After all the flights and buses to get me from Colombo, Sri Lanka, to Fethiye, Turkey, I arrived at Fethiye Guest House. Let me take a moment and tell you how this itinerary of mine took shape.

A few days before I left Sri Lanka, I was perusing the Lonely Planet forums for stuff to do in Turkey. I had an idea of what I wanted to do – Cappedoccia hiking and possibly a gulet boat cruise too – but my “planning” wasn’t going anywhere and mostly I just felt tired and fairly unenthusiastic. I came across a post by someone who highly recommended and praised Alaturka, a tour company that did so-called “blue cruises” along with other major Turkey destination tours. So I sent an inquiry via their website and signed off, resigned to figuring it all out when I arrived in Istanbul.

Less than three hours later I had a note back from Ned at Alaturka, making recommendations and quoting some prices. Surprised, I actually started actively pondering what I wanted and wrote back some questions and possibilities. Ned responded every time, helpful and positive about everything. And so, I decided to let a company cart me around for my week in Turkey!

Fethiye Guest House was invited, looking over the harbor and with friendly Australian accents greeting me at the desk. My eyes teared up as everything was taken care of so easily: dinner ordered out for me, questions answered, concerns soothed, bed reserved. The guest house oozed good cheer and chilled out vibes, just what my travel-weary and heart-bruised self needed. I went to bed hoping that the next day would continue to be as great.

Friday, 8 June

Turkish breakfasts are pretty yummy, you know? Salty cheeses, olives, crusty bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, yogurt, tea. I’m continuing the vegetarian thing so far and it’s going well. I packed up, showered, internetted and chatted with the friendly guest house folks, staff and other customers alike. Finally, I made my way to the Alaturka shop just a five minute walk away and arranged my trip with the planners there, including the boat ride and Cappedoccia trip afterwards, all the way to getting me to the Istanbul airport in time for my early afternoon flight on the fifteenth.

There was time to go shmooze a bit at the guest house, and do some last minute shopping for sunscreen, a towel and a hat, so off I went. Eventually I met quite a few of my boat-mates: two couples from Australia and one from Canada, an Australian guy, a Japanese girl, and a gaggle of six Canadian girls traveling together. All told, fifteen of us. Finally, around noon, we were all told to walk on down to the harbor and board our ship, the Alaturka.

We met our captain and crew, a total of three Turkish men, and were assigned our cabins. I shared with Sawako, the Japanese girl. Within an hour we were zooming out into the amazingly turquoise waters of southern Turkey, wind in our faces and sunshine on our skin. That first day we visited Butterfly Valley and St Nicholas Island. I saw just a single butterfly but enjoyed the gorgeous bay and a pretty hike to a tiny waterfall at Butterfly Valley. At St. Nicholas island we hiked up past ruins of churches and buildings to enjoy a spectacular sunset.

I was one of the only people to sleep up on deck and it was really nice: salt tang in the air, chilly night, and the stars. It was fun getting to know everyone and we all seem to be getting along pretty well. The swimming is amazing: I can see the bottom usually, the water is that clear!

Saturday, 9 June

The captain had parked us in a small bay near a few other boats and we woke up to enjoy a beautiful blue morning. We set off before breakfast to spend some time in another small bay, this time with no one else around, and I went for a swim in the crystal waters. Seriously, the water here is amazing: blues of all hues and clear as a bell. You can see fish far below sometimes, even while you’re swimming! After breakfast we all settled in to sun a bit as we zoomed towards Kas. There, Sawako and I went for a scuba dive in the beautiful waters. There weren’t as many fish as I’d hoped, but there were plenty to see and old amphoras, or shattered jugs and pottery from who-knows-when-in-history, which were very cool. It was quite cold, though, and I think it’s the deepest dive I’ve done, at about 20 meters, and I was pretty dizzy once back on the boat. It passed after awhile, but it bothered (and bothers) me that I was so affected.

Anyhow, back on the boat I had lunch with everyone else. The food on the boat is pretty darned good, with plenty for the vegetarians, three others besides myself. There’s always white crusty bread and something with tomatoes and cucumbers; generally a pasta dish of some sort; and some other interesting Turkish yummy to be had. The crew cooks each meal and does a pretty great job!

We got some time to wander around Kas a bit. I ended up buying a few necklaces for me and a bottle of rum for the boat, along with some postcards. After that we were off cruising again. This evening we parked in a small, remote bay with a tiny little beach to swim to and no other boats to disturb us. Taking this boat trip is really feeling like a vacation from a vacation! I’m relaxing, enjoying sunshine and wind and stars and water and easy socializing, eating and napping and reading, taking pictures and generally zoning out. It’s great!

Others joined me on deck to sleep, plus I got to share some of my astronomy knowledge as I pointed out constellations and the north star. Woo! The other passengers are really easy to get along with, easygoing and fun. Julian is a forty year old Australian cameraman for a news company; Claire and Dane, Will and Sophie are mid-twenties Australians on half-year trips or so, two couples that met during their travels I think. Chris and Jamila are a Canadian couple from Vancouver, also mid-twenties, and Sawako is a Japanese web designer, twenty-eight. We all get along really well.

Sunday, June 10

Woke up a bit later this morning after a really good sleep! We didn’t leave our pretty little bay until after breakfast and then we were off to Semalina, where we could (and did) go ashore to climb up to an ancient Lycian castle. I stopped at a little shop and got some pretty white embroidered pillow cases in Semalina before hopping back on the boat for more stress-free boat time. We motored through a sunken city, which was ruins off the coast of a small island, which was neat. That night we went to “smuggler’s cove”, a bar on a rocky island with absolutely nothing else around. Literally, and island with a bar and that’s it. It was fun and overpriced and loud, but still a neat experience. We all ended up back on our boat listening to music and watching the stars and chatting.

Monday, June 11

Our finally morning on the boat was just as lazy as all the previous ones. I went for three morning swims before we motored on to Demre and disembarked, saying good-bye to the crew and to each other. I ended up tagging along with the three couples to Olympos, where they are all staying for a night or two. The owner of Saban Guest House is a nice lady who offered immediately to store my stuff and let me use their showers after a day of hanging out on the beach. She also advised me on how to get to Antalya to catch my overnight bus to Goreme and Cappedoccia. Super awesome! The beach was beautiful but really hot, of the rock variety as opposed to sand. I lasted for an hour and a half before coming back to the guest house to shower and cool off, and here I sit, writing away!

Sri Lanka: Last Days

Saturday, 2 June

Our tuk-tuk delivered us to Deep Sea resort and even at that early hour with bleary eyes I could tell that Batti was not the same kind of beach town as Trinco. Deep Sea seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, with nothing around it that I could make out in the darkness. In any case, we got a double room and after noticing that what Jutta had told us, that these were the cleanest rooms she’d seen yet in Sri Lanka, we went straight to bed.

Later that morning we got up and went to re-connect with Jutta and Sophie, who were sharing a room. Jutta was off to do a dive, so the rest of us lazed around until she got back. Beny, Sophie and I ended up going to town together, and after we’d eaten lunch Jutta joined us. We wandered the town of Batticaloa, which wasn’t too exciting. We visited the locked gate of the local ancient fort (turned out later we could have gone around back to get inside); chatted with the tourist information booth guys; did a little shopping; and relished what little shade and breeze we could find. It was a hot, hot day.

We motored out to a nearby lighthouse, which turned out to be the highlight of the day. We were allowed to climb to the top, from where we could see fine views of Batticaloa and surrounds, particularly the beautiful blue waters. After we enjoyed the panorama we headed in a full tuk-tuk back to Deep Sea. That night, we dined and drank with many new friends: three touring Sri Lankans from Colombo also staying at Deep Sea; and Push, a local Couchsurfer who Beny had contacted, along with his American friend Bennett. We all ate, drank and became very, very merry.

My original plan was to say good-bye to everyone that night and set off on my own the next day, slowly making my way back to Colombo. Push, however, convinced me otherwise in my woozy-headed state, and so I went to bed that night happy that the good-byes were postponed.

Sunday, 3 June

We woke up after Jutta and Sophie had departed on a boat for another dive. I wrote them a quick note saying good-bye and then we waited for a tuk-tuk driver to come and take Beny, me and our stuff over to Bennett’s house. Bennett is an American who has lived eight months of every year since the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka, trying to help out locals with basic projects. He’s created an organization to help get money over, but it’s a small, simple and straightforward kind of thing. Push has a temporary home with no extra bed, while Bennett has a guest bed, and so Push arranged that we stay with Bennett.

It was a fascinating Couchsurfing experience! Not only did we get to meet and learn about Bennett and his work, but he and Push and another friend, Ragu, took us around and showed us different parts of Batti, including a lovely Hindu temple and a quiet swimming area near the lighthouse. This part was particularly fun because we had to wade through some marshy water and across an “Eco Park” consisting of sand and strange animal statues before getting to the beach. Beny was still nursing his leg wound and so had to be carried through the marshy part, causing endless amusement for the rest of us.

That evening, Bennett had other friends over and we all had a home cooked dinner together – compliments of Ragu, a really sweet guy who has a talent for cooking. After an evening of laughter and fun, toddy and arrack, I packed up my things and squeezed into the single bed with Beny, trying hard to allay the empty-chest feeling of setting off on my own the next day.

Monday, 4 June

Morning came, as it inevitably does, and I rechecked my bags, had some tea and after saying good-bye to Bennett and Beny, hopped onto the back of Push’s bike to go to the bus. Over four hours and one bus change later, I arrived in Habarana. At the recommendation of Jutta’s dive guide, I went directly to Acme Guest House (1,500 rps/night, fan), which was a little overpriced and way over-touristy, but convenient and friendly. They helped me arrange a safari in Deniyaya National Park nearby and after a buffet lunch and a bit of a rest, the jeep came to pick me up. Off I went, paying yet another exorbitant price to get into the park (3,800 rps plus 3,000 for the jeep). I was the only one in my jeep (bad planning on my part) besides my driver and my guide, which was nice; no squeezing in with five other people, fighting for space to see and take pictures! I stood for most of the safari, eyes trying to catch movement and scenery.

I saw elephants, lots of them with babies, peacocks, monkeys, water buffalo and many birds. We also saw jackals, which surprised me. It was a fun trip and yet bittersweet, because I was alone, and I missed Beny and Jutta and Sophie. That evening, after the safari jeep dropped me back at Acme, I ventured out to find a cheap dinner of hoppers with egg and coconut milk. Then I did my usual “alone-again” activity: holed up in my room and wrote in my blog! Actually, it was too stuffy in my room so I sat out in the open-air reception area, where a young man did his best to hit on me, awkwardly asking if I’d like him to come to my room. Oy.

Tuesday, 5 June

It was actually a bit nice to wake up and do things at my own speed in the morning, although I still had that lonely ache in my chest. Ignoring it, I bustled about and caught a bus to Dambulla. It was more crowded than I expected so I stood for the forty-five minute ride. As soon as I got off the bus I crossed the street and entered a little hotel (which means restaurant, or café, here) for a bite to eat. An older woman working there took a liking to me after some communication problems,checking on me throughout my short meal and smiling each time. A tuk-tuk driver came in and asked the inevitable questions: “Where from?” and “How long Sri Lanka?” and “Where going?” and “Like Sri Lanka?” He pointed out his tuk-tuk to me outside and indicated that I should come find him when I wanted to go somewhere, then smiling, backed away.

I finished my egg bun – literally, a small bun sliced open with some hard-boiled egg slices crammed in, and two cucumber slices – and a sweet bun, then went out and hailed the tuk-tuk driver. He took me to Dambulla Caves and gave me his number so I could let him know when to come get me.

Dambulla Caves is an interesting place. You climb up a whole lot of stairs, past other visitors and pineapple stands and people selling arts or wares; gain a pretty view of the surrounding countryside; and finally, huffing and puffing, arrive at the top of a large hill, where you must leave your shoes before entering a complex of… you guessed it, caves. There were four or five caves, some cavernous and others rather small, and each had a myriad of Buddhas inside, either painted on the walls or ceilings or in the form of statues, both rough and delicate. I had declined to take a guide, as I could barely understand them anyway, and so just enjoyed the quiet majesty of the place, and took lots of pictures.

I spent about an hour wandering around and then descended, called the driver, and headed back to the bus stand. The driver did his best to suggest that I stay the night in Dambulla so that he could take me out and show me around, insinuating with ever less delicacy how much fun he could be, but somehow I resisted. I managed to pay him and escape, but not without him doing this weird thing that guys have done before in foreign countries, which is to shake my hand with his middle finger scratching my palm. I’m not sure what it means but it always leaves me feeling dirty, as generally a suggestive waggle of the eyebrows or leer goes with it. Ugh.

Anyway, I stood patiently watching for buses to Colombo, hoping for an AC minibus but quickly losing hope. I noticed a well-dressed young couple, Sri Lankan, waiting and starting forward each time a Colombo-bound bus whizzed by, and so I started to chat with them. It turns out they were just married last week and the husband was headed back to Qatar, where he worked as a kitchen manager. He’d been there for two years previously and this stint would last five years. They were a deliriously happy and sweet couple, which was nice to see. We decided that an AC minibus was impossible and so we crammed onto one of the regular government buses, standing mashed up against each other for awhile, making chit-chat now and again. They bought my bus ticket for me, against my protest, bought me an impossibly sweet fruit drink at the one rest stop, and insisted I take the first seat the became available, about halfway through the five hour trip.

They got off before Colombo and we traded contact info; then I was on my own for the remainder of the trip, which wasn’t too long. I quickly made it to Subodha’s home and was able to rest and relax, chatting with his in-laws, who were home watching Akita, his two and a half year old son. That night dinner consisted of string hoppers and curries and I expressed an interest in knowing how to make them. Talini promised me that Lakshmi, their servant, would show me the next day. I tumbled into the large guest bed, feeling again the strangeness of being by myself, and feeling a bit sad.

Wednesday, 6 June

After a shower, quick tea and breakfast, and hurriedly packing my day pack, I hopped in the car with Subodha, Talini and Akita. First we dropped Akita at school, then Talini at work. Subodha then dropped me off at Galle Face Green, a stretch of unhealthy grass along a coastal walkway. It was a nice morning, warm but not yet disgustingly hot, with a good stiff breeze off the water, which was crashing away against itself with waves. Somehow, as soon as Subodha zoomed off, I found myself breaking down. I sat with my legs dangling off the beach wall, letting my chest ache and the breath wheeze and tears fall. 

Why was I so sad? It was partly to do with Beny, with whom I’d traveled as a couple for almost five weeks, and the fact that I missed him sorely and felt somewhat unrequited in this; and partly to do with my disappointment of not having traveled more with Jutta; and also partly the whole “lonesome” feeling that separating from travel companions always leaves me with. Lastly, it was my last day in Sri Lanka and the beginning of the end of this trip. I guess it all just came bubbling up and the sea, always full of emotion and beauty for me, triggered my sadness.

So I let myself cry out, listening to the waves and ignoring the occasional passer-by. After a short while I felt better, and a bit light-headed, and so I walked up and down the shore. There were couples prancing in the waves, salespeople manning some of the many little booths that lined the way, and families out for a walk. In the distance over the sea was the solid gray of rain clouds and sure enough, it drizzled a bit on me, though not enough to soak. After sea-gazing and walking and getting myself sorted out for about an hour, I decided to head for Odel, a mall that Talini suggested I might like to visit.

Feeling a bit wrung out, I decided to walk, which ended up meaning I became a sweaty mess after another long hour of walking. When I arrived, though, how luxurious the air-conditioned mall seemed! It wasn’t spacious, like the ones back home, but it was cool and full of all sorts of goods. I didn’t buy a thing, but just wandered from store to store, browsing, and treating myself to a frozen fruit drink at one point. Eventually, I was mall’d out, so I caught a tuk-tuk back to Subodha’s. I pondered going to the National Museum, but didn’t feel I had the attention span for it. Also, I was starting to worry about packing.

So I spent lunch and the remainder of the day at the house, chatting off and on with Talini’s parents and family, playing with Akita, and learning to make string hoppers. It turns out Talini had had her mom go shopping for me, so I am going to be bringing home the apparatus and flour to make string hoppers! I can’t wait to give it a try…

Packing went well and I had a nice last phone call with Jutta, during which we caught up on our various travel plans and thoughts and I got to speak briefly with Sophie too. I told Jutta to hint to Beny to give me a call on my last night in the country. Don’t ask me why, but I felt unable to call him. Since we hadn’t ever been a serious “thing” I wasn’t sure how to vocalize how much I missed him without sounding overly dramatic and attached. So, I settled for sending him a ‘good bye and safe journeys’ text message and went to bed somewhat early, since Subodha had arranged to have a taxi pick me up at 1am. I woke up at 12:30am, turned off the phone and put it in the closet (Beny had loaned me his) and headed downstairs with my packs.

So long, Sri Lanka!

 

Thursday, 7 June

The trip to the airport was uneventful and after an interminable wait at the check-in counter, things went very smoothly. My big pack weighed in at 15.1 kilos, or about 30 pounds – not too bad! There were desktop computers in the waiting hall with free internet, so I messed around with Facebook and e-mails and scanning the international news sites until we were allowed into our gate area. There, we waited until an hour past our takeoff time before boarding. I snoozed on and off for the four hour flight, sure that I would miss my connecting flight to Istanbul and thus forfeit on the other plans I’d made for the day.

I decided that instead of ‘figuring it out on the go’ as usual, I would sign on to a tour for my one week in Turkey. Yesterday I spent quite a bit of time online, booking a gulet boat cruise and Cappedoccia tour and buying a ticket from Istanbul to Fethiye. Besides the flight, I should have everything taken care of, which will be a nice change of pace. It’s a different type of travel but I‘m not going the expensive route and both the cruise and the hiking are things I want to do, so I’m letting myself be a pampered tourist this time.

We’ll see how it goes! I made my connecting flight in Dubai, just, and am now enroute to Istanbul. We should arrive on time and I’ll have about two and a half hours until my flight to Dalaman, where I’ll have to catch a bus to Fethiye and then find my way to Fethiye Guest House for my dorm bed reservation. Tomorrow I’ll board my gulet for a four day, three night cruise!