tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66282396157605255082024-03-14T04:07:56.198-07:00Particles to CrumbsBryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15132124868208122960noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-74365467232502197592008-12-28T11:48:00.000-08:002008-12-28T11:51:18.408-08:00Malatya Day 7<div style="text-align: justify;">I got really excited when I flipped on the TV the last morning in Malatya. On the kids’ channel, Looney Tunes was on! I was really excited, because Looney Tunes hasn’t been on TV for several years. I watched for two hours straight, until Mert came to get me for breakfast. After breakfast, we packed up as we had to check out of the guesthouse by 10am. We left our bags near the front desk and went to waste time downtown. Mert, Canan, and I just wandered around downtown. We met up with Beril and her husband. Beril is another grad student from METU. I sat next to her and her husband on the bus ride to and from Mt. Nemrut. Her husband was really interesting to talk to. As he and Beril are slightly older than everyone else, they were great to talk to about more socio-economic issues in Turkey.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bpqWDU6iPR4s_XhKzajMlQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_B44FYyPVuGA/SMcIwHQSkrI/AAAAAAAABl8/bcWlcb7PxkI/s400/IMG_2718.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />He explained to me that Turkey’s largest problem was their refusal to dissolve the class-based society. To become a politician or businessman, you need to know be a part of the upper class, or be closely associate with someone who is. Another problem is that men will own large areas of land, becoming self-appointed governors of small areas, probably about the size of counties in the US.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/liW8on9mZ7lvd4kMxZjllQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_B44FYyPVuGA/SMcIxzHrR5I/AAAAAAAABmE/oiEmPVpKWCs/s400/IMG_2728.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />We all got lunch at the same restaurant. By this point, they had recognized me, not only as an American but also as the guy who only eats baked potatoes. I knew I couldn’t eat for a while because of our flight at 6pm, so I ordered too. They were kind enough to scoop out the potatoes and arrange them on a plate for me. It is just another example of the kindness displayed by the Turkish people.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DdSdkJuF5FSO-Wra4oDKPw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_B44FYyPVuGA/SMcIy8aEB8I/AAAAAAAABmI/hYzY8zWQQF4/s400/IMG_2731.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />After lunch, we walked over to the tourist information booth, so I could get a Tourist Ministry poster from Malatya. The tourist information office was located inside a beautiful garden lush with palm trees and fountains. It was very much an oasis in a broiling and dry city. We sat down and enjoyed cool drinks for a few hours until we had to grba our bags and head to the airport.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hftB7wlXFIxsv4qMJmhDaQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_B44FYyPVuGA/SMcIz4QvxxI/AAAAAAAABmM/O28RhWSQ0q0/s400/IMG_2735.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />Beril’s husband had negotiated with a taxi driver to take us to the airport for the amount it would cost us to take the Havas bus. We picked up our bags and all crammed into the taxi. I had forgotten how far the airport was from the city, but I guess they can’t position air force bases too close to city centers.<br /><br />After getting into Ankara airport, we took a Havas to the Asti, or Ankara bus station. They dropped me off at my dormitory at around midnight. I was completely exhausted, but it was a spectacular trip. I wish I could have visited Urfa, a city near the Syrian border, but at least I got back safely.<br /><br /></div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-503046050294060172008-12-27T19:23:00.000-08:002008-12-27T19:49:05.814-08:00Malatya Day 6<div style="text-align: justify;">The next morning at 6am, Canan, Mert, and I got up to catch the tour bus to Urfa. After waiting at the designated spot for 30 minutes, the owner of the tour company came by and told us that due to the accident the day before; everyone else had pulled out of the trip. She offered to allow us to accompany the two-day trip and have a car bring us back that night. We would be leaving for the return trip to Malatya at around midnight and getting in around 3am. We all decided that this was not a very safe plan, as we could be stranded by an unreliable car. We told the woman that we would not be taking the tour, and that we wanted our money back. She said that we should come by her office later in the day to claim it. So, we went back to the guesthouse and slept for a few more hours.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RApLuSXag6mAoIf9TEufSg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_B44FYyPVuGA/SMcIdGiLuhI/AAAAAAAABko/MKEcaCASibY/s400/IMG_2643.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />When I finally woke up, Mert turned on the TV in our room. There were military parades on most of the channels. August 30th is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Turkey">Victory Day</a> in Turkey. It signifies the Ataturk’s victory in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dumlupinar">Battle of Dumlupinar</a>, which signified Turkey’s independence from Greece, who was supported by the allies in World War I. It is celebrated by several hours of military parades at Ataturk’s Mausoleum in Ankara and televised throughout the country on government TV channels.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EP6MYD-xgMWc4x8tG7fbHA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_B44FYyPVuGA/SMcIfv5qn_I/AAAAAAAABk0/slfF--9eavM/s400/IMG_2646.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />We, finally, woke up and ate breakfast. As Canan and Mert had not seen the museum in town yet, so we decided to go see that. The streets were lined with red and white streamers and balloons in celebration of Victory Day. Lots of street vendors were around from the parade that happened earlier that day. Although we never witnessed the parade, the decorations were evidence of the importance of this day to the Turks.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/qsNRHBm29VRhHs8vKuUz3w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_B44FYyPVuGA/SMcIi3CmLoI/AAAAAAAABlA/ShFAlyxYmvY/s400/IMG_2657.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />There was a vendor selling these white pods from a plant, which are a naturally type of chewing gum. Mert bought a small bag, so they could try it. It was apparently good that I didn’t want to try them, as they were apparently somewhat awful.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EKqp_8UvxOGsnfrFJfpKew?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_B44FYyPVuGA/SMcIoiXxkkI/AAAAAAAABpQ/DAemtlpMBRg/s400/IMG_2684.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />When we got to the museum, the security guard recognized me from the other two visits. He asked Mert if I was a journalist as I had carried my camera with me all three visits. He told Mert that he could arrange for me to meet with the archeologists who work at the museum if I come back in two days, or Monday. Mert told him that I was an American who was visiting, and the guard laughed. He told us that we could take pictures of whatever we wanted, as long as I didn’t use my flash. This was the third set of rules regarding my camera in as many visits. By this point, I had seen everything; so I focused on taking pictures of the more intricate pieces, particularly glass vessels and gold coins.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6sVCtyf6WZnFjriHAy98nw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_B44FYyPVuGA/SMcIs4Bz48I/AAAAAAAABls/_zguA6L-7vo/s400/IMG_2706.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />After leaving the museum, we went and got lunch. Still eating bread, I started to find mealtime being the least favorite part of my day. Afterwards, we went to go get some dondurma, Turkish ice cream, so they could have some before we left the next day. We were meeting up with everyone else for dinner, after they all returned from a trip to a waterfall nearby, so we had lots of time to kill. At this point, we went to go pick up our refund at the tour agency office. Mert and Canan were surprised that we got a refund at all. Apparently, refunds are a rare occurrence in Turkey. I was rather happy that we received one as the trip cost over 100 lira.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/x3bOruuKswRoXO9_reEBjA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_B44FYyPVuGA/SMcIt0hRaoI/AAAAAAAABlw/-kL2R9QMoAo/s400/IMG_2708.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />We ended up walking around the bazaar again. I ended up buying a few hand made copper dishes to act as sugar dishes for my tea sets that I had purchased earlier. We went for dinner at the same restaurant we had been going to for the past few days, so I could have more potatoes. I really have to say how much I appreciate everyone for accommodating to me to such a degree. I know that everyone felt somewhat guilty that I got so sick in their country, but everyone really went above and beyond to make me as comfortable as possible.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tpbBvbHj6J8N9ZUAXBJGig?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_B44FYyPVuGA/SMcIvL3V1OI/AAAAAAAABl0/DQCGU3PxqBs/s400/IMG_2711.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />Since we had gotten up so early, we turned in early. Although it had been a relaxing day, it still was quite tiring with the extreme heat.<br /><br /></div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-11053689497922298112008-12-24T22:30:00.001-08:002008-12-26T22:46:32.790-08:00Malatya Day 5<div style="text-align: justify;">I have to apologize again for the lapse in posting. Between research, school, and the holidays, I have been hard pressed to find time to update. It’s probably a good thing as my advisor has been using that as part of the metric to determine if I’m actually busy or not. ;-) Anyways, I have some free time over the next few days, as I am finally taking a break from work. Happy Holidays to everyone.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YKXVGvaImh6pHPk4xGmENw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_B44FYyPVuGA/SMcIH39c3lI/AAAAAAAABjY/3oJg2wgn27o/s400/IMG_2552.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />So the fifth day, or Friday, was an exciting day. It was the day we took the first conference sponsored day trip. Leaving at 3pm, we took buses up to Mount Nemrut. For an in-depth description of you should definitely read the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Nemrut">Wikipedia article</a>, the <a href="http://www.mountnemrut.info/">sites’s website</a>, or see the <a href="http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap081216.html">APOD picture</a>. As I don’t want to blatantly copy the description from Wikipedia onto the blog, I highly recommend you go read the four short paragraphs which are posted.<br /><br />Since I planned on hot weather the whole trip, I did not bring a sweatshirt at all. When we arrived in Malatya, Damla inquired to check that I had brought a sweatshirt. As I had not, everyone was worried that I would freeze on the trip to the summit of Mt. Nemrut. That morning, I decided to quell their worries and buy a sweater. I decided to go down to the bazaar to purchase one from one of the street vendors, as I thought that would be the cheapest solution.<br />I went downtown with everyone, but split off when they waited for the dolmus to take them to the university. I walked down the street, which was lined with clothing merchants. One seemed to feature tops and sweaters. I walked in and through hand motions and the Turkish word for sweatshirt, he started to pull down lots of types of sweaters. I chose two of them and he told me that it would cost 150 lira, which I knew was outrageous. I as I said that I didn’t want the second sweater, which was more expensive, we started bargaining the price of the second sweater. I eventually got sick of it and was adamant that I did not want the sweater. I paid what he quoted me for the first sweater, which was 70 lira.<br /><br />The thing about the whole situation is I got worn down enough where I just wanted to get out. I didn’t keep in mind that I could leave at any time, which I knew full well was an option before I walked in there. I guess I hope that this serves as a reminder for someone to not forget that you are meant to bargain for anything not sold in a store while abroad, especially in the Middle East. Anyways, I thought I would point that out, so someone else might benefit from my mistake. The worst part about this is that the summit of Mt. Nemrut wasn’t even cold!<br /><br />After buying the sweater, I went to go stock up on bread before the trip. The trip advertised that dinner would be served at the summit, but I knew that whatever it ended up being would not be something I could eat. I grabbed a loaf from one of the bakeries, and stocked up on pretzel sticks at a convenience store around the corner. I, accurately, hoped that my system would be able to handle the pretzel sticks, as I was getting really sick of bread after eating it for nearly two weeks and almost exclusively for the past week. I made my way to the university to meet back up with everyone at the conference before boarding the buses.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZgXGQrkSu6Ugh85SflNQrw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_B44FYyPVuGA/SMcHJhx-yFI/AAAAAAAABns/dQRe0eSu1FY/s400/IMG_2355.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />I chilled out in the lounge while the conference wrapped up and everyone was fed lunch. The buses started arriving at 2pm. We stood out front waiting for the buses, and tried to board one but I wasn’t able to find a seat, so all 8 of us piled back off. This small fact will be extremely important later. Meanwhile, another bus pulled in, and we were able to take over the whole back of the bus. At this point, I think I should point out these buses were in the style of dolmus, so they seated about 14 people with an aisle on the passenger side of the bus. To get to Mt. Nemrut from Malatya is a 4 hour drive on a dirt road with the last few miles consisting of steep and narrow switchbacks. This dirt road is a non-descript turn off from the main highway, so it would be very hard to find it without prior knowledge that it takes you to the top of the mountain.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/REyuOyXLaP0DC82itGtm3Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_B44FYyPVuGA/SMcHP59hk8I/AAAAAAAABgc/dkP_kjP5N-A/s400/IMG_2363.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />We made two stops along the way. The first was about an hour into the trip at a small convenience store, at which people could buy water and snacks. There was a natural spring there as well that some people took an interest in. Everyone in our group bought a few snacks and rested in the shade. A small cat came to nuzzle us and beg for food. After about ten minutes, we boarded the buses again and continued on. After about another hour, we passed through a small town, which was incredibly cute. All the town consisted of was a small mosque encircled by a few even smaller houses.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CV6L9knet8BTIBd-NI70Bw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_B44FYyPVuGA/SMcHSFwN8CI/AAAAAAAABgo/W6xEL4OYTok/s400/IMG_2386.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />Later, the second stop was slightly more exciting. We stopped at a small waterfall on which was built a fishery and restaurant. They had a fishpond within the building, from which one could choose a fish to be prepared. Tijen, Damla, and the Canans found berry bushes below the restaurant and picked several fist fulls of blackberries. I didn’t have any as I was still cautious about what I was eating while on such a long bus ride. We loaded up into buses and drove for another 90 minutes. After the waterfall, I didn’t really pay a lot of attention to the drive until we came to the switchbacks during the last 2-3 miles. Instead, I was actually trying to update my blog as best as possible. Apparently, it is hard to type at the bus rocks back and forth. Who knew?!?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PPitHpe2n-kbFEvmZzHBSw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_B44FYyPVuGA/SMcHhP4FKoI/AAAAAAAABoA/QaI4gGaS7wQ/s400/IMG_2423.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />As we crossed the tree line, we could see for miles. The road at this point became barely a one-lane trail. It switchbacked steeply up the side of the mountain with very tight turns. The road, as well as the rest of the top of the mountain, was made up of a reddish limestone. Upon arriving, we disembarked from the buses, and walked about 1000 ft before we reached a shack. Thinking that we had already paid for the park entrance fee as part of the tour price, I continued to walk up the hill before getting yelled at. Apparently, visiting the site cost an additional 5 lira. I found this slightly irritating but paid it nonetheless. There are two sides of the summit to the site, the eastern and western sides. As the tour was intended to get us there around sunset, the colors of the setting sun on the rocks was stunning. Unfortunately, there weren’t any tour guides to explain the history of the site. I would have even settled for an explanation in Turkish to none at all. As it turned out, once again, my guidebook saved the day. After seeing the statues of Zeus, Herculues, Tyche, Apollo, and King I Theos Antiochus on the eastern side, we moved to the western side to watch the sunset. Both sides have the same statues but the surroundings are slightly different. Both sets of statues are supposed to be on throwns, but all of them have been moved over the ages. There was an formation of rocks that all the METU students sat down on. We all broke out snacks and waited for the sun to set. At this point, I broke out my guidebook to read the description of Mt. Nemrut to everyone as no one really had any idea what the significance of the monument was. As you can see in all the pictures, there is a reddish light cast on everything. The reddish limestone reflected brightly in the light. As the sunset faded, we all walked towards the buses. The little shack that served as the visitors’ center was selling little plaster figurines of the statues. Since there were only 3 lira apiece, I ended up buying 5 of them, one of each statue.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KgCUrG-uGw-IcOKkexaXLg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_B44FYyPVuGA/SMcIAk2WerI/AAAAAAAABjA/lx-KKGqvl34/s400/IMG_2534.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />Upon reaching the buses, we were given a cheese, pepper, and tomato sandwich with an apple and bottle of water. We all hoped back into the buses and started the long ride home. I noticed the bus driver was driving rather fast for it being pitch black outside and a one lane, dirt road. I tried to write as much about the Malatya trip on my laptop as possible before I finally couldn’t take the rocking any more. I tried to sleep as best I could with the rocking. About 45 minutes from home, we suddenly pulled over. The driver was frantically calling someone, and someone else on our bus received a text message from someone on another bus saying that another bus had gone off the road and rolled down a steep embankment. Someone else received a call, from which we learned that no one had died but several people had broken arms and/or suffered from cuts from the broken glass as the van had rolled down the embankment. The creepiest part about this whole experience was that the bus, which overturned, was the one we were originally going to ride in. It only happened to be dumb luck that I couldn’t get a seat on it that we didn’t get seriously hurt along with everyone else on that bus.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hzKPDRwoQMUDccet90SW2w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_B44FYyPVuGA/SMcINE4IvMI/AAAAAAAABjo/l0o46cQAwvk/s400/IMG_2578.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />The driver determined that there was nothing for us to do other than continue on returning back to Inonu University. Apparently, several ambulances had been called to carry people to the university’s hospital. We all sat there silent and stunned for the rest of the trip. The driver was nice enough to drive us all the way to the guesthouse from the university. We turned in as soon as we got back, as we were supposed to get up at 6am the next morning for our day trip to Urfa, a city near the Syrian border.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JNAmrhoMnVFfWEnFvtuGpw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_B44FYyPVuGA/SMcIbEKXqCI/AAAAAAAABkg/inscbxY6eH4/s400/IMG_2639.JPG" /></a></div></div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-5033204502181085892008-10-21T03:15:00.000-07:002008-10-21T03:23:17.006-07:00Malatya Day 4I want to apologize for the month long hiatus, which I have taken from updating this blog. I am no doubt back from Turkey, but instead of giving an update at this time, I will leave that until later to keep the events in the order in which they happened.<br /><br />The fourth day in Malatya left me wondering what I should do with myself for the 3 whole days, which I had to left to explore the city. Wanting to see ancient Malatya, currently called Battalgazi , I read in Lonely Planet that after a 15 minute bus ride to reach the town square. Once again, I joined everyone in walking to the dolmus otogar, from where I continued another few blocks to the otogar at which the Battalgazi bus was located. The bus itself was much older than the ones operated in Ankara, but they were still very comfortable and spacious. It cost me 40YKR or .4 YTL each way, which ended up being quite a deal for a 2.5 hour trip.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Bgk2cv2BLjB7ofYWjxYpWA"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcGOlTwXNI/AAAAAAAABco/pyBnWhiFDAQ/s288/IMG_2171.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />Upon finalizing my arrangements for my flight to Malatya, I had looked up what there was to do in Malatya. From the description in Lonely Planet, I envisioned a cute village that was basically abandoned with lush green grass growing everywhere. What it ended up being was nothing of the sort. The village itself seemed to be inhabited by many families who commuted into Malatya via the bus system to go to work. There were small groups of children roaming the streets while mothers performed chores at home. Instead of the lush green path ways, the streets were dusty and lined my houses coated in concrete. Down most of the street were empty lots containing the rubble left from whatever structure had previous stood there with knee high weeds growing through out. In almost every direction, you can see the evidence of the 29 towers that protected the city during medieval times. Upon arriving in Battalgazi, I walked over to the newly refurbished park in the center of the town square and sat down in the shade to consult Lonely Planet. Finally figuring out the directions to the three mosques of interest in this itty bitty town, I headed south of the square. A small group of boys scoped me out and started to follow me, presumably because I looked like a tourist with my camera.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/W0_gyFmrY0tzLsmgp3T7Dw"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcGZ7Gt3mI/AAAAAAAABdM/cBkMKO3d39A/s288/IMG_2190.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />I first visited the Alacakapi mosque, which is located no more than 100 ft south of the square. It was constructed early on during the Ottoman empire with an inscription dating back to 1592* or 100 years after Columbus. Just past the mosque is an old caravan stop along the silk road constructed in 1637*. There is a small market located in the building these days. Trying the find the mosque of Ulu Camii , I started to roam the streets while picking up a larger pose of children. They quickly became disinterested as soon as I took their picture and assured them that I would not be giving them any money. This is all with the exception of one cute little boy. He didn't say a word while the other were begging and just tagged along. As soon as the rest of the boys peeled off, he asked me to follow him. While I had finally gotten back on track towards the mosque, it was still nice to have a little tour guide. He led me further down the main street leading south from the square and turned down a narrow street that was marked with an arrow towards the mosque. I would like to say that this was the first time in Turkey that I actually witnessed street signs of any form on an actual city street.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EFdiiPEopmG82jObMOjNZQ"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcGgbA8CWI/AAAAAAAABdg/5IwZa2wT1tw/s288/IMG_2200.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />When we arrived at the Ulu Camii, I found the ruins of an old theological school by way of a sign giving it's history. It was constructed starting in 1303 and continued to operate through the 18th century. Turning around, the Ulu Camii is a more conservative looking mosque without the immense spires and stained glass windows. The conservatism of the architecture of the Ulu Camii and Alacakapi surprised me as the other mosques I had come across have intricate stone carvings and metal work covering their structures. With my little friend, I walked around the mosque taking pictures of the different architectural aspects, especially the alcoves that contained the doorways.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/w8krhekqfGOnUa6nbgwaKw"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcGnVwSScI/AAAAAAAABd4/DN6oTZCAXs0/s288/IMG_2202.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />My little friend motioned for me to follow him again, so I tagged along. He took me to what Lonely Planet refers to as Ak Minare Camii, or the White Minaret Mosque. Where as Ulu Camii seemed deserted, Ak Minare Camii was more tranquil and seemed to be better taken care of. The architecture is much more similar to that of most other mosques you'll see in Turkey, especially with the minarets and stone work screens covering the windows. My little friend went to go drink water out one of the faucets about the courtyard. Not wanting to trespass, I decided to wait outside the gate. I would like to add that at no time during the trip did I ever get the feeling that visitors were not welcome in or around any of the mosques. In fact, I have read in Lonely Planet and elsewhere that visitng mosques is encouraged with the clerics being very accomidating even if they don't speak english. After seeing everything there was to see, my friend and I headed back towards the town square. He did try to get me to head towards one of the towers, but I was tired and just wanted to get back to the conference hall. Reaching the town square, I decided to pay my little tour guide with some cookies, so I visited the grocery store that's housed in the old caravan stop and bought a few cookies. Many of the kids started to surround me hoping that I would start handing them out, but I didn't make any motion to do so until he was the only one left around. As it so happened, he wouldn't take any of them, even though he had watched me buy them. I boarded the bus back to Malatya and saw out the window that my little friend was there to watch me leave. I started waving to him, and the bus finally pulled out of the station.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zEGBdA4H3VqJJQ55Z3CfTg"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcGuAR8_II/AAAAAAAABng/yzQDcZNG0VI/s288/IMG_2234.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />Upon reaching Malatya, I boarded a dolmus for the conference. After hanging out for a while, we decided to head downtown to see the museum. Since I had already seen it, I wasn't too thrilled but it was nice to get away from the conference center with my friends. We arrived at about 4:30pm and were informed that the museum closed in about 5 minutes. They convinced the guard to let us roam without charging us. We quickly checked out the exhibits, and everyone was happy that I had already photographed the whole museum. Upon leaving, we decided to check out the park adjacent to the museum. One of the many improvements made to Malatya was the recent addition of this park which doubled as a thoroughfare to a neighborhood to the south. Water was pumped to the top of a hill and flowed down stone block lined canals. We were standing at the foot of this hill where several fountains and water falls were located. It was a very relaxing place to be, especially on a hot day in August.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sPgJvxyUObyithjY_rpAAQ"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcGydTv8RI/AAAAAAAABeg/EVjiiQVy1IU/s288/IMG_2251.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />Investigating further up the hill, we discovered an ice cream shop. The ice cream made in Turkey is very different than that served in the western world. Dondurma, Turkish ice cream, is made with Salep and Mastic resin, which give it a more elastic and tougher texture than western ice cream. According to wikipedia, Salep is made from the ground tubers of an orchid, and is also used to make the drink of the same name (which I ended up having once I got back to Ankara). These ingredients also allow for higher melting temperatures which allows for easier vending on the streets. Dondurma vendors are easily recognized as they use paddles on long metal rods to churn the ice cream to keep it easily workable. In our case, the dondurma was made with a mold and cut off into cubes, which were then served on a plate with a fork and knife. With the temperature at around 90F that day, I was really surprised to see the ice cream stay solid while they were consuming it. Still being cautious, I only had a small taste of the dondurma. The taste was sweet and slightly milky but nothing extraordinary. I would definitely say that if you ever have the chance to eat dondurma you should. The texture and experience of eating it alone make it worth it even if the flavor isn’t necessarily memorable.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UGFnukVb4Om5uw9OghvkYQ"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcG1tkWuoI/AAAAAAAABew/co7XY4JWN3I/s288/IMG_2262.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />As Sertan and I were the only guys in our group of 6, we were persuaded to go stroll through the bazaar in search of shopping opportunities. I directed everyone to the section where I had encountered the coppersmiths the day before. We spent about 30 minutes in one of the shops where I ended up buying several copper pieces for my mother, two of my friends who were recently married, and myself. I had to be very careful to make sure everything was handmade as several of the pieces had manufacturer markings on the bottom. When asked, the shopkeepers were honest about which pieces were handmade (or at least to the best of my ability to tell).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-4O81PCQIEnVOLZOdH0SLA"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcGzd8nMyI/AAAAAAAABek/OFNQKLyE59Q/s288/IMG_2254.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />Wandering further through the bazaar, one could see the stalls, which sold freshly slaughtered meats, aged sausages, and chickens that have been rotisseried. One whole square block was dedicated to butcher shops. Other blocks contained other food related stores, including a large number of shops that sold a large array of spices. I think this is the one aspect of Turkey that I will greatly miss and regret not being able to take advantage of. With the sun starting to set, Tijen decided to head back to the university for the night. As the Canans had an extra bed in their room, Damla decided to stay out with us that night and crash at our guesthouse. Damla, Sertan, and I walked over to the mosque located in the center of the town to wait for Mert and Canan who had stayed at the conference to see a few talks. In the mean time, I decided that I wanted to learn how to properly wash myself outside the mosque to prepare for Muslim prayers. Even though Sertan had no clue how to do it, he offered to watch what other were doing and tell me what order to wash myself in. I will describe this later as I feel like it deserves proper attention in a more detailed fashion. During my attempt at learning how to properly washing myself, Mert and Canan arrived and Mert took a few pictures of me.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/R3WVrKFFsjiLQo-74mZJkw"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcG7ohHEiI/AAAAAAAABfI/rSscEPfPB78/s288/IMG_2288.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />Everyone decided that dinner sounded like a good idea. Mert and Sertan had been craving Kokorich(sp?), a dish involving chicken intestines. I had this dish about a month and a half earlier and found it really good. Because all ther restaurants selling it smelled too much like raw meat for Canan to handle, we ended up eating at a semi-upscale place on the main street. Upon walking in, I got really excited because they advertised that they served kumpir, or baked potatoes.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/V60nrCLR4TMsXvOT915aWg"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcG_YeIwLI/AAAAAAAABfc/cbAZt96BMA4/s288/IMG_2297.JPG" /></a><br /><br />After dinner, everyone wanted beer, so we ended up going back to the bar we found the first night. Once again after ordering drinks, we were served large plates of cantaloupe, honey dew melon, and grapes and nuts. After a few drinks, we all dragged ourselves back to the guest house where we all crashed. It had been a really long day…<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6s9bbvl0kPXmrVJ46-fXYg"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcHHvAnz5I/AAAAAAAABgA/kQjVSC-ntU8/s288/IMG_2335.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />* It occurs to me that the years posted on the signs, which I read and am heavily basing the posting on, are not based on the Christian calendar, which we use here in the US. (If I'm wrong about that, please correct me!)Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-27049460106383687302008-09-10T04:26:00.000-07:002008-09-10T07:21:30.883-07:00Malatya Day 3I decided that I needed to start venturing out. Lonely Planet told me that the only real destination in all of Malatya was an archeology museum with artifacts on display from an excavation nearby. Everyone had decided that we would wake up later that morning and catch the dolmus to the university. Since the dolmus otogar (bus station) was somewhat on my way, I tagged along to see which one I needed to take to get to the university. Once that was all figured out, I proceeded to meander my way towards the center of town through the edge of the bazaar. Needing to keep my bread supply stocked, I stopped in a bakery that had just pulled some brown bread out of the oven. After purchasing a loaf, they kindly sliced it for me. For the rest of the week, I lived on nothing but bread and kumpir (baked potatoes). In some ways, this made everything incredibly easy because I never really had to worry about where I was going to eat because I always had food with me. Continuing towards the museum, I stopped in a store that specialized in Muslim clothing for women, particularly head scarves. The patterns on the headscarves can be quite intricate and beautiful. I kept wandering down the street looking up the side streets that lead deeper into the bazaar.<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kelOS1Qf17eNWKnhXixQ8Q"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcFrYsZX0I/AAAAAAAABao/DzcxuDRvoY4/s288/IMG_2021.JPG" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />The bazaar is laid out in a pretty simple fashion, with different regions specializing in different types of goods. Vendors selling food related items are located closer to the highway where the dolmus stations are locations, hence the bakery where I bought my bread. Heading towards the town center, the vendors become more related to apparel. Tailors are intermixed with ordinary clothing merchants, vying for your attention and money. The apparel that they are selling is consists mainly of cheap dress shirts and major European and American brand knock offs. Some of the merchants were selling t-shirt with various art and writing on them. What caught my attention was that many referenced San Francisco. Most of them didn't make an sense really. I remember one saying "Intrigue" with San Francisco, CA written underneath it.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/eXX9A33u-h0uCtmC9KcMcA"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcFuCbdk1I/AAAAAAAABaw/kWLBOZh9iZ0/s288/IMG_2024.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />While in the bazaar, it is really important to keep in mind that you have to haggle on every price they give you, especially if you don't speak Turkish. This will be important for day 5. There is a street here that is lined with gold merchants, displaying their ornate pieces in large windows that in turn glow when the sunlight hits them. I decided to meander through the clothing area for a little bit before reaching the mosque that sits at the center of town.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PPARAkvbCt3sFaAA3PKRFw"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcFskMBHrI/AAAAAAAABas/YwYKY0LFpN8/s288/IMG_2023.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />I crossed the main street of Malatya, which predictably is named Ataturk Caddesi (Blvd). Heading south, I walked along a side street lined with shops. I came upon two men sitting along the sidewalk who waved me over. One of them was an owner of one of the stores, and he wanted me to take a picture of him and his friend. After snapping a few photos, he wanted to make sure I knew his name and to remember where he met me. He gave me his card on which he added Malatya, Türkiye. The other man offered me cay which I graciously declined. Smiling from ear to ear at this super-friendly encounter, I continued on my way to the museum. I think what makes me so happy about things like this is because they were genuinely interested in talking to me and finding out my story. If this had happened in Istanbul, it would probably have been to get an angle with which to sell me something, but here and in Ankara, that hasn't been the case. It is just really pleasant finding other people that are as excited and interested to meet new people as I am.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wnjbhrpuTbbv7A5_xDXJcA"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcFxilRJPI/AAAAAAAABa8/4iyKM_I8IgA/s288/IMG_2032.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />Upon arriving at the museum, I paid the 3 YTL entrance fee and was pleasantly surprised by the air conditioned interior. The museum itself was rather small consisting of only 4 rooms, but it was laid out and documented rather well. As with every other museum I have visited, I photographed everything. The artifacts were all excavated from a site north of town at a location called Arslantepe from which some of the artifacts dated back a few thousand years before Christ. These artifacts mainly consisted of every day items such as arrow heads, swords, clay and stone pots, glass containers, coins, and various tools. One of the rooms was dedicated to illustrating how various activities in day to day life worked, such as milling grain, making arrow heads, and making clay pots. Outside the museum, there was a small garden which contained various stone carvings and head stones, particularly from the era of Roman occupation. After finishing at the museum, I headed back to the catch the dolmus along the route on which I came.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7hp-gs63_FNW4RoztQugOA"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcF0vjUsJI/AAAAAAAABbM/QjjyuEdgREA/s288/IMG_2038.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />Right outside the museum is a small park that sits between a small canal and several man-made waterfalls. As with the university and other aspects of Malatya, this park was made possible by large amounts of funding from the government. I enjoyed the plumes of mist created by the churning water to rejuvenate myself before my walk back. The streets were more crowded as it was close to lunch time. I got back to the dolmus station in time to hop on the one that took me to the university. Not knowing exactly where to get off, the dolmus stopped at the university hospital, so I decided to hop off since the hospital is attached to the conference center. I walked into the hospital hoping to find directions, but I couldn't find any. I walked around the hospital complex. Just before giving up, I saw two women who were carrying the bags that they conference had given out. I ended up following them (while feeling slightly creepy) to see if they knew where they were going. They ended up striking out as well, but they were able to ask for directions. By this time, I had introduced myself and we were able to weave our way through the hospital to the conference center. The signs pointing the way to the conference center were all located in the back hallway, far from where anyone would see them entering from the main entrance. It is things like this that make me laugh and shake my head about Turkey.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HCu-eT2aBMheRRpAkaS9ug"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcGB8cfAPI/AAAAAAAABnE/UlIyYr1fSKE/s288/IMG_2139.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />I arrived just in time for lunch, or more precisely give my lunch to everyone else and eat bread. For the rest of the day at the conference, I basically just hung out and tried to get a little work done. I found out long ago that it is close to impossible for me to get work done in places that have lots of distractions. It's safe to say that I didn't get much done. At 4pm, the poster session started, and everyone but Damla, Mert, and Sertan had to present their posters. I walked around and snapped everyone's photo.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/l6bhHDUjPFZdOR46swODCQ"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcGDC1gmRI/AAAAAAAABnI/dJksETB2sCE/s288/IMG_2140.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />Afterwards, we all boarded buses and were taken to a denim factory. For some reason, the conference organizers decided that this would be an exciting event. The factory was a little interesting bceause there wasn't a guide of any sort, so we had to figure out what everything did on our own. After the tour, we were loaded up into buses and taken to some random place with a garden for dinner. No one seemed to know where we were, but apparently the denim factory had paid for the dinner for us. With it getting late, we decided to just have the bus drop us off at the guesthouse on its way back to campus.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/K6fUJ_qp3obhGSnQQAisaw"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcGFacx7WI/AAAAAAAABcE/KjPt4vtY67A/s288/IMG_2145.JPG" /></a><br /></div></div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-84010247228017096622008-09-09T17:58:00.000-07:002008-09-09T18:02:59.678-07:00Malatya Day 2I decided to stick with everyone the first day, so we all got up early to catch the free bus that the Inonu University had sent to pick up conference members not staying on campus. We first stopped by the guesthouses restaurant to eat breakfast, which was the typical Turksih fare: bread, cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, and cay. We took a taxi to the bus stop. Not knowing what the bus was supposed to look to look like, the rest of the group recognized that a few professors from our department were sitting on the front patio of the hotel that was directly behind us. They were taking the bus too, so we just followed them when they boarded a ordinary looking bus that didn't have any markings on it. Thankfully, it got us to the convention center, or the Kũltũr ve Kongre Merkezi.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/q-3Wzk6w9oUeqSGUw6NOvQ"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcFe1HWQFI/AAAAAAAABZw/HJb2CUZywW8/s288/IMG_1977.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />İnönü University is named after Turkey's second president who was originally from Malatya. As the current president is also from Malatya, a lot of money has been put into the campus. This improvement money went towards a new state of the art hospital and conference center. The campus itself is very large, in fact it might rival the size of UC Davis even including our farm land. While everyone checked in, I scouted out the place. The ground floor (the zeroth floor in Turkey) contained 3 small small conference room and the lower entrance to the main conference hall. The conference started with an opening session where a tribute was made of a prominent chemical engineer that had died that year, the Turkish national anthem, and a Mozart performance by one of Inonu's students. I don't remember if I commented on the Turkish national anthem before in my post about METU's graduation but, I find it really interesting. When it is played, everyone is expected to sing. I think that they should made a custom in the United States. I have never been one for making senseless rules, but I think customs of this sort are always nice. I guess it also helps that I like to sing.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ewS7iqpfQ6UhNTxefb9_uA"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcFfwxqvuI/AAAAAAAABZ0/F2-DpYOvLSc/s288/IMG_1979.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />After the first session, I just hung out in the reception area on the second floor. Unlike a lot of American conference, coffee, tea, and snacks were offered throughout the day. I found out that wifi was available throughout the conference center, so I planned on bringing my laptop the next day. While I was sitting there, Damla rushed up to me and told me that the talk going on at the moment was in English, so I decided to check it out. It turns out that the presenter was a Turkish native that attended MIT. Apparently very arrogant, he presented in English even though the conference was officially in Turkish. With Global Warming as his topic, he was deginitely looking to push some buttons. I felt that his talk was a little lacking on exact details and more propaganda, but it was interesting to see what he had to say. Several times throughout the talk, he said that the main problem with curbing global warming emmision was that the United States had not yet signed the Kyoto Protocol. At the end, he mentioned fuel cell technology as being part of the solution. As this was his research area, I felt that it was a conflict of interest to only mention this possible solition and not other such as solar, tidal, ethanol/methol, and nuclear energy solutions. What I was waiting for was the Q&A period. As I guessed someone immediately asked in English if he wanted questions in Turkish and English. When the speaker said it didn't matter, the man asking the question said he would ask his question in Turkish so more than a few people in the audience could understand. Afterward, another man raised his hand to supposedly ask a question. He ended up going on a rant for 5 minutes. I asked Damla afterward what it was all about. She said his rant was based on that increased CO2 levels was great for plant life, hence global warming was a great thing that should not be worried about. I found this rather amusing as one of the causes of this increase in CO2 levels is the reduced number of plants to convert it back into oxygen.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/X6RsSfEMKfe3Ce8koEhshg"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcFjK82N1I/AAAAAAAABaE/yhpmwsnuaec/s288/IMG_1986.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />Afterwards, there was another talk on Nuclear power, but since it was in Turkish, I decided to go back to the reception area. I hung out until lunch was served. Because Mert had the extra tickets, I tagged along mostly to see if it was something I could eat. Predictably it wasn't, but I was able to give my food to everyone else. This actually happened at every lunch for the rest of the week. Lunch was lamb that was roasted in a bag along with rice. I tasted a sliver of it, and it was quite good. After lunch, I ended up passing out on a couch for about an hour. At that point, I went to watch Damla's talk on synthesizing polymethylsilane for use as a flame retardent in polypropylene. Her talk went really well, and she only got one question. Afterwards, I went back to napping until about 6. Because there was a cocktail party at 8pm, we decided to go get dinner. Once again, I ordered Tuvuk Sis hoping that I could get plain chicken. Unfortunately, this is when the server told us that all restaurants around here marinade their chicken in oil and chilies to preserve it throughout the day. More unfortunately, this was after I had taken a few bites that I thought were chili free. Well, even thought my stomach hurt for about 24 hours, everything turned out fine, and I learned about how they prepare chicken in Malatya.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yxqut-B_C2MFSh6mID9TBA"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcFkGCjxJI/AAAAAAAABaI/nq7T7g93Vog/s288/IMG_1988.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />At 8pm, we loaded onto buses for the short trip to the University's pool. Large tables has been setup in the grass area around their relatively new, olympic sized pool. Each table has several bottles of water, coke, and other sodas on it. There was a glass with sticks of carrot and cucumber in lime juice. There was a buffet table that had cheeses, sausages, veggies, yogurt dips, and bread. After finding out that there was a large amount of bread in a bin, I made a bee-line for it and stocked up for the night. I figured I might has well get my free ticket's worth of bread considering I couldn't drink any of the wine. Although, I think everyone drank enough wine to make up for the fact I wasn't drinking. Everyone has a great time. There was a 5 piece band that played more traditional sounding Turkish music. The bands members were from the University's music department. The vocalist also played the Ney. Apparently this is one of the hardest instruments to learn, necessitating around 10 years to become a competent player. It sounded like a very airy flute. We all ended up dancing to the music and having a blast. Damla got quite drunk which only made her want me to dane even more. We eventually loaded up into the buses and were driven back to the dorms. At that point, we asked the driver if he could take us back to our guesthouse, and he agreed. We arrived back at the guesthouse exhausted but happy. We ended up going for a walk to get me bread for the next day, as well as water for everyone. I ended up just collapsing on my bed and passing out. It was a long but fun day.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/qXLau31Z5bv6fl9zztkydA"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcFo9i0NDI/AAAAAAAABac/FXnq-mllMoo/s288/IMG_2016.JPG" /></a></div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-57462704915521861352008-09-09T17:47:00.000-07:002008-09-09T17:57:55.420-07:00Malatya Day 1Because the price of bus tickets were the same price as plane tickets, my labmates decided to fly to the chemical engineering conference here in Malatya. Not wanting to go through another 10 hour bus ride if I could fly for 30 YTL more than a bus ticket, I decided to join them. We flew aboard an Anadolu Jet Boeing 373, which is the value branch of Turkish Airlines. The flight took about 55 minutes, and we flew into Malatya's only airport. On approach, I looked out the window and noticed that I couldn't see the ground because there seemed to be something that resembled fog like smog. Well, Damla told me later that a dust storm had blown in from Egypt. In some parts of the region, the dust storm caused rain to turn into mud. Yes, it actually was raining mud. Thankfully, we didn't encounter any of it. Because the region is rather rural, a Turkish air force base allows commercial jets to fly in and out of a small airport. There is only one flight per day from Ankara, so the plane ended up being filled with chemical engineers. I ended up sitting next to one of the conference organizers, and he informed me that the conference had arranged for a professor from a university in Edinburgh to speak. As this was going to be the only talk in English, he strongly recommended that I attend.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hrawtuzTZs95-kVEzaiJyw"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcFVJOVdGI/AAAAAAAABZI/UImVTIeXwdY/s288/IMG_1943.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />Upon landing, we boarded a Havas bus to take us into town. Havas runs a fleet of buses with the specific purpose of shuttling people to and from Turkish airports. I took one of the their buses from the airport to a station in Ankara the day I arrived. The bus dropped us off a few blocks from out guesthouse. The guesthouse is run by the government specifically for teachers who are new to the area and need a place to stay while looking for more permanent lodging. We are able to stay because open rooms are available for professors, graduate students, and other government servants. The number of beds per room differs, but we were able to get one with three beds, one for me, Sertan, and Mert. The rooms aren't great but they all have TVs. I would have gladly traded the TV in for internet or air conditioning, but I'm not really going to complain for 25 YTL a night. We settled in and rejoined the Canans for dinner. Damla stayed with her mother on campus, since she didn't have to pay for her room.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/prytiMuWkuYj20dt0qj-mw"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcFXIW3fQI/AAAAAAAABZU/pW0t45HgvsY/s288/IMG_1952.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />We walked down main street trying to find a restaurant. There weren't any restarunts near the guesthouse so we walked about 10 blocks to find one. It was a very small place located in the basement of one of the shops along the main street. Because I had started eating chicken again, I thought that Tavuk Şiş (chicken on a stick) wouldn't be a problem. Everyone else got regional dishes like Iskender or dishes made in ceramic pots and placed in a wood oven. When the food arrived, I realized that my chicken was coated in chilies. Because my stomach had been uneasy, I decided that I needed to eat something, so I decided to wipe off the chicken with a napkin. Was that a bad idea! For the next two days, my stomach hurt pretty bad. I ended up sticking to bread after that.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/uySwRB1VGQEFsOk0RCdvVg"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcFZVXvZGI/AAAAAAAABZc/Du6Yh12CyKc/s288/IMG_1958.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />After dinner, we walked along the main street for about 45 minutes looking for a place to drink beer. Mert was pretty determined to find a place, so we searched for 10 blocks until we finally found one. Like I said earlier, Malatya is afar more conservative city than Ankara, so it makes sense that drinking places would be few and far between. In fact, the bars are actually hidden and segregated. Most of the bars are for men only, but a few have a second room where families are allowed to drink together. We ended up finding one of these by asking around. There are not any signs for these places, so locations are shared by word of mouth. They ordered beer, and I ordered a bottle of water. Along with our drinks, they brought us two plates. The first was covered in parsely and cilantro, and it was rimmed with slices of cucumber. The second plate contained cherries, grapes, and slices of water melon and honeydew melon. I sneaked a few tastes because I figured that if my stomach was already uneasy from the chicken it couldn't hurt too much to eat some fruit. It has always striked me as interesting that the level of hospitality in this country is so high. I have always heard that Turks were very warm and giving, but it is just such a change from American restaurants that even after two months here, I am still slightly surprised every time something like this happens.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZWSFYbnGPp6X-G5PWQXbgg"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SMcFbq7Q9gI/AAAAAAAABZk/IX0BqkzkP2U/s288/IMG_1964.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />Around 11, we started to walk back. We stopped along the way to get me a loaf of bread. We finally trudged our way back to the guesthouse and called it a night.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-81083491781362085422008-08-24T01:44:00.000-07:002008-08-24T03:27:15.466-07:00Health and Next WeekTomorrow, I will be heading to Malatya on a 5pm flight. Malatya is in the Southeaster part of Turkey. It is a far more conservative and less touristy city than I been to during this trip or perhaps in my life. There is a 3 day Turkish Chemical Engineering conference at which all of my lab mates are giving presentations. Since the conference will be in Turkish, the educational aspect will be mainly so see how these conferences are held and the interactions that occur. During most of the conference, I will use this chance to see some of the sites. There is only one small museum in Malatya, which is supposed to be based on the local Anatolian history. The current city of Malatya is relatively recent as the original is about 7 km away. Lonely Planet says that it is well worth the journey to this older city as it should capture what Anatolian life was like around 100 years ago. I think there is a museum there as well. On Friday, I will be taking a tour with my labmates that is for about half a day. I don't recall what it involves, but I will be sure to tell you after I get back. Saturday, I will be leaving on a tour with Mert and Canan at around 5am. We will be traveling to the city of Urfa by way of the Ataturk Reservoir. The reservoir is the largest in Turkey and is apparently something to see. I am assuming it is on the order of out Hoover Dam. One of the other stops is to Mount Nemrut. "In 62 BC, King <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiochus_I_Theos_of_Commagene" title="Antiochus I Theos of Commagene">Antiochus I Theos of Commagene</a> built on the mountain top a tomb-sanctuary flanked by huge statues (8-9 meters high) of himself, two lions, two eagles and various <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_mythology" title="Greek mythology">Greek</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_mythology" title="Armenian mythology">Armenian</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Empire" title="Persian Empire">Persian</a> gods, such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules" title="Hercules">Hercules</a>-<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vahagn" title="Vahagn">Vahagn</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeus" title="Zeus">Zeus</a>-<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aramazd" title="Aramazd">Aramazd</a> or Oromasdes (associated with the Persian god <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahura_Mazda" title="Ahura Mazda">Ahura Mazda</a>), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyche" title="Tyche">Tyche</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo" title="Apollo">Apollo</a>-<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithras" title="Mithras" class="mw-redirect">Mithras</a>" (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Nemrut">Wikipedia</a>). The tour will end in Urfa which is 40 miles from the Syrian border and has a significantly more Middle Eastern feel to it than other areas of Turkey. Lonely Planet says that this is an amazing city to visit especially for its bazaars. I think this trip will be fun.<br /><br />Now, what could possibly hamper the trip is my health. I can't remember how much I have updated this blog on my health, so I'll give a quick over view. After my first treatment that was described didn't seem to be working, I went to the medical center here at METU for a check-up. the doctor had some tests run here at their microbiology lab and determined that I just had giardia. I would like to add that the tests did not cost me anything. In fact, I only paid .8YTL for the doctor's visit. He put my on Ornidazol, which is variant of Metrodinazol, which I had the first time. After almost two weeks, I didn't particularly feel better, I went back and found the doctor I had was out on vacation. Fortunately, I was told to see another doctor, who ended up being the head of the medical center. He also spoke english, so I was able to describe my problem. He sent me for even more tests than before. They determined that my giardia was gone, but that I might have a small viral infection that should be clearing up soon. He gave me a strict diet of Bread and Rice and told me to come back in a few days. The diet made me feel better, but was indicative that my stomach is unable to handle foods other than these. Beceause I was felt better, I actually tried a fish sandwich which didn't work out so well. I went back on Friday, when he told me to increase my diet to bread, bananas, and soups with veggies. I have been living on that for the past two days. My stomach is very tender, but at least there are foods I can eat. I am trying to slowly add more complex things. Today, I tried some almonds (about 4), and they slightly upset my stomach, so I'll try something else tomorrow but also with just two almonds. I am slowly working my way back to normal food. For the trip, I will probably be heavily reliant on bread and trying small things off of everyone's plates. It's too bad that things turned out this way, but I guess it is all part of the adventure.<br /><br />I'll try and update from Malatya, but I don't know if I'll have internet access. If not, I'll try posting Sunday night when I get back.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-25222408096041857252008-08-19T23:10:00.000-07:002008-08-20T13:47:06.743-07:00Bodrum Day ThreeAfter such a long day, everyone ended up sleeping in. I awoke around 10am and lounged around waiting for everyone else. I ended up writing a few postcards which I had picked up during the cake hunt the day before. Everyone ended up getting up around noon, and we started cleaning right after breakfast. At around 3, they told me that if I wanted to see the Underwater Archeology museum I should leave on the 3:20 dolmus. Lonely Planet touted the museum as being one of the best underwater archeology museums in the world. That's quite a compliment considering its competition with museums in London, France, and Germany. I packed all my things and took my luggage with me as we were going to take the bus back to Ankara at 9pm.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/81008Bodrum/photo#5233752885981860754"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SKIGhSsf05I/AAAAAAAABO4/LTYYohc-Opo/s288/IMG_1651.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />I got to the museum at around 4, leaving about 2.5 hours to check everything out before it closed. The entrance cost is 10 YTL, and you get a shnazzy ticket that has a picture of the museum on it. In fact, all the museums in Turkey, that are run by the government, use the same type of ticket which allows entrance after a machine scans it. Maybe I'll post a picture of one of them at some point.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/81008Bodrum/photo#5233753046924766946"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SKIGqqQRruI/AAAAAAAABPg/me4zjzP38UY/s288/IMG_1674.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />The museum was a little disappointing. The guidebook indicated there there were two self-guided tours you could take. The green arrows are for the short tour, and the red arrows for the long one. Well, it's a good thing they mentioned that because otherwise I would have had to look at the ground at the right time to see the arrows there were marked with long and short, otherwise I probably would have been confused the whole time. So after all that, I basically forgot about the arrows because they weren't consistent and they lead to weird places where things weren't marked. Anywho, there were several cool things about the museum. The first being the replica of a merchant ship that was excavated near Bodrum located in the chapel. The artifacts that were excavated were displayed around the chapel, and the ship was free to be walked on. The really nice part about each building is that they are all air conditioned. So, it made the chapel that much better.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/81008Bodrum/photo#5233753436858357202"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/brloyola/SKIHBW3sFdI/AAAAAAAABRI/c4kFvolosQ0/s288/IMG_1798.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />There are two other standard buildings at the museum that house exhibits. One houses an in detail look at the excavation of a Greek merchantship. There is a video in there detailing the excavation but it's in Turkish. The next room houses a scale replica of the excavation site. It was fascinating to see where and how things were located. Dispalyed in the following room were some of the artifacts recovered, including a bust of Nefretiti. The display in that room that I found most fasinating was the bulk glass ingots there were carried on the ship. I never really thought about how raw materials were moved in ancient times. I know that wine, olive oil, and other foods were moved about, but I always assumed that you made glass objects if you had a supply of silica and not by importing it from some other location.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/81008Bodrum/photo#5236685925659152770"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SKxyGq8zkYI/AAAAAAAABYk/h4R7yMqUg0A/s288/IMG_1810.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />The second building houses glassware that was excavated amongst the numerous ancient near Bodrum. The room was really dark, making photography dificult, but I was able to capture the following picture. With the darkness and air conditioning, this was actually a nice haven from the intensely bright and searing sunlight outside.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/81008Bodrum/photo#5233753177001353426"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SKIGyO084NI/AAAAAAAABQE/ysC-7qGGO3A/s288/IMG_1706.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />There have been several towers built over the years, I think five in all. Each of the towers houses a different exhibit, but all of them were open. As a side note, there are two exhibits that are not included in the price of admission, one is Glass-Shipwreck exhibit and the other is the artifacts from the tomb of Queen Ada, a Carian queen (according to Lonely Plant). Anyways, they weren't even open for me to go in. Actually, they are only open during the week, so go figure. Anyways, in the English tower is another exhibit of an excavation of a fishing boat. At the entrance, there were two artisans selling their wares. The first was a woman who was selling hand made jewelry she was making right there. Her pieces were pretty but none of them really caught my eye. The second however was an elderly man who was painting with water colors. There was one in particular that I found fascinating. So someone is getting a present when I get home...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/81008Bodrum/photo#5233753491691908082"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SKIHEjJBq_I/AAAAAAAABRU/dR-LiLV4HAY/s288/IMG_1834.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />The view from the castle over looking the harbors, the Aegean, and Bodrum are worth the admission alone. The castle sits right on the pennisula that separates the two harbors that make up Bodrum's waterfront. The Knights Hospitallar built the castle in 1402 to defend the city (also from Lonely Planet). Obviously wanting to see things from afar, the castle offers amazing views. By exploring, you can walk the perimeter walls and capture some lovely photos while listening to the waves lap at the shore. It didn't seem like most of the tourists were willing to wander as I did, so in general I didn't have to fight for elbow room everywhere I went.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/81008Bodrum/photo#5233753272962319090"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SKIG30T1AvI/AAAAAAAABQc/UlmpbDgTKSg/s288/IMG_1737.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />I think the funniest thing I encountered on this whole trip happened while I was exploring the northwest corner of the castle. I was walking along the upper perimeter when I saw this guy taking pictures of this dome with glass fixtures embedded in it while using his hand to cast a shadow. Now, I don't know what he was actually doing, but it looked like he was trying to cast a shadow on the nipple looking glass fixtures. :) Yes, I know I have a dirty mind, but it was really amusing because I couldn't think of anything else it could be. Well, not wanting to pass up an opportunity, I did the same thing. I think he found it amusing that I was trying to do the same thing as him, whatever that was, so we had a good laugh together.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/81008Bodrum/photo#5233753339579788226"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SKIG7seq68I/AAAAAAAABQw/WuMjT-xGfcQ/s288/IMG_1773.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />I finally found my way back out of the museum, and was glad to meet up with Canan and Mert after a little while. They hurriedly got McDonalds for dinner, and we ended up having to rush to the otogar to catch our 9pm bus back to Ankara. Apparently the dolmus that was running between the development and Bodrum were full, so they had to call for a second one which made them later than they anticipated. Basically, it just gave us a workout as we hurried back.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/81008Bodrum/photo#5233753603482226354"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SKIHLDl6jrI/AAAAAAAABR0/AhUoTYvKlhU/s288/IMG_1858.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />Overall, the trip was absolutely amazing. It was a really nice break from the large amount of work I have been doing over the last two months. I really hope the rest of my travels in this country are as nice. Next week, I will be traveling to Malatya for a Turkish chemical engineering conference that my group is attending. As part of the conference, there are two different tours I will be taking. One of which will take me to the town of Urfa, which is 40 miles from the Syrian border. Apparently, it will give me an authentic taste of Middle Eastern life. So, I'll have lots to report when I get back!Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-47967523480725441522008-08-19T11:44:00.000-07:002008-08-19T23:04:42.734-07:00Bodrum Day Two<div style="text-align: justify;">After the french fry fiasco the previous night, I was a little wary of the plans for the day: take a boat cruise. Because the boats leave between 9 and 10, I was dragged out of bed at 7:30, so we could make the trip down to the docks on time. Not wanting to have a bad stomach on the water, I ate lots of bread for breakfast. We took a dolmus down to Bodrum and walked down to the marina. There are several boats belonging to a cooperative that you can buy a seat on. It cost 25YTL for a 8 hour ride, which I thought was a deal. We walked down the marina towards where the boats were moored and were told that the first boat leaving was full. We waited until a second boat started taking passengers and placed our things on board. While waiting for it to depart, we got Cay at a cafe across the street. It ended up being the worst tea we had ever tasted. Oh well, at least I was able to get this photo...<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/81008Bodrum/photo#5233752091399079442"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SKIFzCpMxhI/AAAAAAAABL4/y8f6QW9bzKE/s288/IMG_1342.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">So, here is how the boat trips work. The cruise lasts about 8 hours during which there are 5 stops for about 30-45 minutes each for swimming. At each stop, there is a feature that is fun or interesting about it. The first stop, named the aquarium, has inredibly clear water for it's about 50ft depth. Fish normally are swimming about but not the day we visited, or so I was told. I didn't enter the water until the second stop, bceause of my fear of swimming in anything but pools.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/81008Bodrum/photo#5233752208022963490"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SKIF51GgBSI/AAAAAAAABMQ/0cjkh2hV8z0/s288/IMG_1420.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">At the second stop, we moored up to a dock which has been built to shelter a cave who's mud is supposed to contain some sort of purifying qualities. Not being the type of person that likes rubbing random mud on them self, I decided to go swimming with Canan. We walked over the rocks and crawled in. The water was really warm in parts. The water temperature gradients in pools, lakes, and oceans have always fascinated me. You can swim a few feet and the temperature changes a good 5-10 degrees F. Anyways, at this point I decided to look underwater with my eyes open, and ended up losing my contacts. It was ok since I can see pretty well without them anyways. We climbed back in the boat and laid out on the top deck to dry off and tan.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/81008Bodrum/photo#5233752344589595474"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SKIGBx2hc1I/AAAAAAAABM0/P9IzIoUIN0s/s288/IMG_1456.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The third stop features a deep hole that is supposed to have been made by a meteor. I'm pretty sure this isn't true, but I found it entertaining none the less. I hope in and swam around. This time I had snagged the goggles that Mert had brought along. We swam out to the hole, which is located right next to a cliff that you can climb. At the moment, there weren't any jumpers, but a group later managed to climb up there and a few of them jump off after much yelling and encouragement. The hole is interesting because near the edge, the water is only about 3 feet deep, and then plunges about 200 feet. I dove down to examine the sides of it. I was rewarded by seeing many silvery yet striped fish and a sea urchin. I had never seen one of these outside of an aquarium. It was a deep shade of burgundy. I swan back to the boat where I found lunch waiting for me.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/81008Bodrum/photo#5233752432954366434"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SKIGG7CU2eI/AAAAAAAABSk/Q0OWbFgQCig/s288/IMG_1480.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Because of the giardia, I had brought along some of the simit we has bought the day before to eat for lunch. They ended up serving grilled chicken, with pasta and salad along with bread. I felt that since the chicken was plain that I should be able to eat it with the bread. After several helpings of bread (by stealing Canan's) the chicken was all gone, and I felt refreshed.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/81008Bodrum/photo#5233752380341654162"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/brloyola/SKIGD3CekpI/AAAAAAAABM8/Mm9w2du6iCs/s288/IMG_1469.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">After laying out in the sun for a bit, we arrive at the fourth stop which was located on a narrow shelf before the bottom dropped off into the channel. Our cruise was actually between a long island and the Bodrum coast. The channel was probably pretty deep, making these shelves ideal places to swim with fish because of the clear water. We played around for a while before I climbed out. Onur wanted a picture of him and Canan, so I decided to jump in so we could take a group photo. The other Canan had some along, so she decided to take the picture for us.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/81008Bodrum/photo#5233752539211114226"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SKIGNG36JvI/AAAAAAAABNg/WKXy0bPlCV8/s288/IMG_1515.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The fifth stop made me laugh. The name of the location was Bunny Island. Now the first thing I thought of (which probably isn't a surprise to those who know me) was Playboy Bunnies. :) When I asked about this, everyone thought it was hilarious. We have no idea why it's called Bunny Island other than maybe there is a large bunny population, but we didn't see any. At the other stops, the bottom had been mostly rocky with maybe a little sand. At Bunny Island, the bottom was covered with bunches of long grass. It kinda creeped me out a little, but I found it fun trying to pick out the fish that were living amongst it.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/81008Bodrum/photo#5233752637196256754"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SKIGSz5YxfI/AAAAAAAABN4/cDcx97SsgPA/s288/IMG_1534.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">After climbing back into the boat, we headed back to Bodrum. We got back around 6pm to the dock. The sun hadn't started to set yet, but the lighting on a lot of the boats was stunning. I was able to capture the following photograph of a sailboat, which I think might be one of my best ones yet.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/81008Bodrum/photo#5233752743011616562"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SKIGY-FvBzI/AAAAAAAABS4/2P29sVL7cLE/s288/IMG_1562.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Upon reaching the docks, we set out in search of a birthday cake for Canan, as it was her birthday. After much searching, we ended up going back to the bakery we had been at the day before. Exhausted, we took the dolmus back to the house. Canan's family's house was relatively close by, so she went home to shower while we made dinner. She came back later to celebrate the other Canan's birthday. Sorry, I know all the talk of Canan is probably pretty confusing. What makes it worse is that they are both now blonde. I ended up falling asleep sitting up after having my dinner of bread and water. They sent me to bed and I fell instantly asleep. It had probably been one of the best days I have had all summer.<br /></div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-57531820508111606932008-08-14T12:30:00.000-07:002008-08-16T15:18:53.863-07:00Bus Trip and Day One in Bodrum<div style="text-align: justify;">On Tuesday of last week, Mert and Canan convinced me to go stay with them in Bodrum even though I wasn't getting better. I reluctantly agreed, knowing that I would be seeing the doctor only a few hours before leaving. Fortunately, everything turned out alright though. The best way to get to Bodrum is a 12 hour bus ride. The buses here are different that Greyhound which are normally old and cramped. Here they use charter style buses, and the experience is more like one you would have on an airplane. On every bus there is a driver and a steward. The steward comes around, just like an airline steward, and bring water, drinks, and snacks. You can even get ice cream if you want. The bus terminal becomes crowed around the top and bottom of every hour, as the buses leave every thirty minutes. You can see families waving good bye as the buses back out of their spots and depart. It's a scene that's missing in airports these days.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/81008Bodrum/photo#5233751460707610578"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/brloyola/SKIFOVIor9I/AAAAAAAABJY/0NAgc-5-Hk0/s288/IMG_1130.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I was able to sleep for most of the 12 hour ride. That is, after I finished writing an abstract that was due that Monday. The seats are pretty comfy but still aren't great for sleeping. With my weight loss, the padding on my butt has gone away making it harder to sit for longer time spans. Having left at 9:30pm, we made stops at 1am and 3am. These stops are at places that resemble truck stops in the US. There is always a cafe and a few stores. Most of the time, there is a candy shop with lots of yummy stuff to buy.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I arrived at the Bodrum Otogar (bus station) at around 8am. Canan and Mert couldn't come pick me up for atleast an hour, so I got some Cay and sat down to proof my abstract. They arrived by dolmus about an hour later, and we headed down to the water after putting my bag in let luggage. Bodrum is a small town of around 30K during the winter but explodes to a population of close to a million during the winter. There are several developments of summer houses strewn on top of many of the hills overlooking the bays near the town. It is a resort town that is popular with Turks and Russians. Everyone there speaks English which made everything easier. Near the water is a marketplace with probably close to a hundred shops. Each is selling some sort of knock-off clothing, bags, or accessories or jewelry. The one trick to shopping here though is looking like a local, or atleast a Turk. If you let on that you're a tourist the price instantly goes up. When we bought me a swimsuit, Canan had me say nothing until they gave us a price. :) I even added a good "Evet" or Yes for good effect when she asked if I liked it.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/81008Bodrum/photo#5233751516527943058"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/brloyola/SKIFRlFPXZI/AAAAAAAABJo/UUy_XtCgQzw/s288/IMG_1150.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />There is one shop that is very much worth seeing. There is a bakery that has been located there with 1876 and is very famous. They had all sorts of breads and desserts. We ended up buying a birthday cake for Canan there the next day. Because of the giardia, I could only eat bread, so we got some simit(pronounced see-meet), which is the ring shaped bread covered in sesame seeds that I used to have for breakfast when I first got here. They got some other breads for breakfast, and we headed back to the otogar.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/81008Bodrum/photo#5233751746857417122"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SKIFe_IEOaI/AAAAAAAABKc/762Kg5aN2dc/s288/IMG_1225.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">We got back to Mert's house, and everyone started making breakfast. It included cheese, sausage from the night before, cucumber, tomatoes, olives, and bread. This is the typical Turkish breakfast. A lot of times they also have hard boiled eggs as well. We out everything out on the porch table to eat our breakfast with an view...<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/81008Bodrum/photo#5233751691893516354"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SKIFbyXpqEI/AAAAAAAABKM/gYdtUhK86E4/s288/IMG_1197.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Amazing?!? Yes, that's what I thought too. After breakfast, I got settled and changed into my new swim suit to head down to the beach. We headed down to the beach to swim around and sunbathe. The other Canan joined us after a while, and then we went to the small cafe located on the beach for some sodas and for Canan and Mert to play backgammon. As Football is the national sport, backgammon is the national game of Turkey. You can find people everywhere playing it over cay. We lounged around for about an hour, and then Canan wanted to head back into the water while the other one had to rejoin her family for a volleyball game on another beach.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/81008Bodrum/photo#5233751841103058562"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SKIFkeN-loI/AAAAAAAABK0/6dd-cPSp724/s288/IMG_1251.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Getting tired, I returned to the house to work on my abstract a little more. Needing to hook up to the internet, Canan, Mert and I headed down to another beach's cafe which was supposed to have internet. Unfortunately, their connection was down along with the rest of Bodrum for the weekend. I should have followed the first unwritten rule of the IREE program, always let your advisor know where you are at all times. When I got back on Monday, I had 6 emails from Valeria wondering where I was. Unknown to me, Yoshino had left for Capadoccia the day after I left, so she didn't have internet to tell Valeria where I was either. I had assumed I could get an internet connection in Bodrum, so I hadn't worried about it, but I will in the future.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/81008Bodrum/photo#5233752074514790146"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SKIFyDvq9wI/AAAAAAAABL0/mC3M3_5vdfw/s288/IMG_1337.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">We returned back to the house to make dinner. Well, we started snacking, and I ate some peanuts coated in sesame seeds that I had bought earlier in the day. I had got them in anticipation of feeling better, but since I had been feeling fine all day I decided to give them a try. I ended up eating half the bag, which was mistake number one... Mistake number two was thinking that since I was in charge of making the deep fried french fries, that I should taste them as well. Well, this just ended up making me camp out in the bathroom for 20 minutes. A word of the wise, don't over do it while you have giardia. Exhausted, I turned in for the night shortly after. I fell asleep listening to the waves. It was an amazing day...<br /></div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-40423631787585736522008-08-13T13:31:00.000-07:002008-08-13T14:11:15.785-07:00Many Updates!I'm sorry it has taken me so long to post an update. With tomorrow marking three weeks since getting giardia, I think you'll understand. I will be updating over the next few days, as I have finally ventured out of Ankara and got to see Bodrum, a resort town on the Aegean. There are photos already posted if you're interested on my Picasa site.<br /><br />As bad of an experience as getting giardia has been, it has revealed to me a side of Turkey that a lot of people don't get to see, mainly it's medical infrastructure. Their system is loosely based on ours, using health insurance, but there are marked differences. The first being, you don't need a prescription for anti-biotics. There are definitely pluses and minuses to this system. The most negative effect being that people here take anti-biotics whenever they are sick with anything. They sometimes just skip the doctor and take a random anti-biotic that they were given for prior illnesses. On the other hand, these anti-biotics are really cheap. Cipro is 3YTL ($2.40) for a pack of 20 pills. The second is the difference between state and private health care facilities. The hospital that I went to when I first contracted giardia was one that is run by the government. It's facilities were not as clean, and doctors were much fewer and far between. When I didn't get better, I went to the health center here on campus. All students are able to get health care here at and minimal cost of .8YTL per visit. If you are an undergrad, it is free as health coverage is provided as part of tuition. They have their own microbiology lab here on campus which provided the necessary tests for me for free. If I had been in the US, I would have had to pay at least $200 dollars and that's with health insurance. Here, I haven't had to show anything but my student ID and over all it has cost me maybe 100YTL ($80) without ever showing any insurance information. I was able to find a doctor here that speaks english which helps a lot. And today, I finally started eating foods other than bread and potatoes without any problems. I have been put on a new medication who's generic name is Ornidazol. It's a newer drug not yet available in the US, but it seems to be from France and apparently working. After only eating bread for the past week, I am craving anything with flavor. Thankfully, Turkish food is known for that, but I'll have to ease in as most of it is very oily. <br /><br />Everyone here has been amazing. It's a little weird having people ask you about the intimate details of your bowel movements, but I can't complain since they have been taking me to get my health checkups and translating when necessary. Canan even brought me to her house two Saturdays ago to take care of me when the first medication had completely worn me out. It was really comforting to eat home cooked food, however bland from lack of butter. I was able to lay on her couch and watch American TV. (I have discovered Men In Trees is my new favorite show.) Mert and Canan also insisted I go to Bodrum with them to take a break since I have been working like mad to get everything done. I'll post about that trip tomorrow as it will be long. <br /><br />I guess the one good thing is that I weight less now... At 155 pounds, I am 60 pounds lighter than I was this time last year. 1/3 of that has happened since coming to Turkey. The first 10 pounds I have lost was due to the diet change and running on hills. Unfortunately, the last 10 comes from not eating a whole lot. I tried running a few days ago realized how much stamina I have lost due to lack of my normal caloric intake. Now that I think I am getting better, it'll be nice to eat good tasting food and again start running at full power. Anyways, I need to crash as I worked for 12 hours today and have to tomorrow as well.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-87819958403725104772008-07-30T14:11:00.000-07:002008-07-30T14:36:17.624-07:0033 YTLIf you were wondering how much it cost me for the Emergency Room visit, then that would be your answer. Yes, I know I was astounded too. I really want to go on a rant about how America's health care system is horrible, but I will refrain. <br /><br />I finally found out what they gave me. One of the medications is Flagyl or generically called Metronidazol. Well after looking it up on WebMD, it seems that a lot of people are having a crappy time on it as I am having. Basically the cause of my symptoms from the other night are now being caused by the cure. Well, thankfully I have only one more day on it. The other is called Reflor or generically called <big><small> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saccharomyces_boulardii">Saccharomyces boulardii</a> which is a yeast used to fight diarrhea. <br /><br />It looks like this weekend I'll be going to Sofranbolu with Yoshino. More details to follow...<br /></small></big>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-56308656191724080082008-07-27T10:28:00.000-07:002008-07-27T15:17:49.914-07:00Just when I started to yearn for home...After getting what I think is gardia, I started to become really home sick. With none of the food here sounding remotely palatable let alone good, I really started to miss all the little things from home. Good beer, Mexican food, hamburgers, tap water, cucumbers only in select dishes, and many other things. Well at this point, I decided that I need to go to the mall and eat something from McDonalds. I figured that eating something synonymous with home would hopefully do the trick. Well, I was right. I went to the mall just off of campus called CEPA (pronounced jepa). It is one of the newest in the area, so it is really nice inside. I took the Dolmus out to the gate, and walked along the highway to get there (Yes, it's normal). I walked around a little before heading to the top floor where all the restaurants are located. I got in line and tried placing my order in Turkish, but saying I would like a number 4 is a little hard when you don't know what order the words are supposed to go in. Well, the girl spoke English, so it worked out just fine. Apparently Quarter Pounder is the same in Turkish as it is in English.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/7262008/photo#5227766477752154034"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SIzB6eMct7I/AAAAAAAABI4/ktvE_bEl_vg/s288/IMG_1105.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />My food took a little while to prepare, but when I got it I noticed one significant difference. The burger is inside a styrofoam container. Remember how that used to be the case in the US? I took a taste of the french fries and they tasted exactly like at home. The crunchy oily goodness that are McDonalds fries. I am pretty sure any American could pick them out in a blind tasting test. The Quarter Pounder was equally as delicious. The burger tasted just like it always does. The bun was soft and packed with preservatives. The cheese is the fake American cheese that we have all come to associate with American fast food. And the meat is the unseasoned ground beef that we eat in the US. Now, those might not seem like weird comments to make about something that has caused me such joy, but considering that all meat here is heavily seasoned, the bread here super fresh, and the cheese here vastly different from what we have the US, it is really comforting to eat something with those attributes.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-57674754653281574812008-07-26T22:37:00.000-07:002008-07-27T10:27:45.686-07:00Carbon BlackI don't know if any of you noticed, but I haven't posted once about the research that I am doing. I have been thinking about it for a while, but there was always something far more fun to post about. So, I figure that it's about time to at least mention what I'm doing. As most, if not all, of you know, I work with carbon and glass fiber composite structures. More specifically, I use various methods (ultrasonic waves, electrical resistance, etc) to detect damage to these structures. My work here involves using electrical resistance to detect damage caused by objects impacting a composite panel. Previous attempts have just used the conductivity of the carbon fiber to detect this damage, but I decided to also incorporate the abilities of the group here at METU to also make the plastic matrix (the part that holds the fiber weave together) conductive to increase the resolution and resistivity change before and after impact. Also, making the plastic resistivity will also cause it to be around the percolation threshold, which means that the plastic is just barely conductive, making the resistivity very sensitive to any stretching of the plastic. Measuring this resistivity change, one can determine how much a airplane wing is experiencing during flight.<br /><br />Right now there are two methods that involve carbon to make plastics conductive. The first being Carbon Black which is basically soot. Carbon Black is created by a variety of means, one of which is scraping the soot out of particular furnaces. The other method uses Carbon Nanotubes. These little guys have been hot stuff for the past 10 years or so. They were supposed to be the answer to creating the space elevator and a few other extravagant ideas.<br /><br />Well, I started making Carbon Black (CB) and Polypropylene blends and measuring their conductivity. Well, working with CB is very messy as it sticks to everything. They have used surgical masks in the past to keep from breathing it in, but I found out that they don't work. (See picture...) After creating the blends, I was told that the CB I was using was of a far lesser quality than the one they used in their journal paper a few years ago. So, I will be starting with Carbon Nanotubes this next week. The ultimate goal is to train an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) how to determine the size and location of impact damage only using a series to resistivity measurements inside a sample. An ANN works on the principle of how we and other animals learn which is based on neuron transport and so forth. If anyone is interested you can read about it at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_neural_network">Wikipedia</a>. With any luck, I'll be able to create a conductive polymer carbon fiber composite by the end of the summer that is able to be used to detect damage with in it.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/7262008/photo#5227309960539276690"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/brloyola/SIsitrDOBZI/AAAAAAAABDY/0dJtMZfbfuA/s288/24072008175.jpg" /></a><br /></div><br />One great benefit is that the conductive matrix also makes the composite conductive enough that it should act as a Faraday cage. This is how aircraft (and cars) are protected at the moment from lightning strikes. When the lightning strikes, the electrons within the material move to cancel out the change in voltage causing the electric field within the structure to be zero, protecting the electrical instruments, aircraft structures, and the passengers inside. Present carbon and glass fiber structures in aircraft have copper meshes incorporated in them to act as the Faraday cage. This mesh would be replaced, save precious weight on the aircraft.<br /><br />By conducting this summer research, it will be give me some new techniques to use on my thesis research. This work has also given me a clearer path on which thesis topic to pick. So far, it has been a good research experience.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-60371679873375295312008-07-26T06:09:00.000-07:002008-07-26T06:26:22.951-07:00Özcan's Bday<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/7262008/photo#5227309927440314258"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SIsirvvz75I/AAAAAAAABDQ/ZS8MXHCv46I/s288/23072008173.jpg" /></a><br /></div><br />Özcan(pronounced Er-z-jon roughly =) ) just earned his PhD and will be leaving our group this next week. Thankfully, he was still here for us to celebrate his birthday. We had bought a cake for him on his actual birthday, but the janitor locked the break room before we could take the cake out of the refrigerator. To celebrate, we ended up going to Drunk for dinner. Sertan's wife and Damla's boyfriend, Emre, were able to join us. After a few pints, we all went home.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/OzcanSBdayAtDrunk7222008/photo#5226350581050641186"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SIe6Kb8uCyI/AAAAAAAAA_g/Ji4BuVj2kMo/s288/IMG_0960.JPG" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/OzcanSBdayAtDrunk7222008/photo#5226350864738983890"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SIe6a8xSn9I/AAAAAAAABAQ/GG0g1Nt7K0M/s288/IMG_0976.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />The next day, we were determined to celebrate with the cake. Actually, everyone else was worried the cake would go bad because they weren't sure how long the cake had been in the refrigerator at the store. So we all gathered in Damla's lab, and at my urging sang happy birthday to Özcan. The funny thing is that their version is somewhat inverted. They sing"<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Happy Birthday Özcan,<br />Happy Birthday Özcan,<br />Happy Birthday to you,<br />Happy Birthday to Özcan<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Afterwards, we at the Banana-Chocolate cake and drank tea. It was a blast!<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/7262008/photo#5227309892372002722"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SIsiptG396I/AAAAAAAABDI/0a_KFGi0u98/s288/23072008171.jpg" /></a></div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-59547073939182246742008-07-26T04:54:00.000-07:002008-07-26T06:07:32.872-07:00Communications AbroadSince I don't really want to venture far from my room at this point, I thought I would post on a bunch of topics that I think might be of interest to others on international travel.<br /><br />One of the most under used technologies associated with the internet is the internet phone, most prominently associated with Skype. It took me no more than 10 minutes to get up and running on Skype and to purchase 3 months of "unlimited" calls for about $10 to any number in the US. I put that in quotes because I read the fine print and it says that you have 10,000 minutes under their fair share rules. I don't know about you, but there is no way I can spend 10,000 minutes on the phone. I am able to call my family or friends without having to worry about getting over charged by some random phone company. In fact, the main telephone service provider is Turk Telekom, which is partially owned by the government.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/7262008/photo?authkey=ZhZsQaxE4ys#5227306930902996194"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SIsf9UxpFOI/AAAAAAAABDA/qiYYQya79cg/s288/IMG_1036.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />Cellphone usage is wide spread here. In fact, most people have more than one for some reason. I have read on a few tourism websites on Turkey that cell phones are hard to get or register here. In fact, I had no trouble getting a cell phone through Turkcell, the biggest cell phone company in Turkey. I registered my sim card under Sertan's name, but if I had brought in my passport there would have been no troubles either. If you bring a cell phone from the States, make sure it is unlocked. I believe that it is a simple password that your service provider gives you to input into your phone. All cell phones and sim cards are registered with the Turkish government to prevent the use of cell phones for terrorist purposes.<br /><br />Internet is everywhere here. Most coffee shops and a lot of restaurants have a wireless connection that's available to customers. Here at METU, the internet is relatively fast. In fact, METU is the organization which is responsible for registering all Turkish websites. With internet access, you can use AIM, Yahoo, MSN, or Gtalk to communicate with friends back home. In fact, it is the one thing that I probably couldn't live without here.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-39366752211642972892008-07-26T04:01:00.000-07:002008-07-26T04:53:55.359-07:00Ankara Ataturk Hospital<div style="text-align: justify;">Just like the previous posting regarding when I got traveler's diarrhea, I would like to preface this post with the warning that it is graphic in nature. The sole reason of the in depth description is that it will hopefully aid others on foreign travel in the same situation. I hope that it will be of some comfort to another NSF IREE student who unfortunately ends up in this situation.<br /><br /><hr /><br />I know I haven't posted in a while. I meant to on Thursday night, but I'll explain why that didn't happen. Thursday afternoon, my intestines started to get uneasy. I don't know if any of you know what I'm talking about, but you can tell you about to have an onset of diarrhea. Unfortunately, this is beginning to become a somewhat unpleasantly familiar feeling. Anywho, I went to dinner with this feeling, but then came back to my room. Well over the next few hours, I couldn't retain fluids or food. It all ran right through me. When it started, I started to drink lots of water and took some Imodium. I would like to mention at this point, that other than the diarrhea, I felt completely fine. After a while of not being able to retain water due to diarrhea, I called the UC Davis medical center via Skype. The advice nurse asked me a bunch of questions, then I realized that she was using a computer to determine what I had. She finally arrived at Cholera. She said that I should go to an emergency room soon, because she said that I would start vomiting and my legs would cramp up. Now, I don't know about you, but I started to freak out a little. She told me she hoped I would feel better, and I got off the phone with her.<br /><br />Now, I was freaking out a little, but I knew that my physical condition was alright at the moment, but with it being 11pm, I didn't really want to wait to get checked out. I was afraid of it being 3am with my condition worsening and no one to get a hold of. Thankfully, Damla was online. I imed her and told her about what was going on. She called the METU health center, and they told her to bring me in. She came and picked me up, and we headed to the health center. When we got there, they were in the middle of a more serious situation. A guy who was apparently allergic to bee stings had in fact been stung, and he was having a reaction. Thankfully for him, his reaction wasn't too serious and they were ready to take him to the hospital. The medic said since I didn't have a fever and wasn't vomiting, there was little he could do for me but offered to allow us to go to the hospital with him. Afraid that it might cost a lot of money but knowing that I would probably be better off going, we hoped in the ambulance.<br /><br />When we arrived, I was a little taken a back by the scene. Having never been to an ER before, it looked somewhat like a medical center in a war or disaster zone. People were standing around crying, with blank looks on their faces, looking confused, bloody, and/or tired. We approached the front desk, and Damla explained my situation to the head doctor. We filled out a few forms, and were shown inside. While they were looking for bed to put me in, I asked about the location of a bathroom. They pointed the way, but when I got their, it was one of those floor toilets and it was filthy. Knowing full well that there was no way I could use that in my state without getting covered... (I think I'll leave out the rest of that sentence.) I went back, and Damla asked if there was another bathroom with a pedestal toilet. The steward shook his head no and tried to convince me that going that way was better for me anyways. (Now I have read this is true, but that's only if you are perfectly fine...) I think he saw the scared look on my face, and he took me upstairs to the in-patient ward, and found me a toilet. I was so grateful. Coming back the ER, they found me a bed next to another woman who seemed to be in the same predicament as me. At American hospitals, everything is close to spotless. This hospital was a little too dirty for my taste, but I wasn't really in a position to be picky. There was blood on the floor, but I saw a man going around and cleaning the bed surfaces, so I'm not worried about infections. I laid down, and a nurse came by to hook me up to an IV of saline and sugar and take a blood sample. Considering my statement about the cleanliness, all of the syringes and what not came out of sterile packaging, and she made sure that my arm was clean before injecting me. I laid there for about two hours while the IV rehydrated my body.<br /><br />By this time, Emre, Damla's boyfriend, arrived at the hospital. Because I could only have one person with me, he patiently waited in the car. Damla was kind enough to wait with me in the ER room even though she hates hospitals. I know it's the Turkish way to be hospitable, but I think that's going above and beyond the call of duty. She translated everything the doctor's said. The doctor was very kind, and I was proud of myself that I could answer him when he asked how I was doing. He prescribed two medications for me which I needed to get filled the next morning. They don't have pharmacies at hospitals, because they are so prevalent and cheaper elsewhere. I found out through reading up the medications that he prescribed a medication for diarrhea (obviously), and one for intestinal parasites, mainly Gardia. As soon as I read that, I realized that I had drank water out of a pitcher at lunch. Thinking that is was bottled water, I hadn't really thought much about it. Well it wasn't. In fact, Ankara just switched to using a different river as its water source that was more polluted than the last. Apparently the river has high levels of sulphates in addition to not being filtered for viruses and the like. (This information courtesy of Mert) The medications actually make me feel more sick than the actual original symptoms. I am trying to eat light/bland foods but these aren't as effective at shielding me against the side effects of the medications.<br /><br />I got back to my dorm room at about 2:30am, and I called my mom to tell her what happened and to let her know I was alright. I ended up sleeping until around 7, at which point I stayed in bed until around 9. I went to the pharmacy to get the prescriptions. Not only did the pharmacist speak English, but the prescriptions cost a total of 10YTL. I really couldn't believe it. I am hoping that the medications takes care of whatever I have. Being under the weather away from home really sucks. It really makes you yearn for home.<br /><br />Now, I didn't mention anything about paying. Well that's because I have to return in 10 days to find out what I owe. It looks like I might be able to get a transfer from the METU health center and get a significant discount. If not, I have travel health insurance from the University of California. If anyone else from any UC campus is reading this, if you are on university travel you just have to fill out a short online form and can print out an insurance card which covers up to $100,000. This isn't a whole lot when you consider the price of a significant surgery, but most people should be expatriated back to the US if this happens. And the insurance covers that. So, we'll see how payment works out! I'll keep you posted...<br /></div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-67331497230658527152008-07-22T13:14:00.000-07:002008-07-23T15:57:00.110-07:00The Anatolian Civilization Museum and the Ankara CitadelYoshino and I met around 9am at the Dolmus Otogar to take the dolmus to Ulus. Our plan for the day was to visit the Anatolian Civilization Museum and the Ankara Citadel. We arrived in Ulus at about 9:40am after leaving campus at 9:30. We would have gotten there sooner, but a truck carrying cars had to stop on the freeway because it could not clear an underpass. The truck actually ended up turning around and going backwards up the freeway. The thing I love about this country is, do whatever works the best. He had no where else to go, so he just went slowly up the freeway until he can turn around and get off.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/AnatolianCivilizationMuseum/photo#5225556731329622898"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SIToKTSNs3I/AAAAAAAAA7Q/n6_TOFirXPE/s288/IMG_0627.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />We started to walk up the street in the direction of the citadel and museum, when we started coming across about 100 police officers with riot gear and automatic weapons. Considering that I have only seen automatic weapons at Lawrence Livermore, it was a little unnerving up close. As we proceeded up the street, we encountered more police and then military armed guards. What was going on was some sort of honor ceremony at the Ataturk Monument. It is a monument to the contributions Ataturk and the veterans gave to the revolutionary war effort. A military band was present along with many honor guards. It is really sad that such security is needed to have such a demonstration. I actually called Damla to make sure we were not walking into a potential riot.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/AnatolianCivilizationMuseum/photo#5225556756082021554"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/brloyola/SIToLvfpVLI/AAAAAAAAAzU/Qbr2ZDn__x8/s288/IMG_0629.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />We continued on up the hill where we had to bust out my guidebook to find the museum. We finally made it and paid the admission of 10 YTL. This is pretty pricey compared to the other museums in Ankara which only charge 2 YTL, but I think it was worth it over all. All of the signs are in English which is always appreciated. Entering the grounds, one of the first things you notice is that there are a lot of large stone pots around. According to my Lonely Planet guidebook, the museum is built in a 15th century bedesten (market vault) which comprises the center most room.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/AnatolianCivilizationMuseum/photo#5225556878363826242"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SIToS3B5mEI/AAAAAAAAAzw/m_1UyCopKm0/s288/IMG_0655.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Most of the museums collection is housed on a series of rooms that wrap around the central room which houses large stone carvings from various areas of Anatolia. I guess now is as good a time as any to say that Anatolia is the high plains region on which Ankara sits. It was inhabited and conquered by many different races throughout the centuries because of its centralized location for trade routes. The museum itself it really well laid out and organized. Looking at the pictures that I have posted is probably the best way to get a sense of the history portrayed here. Most of the pictures of artifacts come with a picture of the sign describing it, either before or after the picture of the artifact. The one things I can say about this museum is that it was organized well, and it seemed to be kept up rather well. They are very proud of the fact that they were voted the best European Museum in 1997. I think I'll let the pictures speak for the museum, and people can ask questions about more specifics. See, I want interaction...<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/AnkaraCitadel7202008/photo#5225316376472993410"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/brloyola/SIQNjzq0PoI/AAAAAAAAArk/04reAzlKccY/s288/IMG_0886.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">After spending about two and half hours at the museum, we finally headed up the hill behind the museum to find the Citadel. Because the citadel is a fortified city, the entrance is just a small hole in the wall. We entered through the southern entrance which is overlooked by a clock tower. Walking in, there is a shop on either side of the entrance. Beyond the entrance is a small courtyard. There are a few restaurants located here. The first is the Kale Washington, which is listed in the guidebook as being slightly upscale and that Hillary Clinton was supposed to have eaten here. I don't know if that's true or not, but the restaurant was not physically fancy by western standards but the wait staff was dressed in black and white. The other restaurant is the Zenger Pasa Konagi which is where we ate at because it was supposedly cheaper. The restaurant is three stories, all of which are dimly lit if at all. It really felt like we were going back in time, or at least thousands of miles away from campus or Kizilay. We ended up sitting on the outside deck on the second floor because it was cooler. Upon reaching the second floor, you can see a woman making bread in a small wood burning fireplace.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/AnkaraCitadel7202008/photo#5225316454344238962"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SIQNoVwxJ3I/AAAAAAAAAr4/eut6u946Y-0/s288/IMG_0895.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />I think word has gotten out that their restaurant is in a guidebook, because the food here is not cheap and the portions not large. The two redeeeming factors about this place was that the view was utterly amazing, looking out across most of Ankara, and the chicken that was cooked in a tomato sauce in a ceramic dish was fantastic. It came with a few loaves of the freshly baked bread as well. Yoshino got an eggplant salad because it was the only thing she could find that was light on the menu. She asked for about 4 different salads but was told they were out of all of them. There was also a man and woman who were definitely Americans. We ended up talking to them afterwards and found out that they were working at the American Embassy on short term projects. We ended up deciding to find the first fortification with them. Walking through the streets, you could tell that the people who lived here were by no means wealthy. Most of the roofs were in need of repair, the streets were uneven, and a lot of the houses were crumbling and vacant. We finally found our way, and got to cruise around the fortification. You can see the ports were archers would be stationed. Unlike in the US, there were no guard railings, no security, and definitely no one to tell you that you couldn't play as much as you liked. In fact, as I as climbing around on the top level, I noticed that the drop was about 100 feet at least. In California, that would be a law suit waiting to happen...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/AnkaraCitadel7202008/photo#5225316483404687474"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SIQNqCBUaHI/AAAAAAAAAug/4A4DcdMVfmM/s288/IMG_0898.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />We had seen an additional fortification in the distance, and decided to go check it out. Although it was a really hot day, it was a good excuse to explore the streets some more. Although the streets are somewhat like a maze, they are easy to navigate using just intuition. We finally got to the second fortification and found out it was fenced off with barbed wire. Taking the hint that there was no trespassing allowed, we headed back to Ulus to take the bus back to Kizilay.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/AnkaraCitadel7202008/photo#5225316798650742978"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SIQN8YZ1eMI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/FM9nsqrvPK0/s288/IMG_0934.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />There are three types of buses in Ankara. First is the Dolmus (which I'll blog about soon enough), city buses that can only be ridden if you have pre-bought tickets, or buses that have a man in the back who takes YTLs. The cost for all these modes of transportation is 1.5YTL per trip. We took a bus which took money back to Kizilay where we hoped on a Dolmus for the ride back to campus. Since it had been a really long day, I took a shower and updated this blog a bit. It was a really fun day...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/AnkaraCitadel7202008/photo#5225316710034543746"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SIQN3OSFlII/AAAAAAAAAs4/1JybhuWwDCM/s288/IMG_0927.JPG" /></a><br /></div></div></div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-2533635476502897532008-07-22T11:49:00.001-07:002008-07-22T13:14:10.372-07:00The Weekend<div style="text-align: justify;">A lot of little things happened this last weekend which then ended with a big trip to the Anatolian Museum and Ankara Citadel.<br /><br />Friday night, Damla and I had nothing to do, so we decided to go to Drunk (Yes, that's the name of the bar/restaurant) for a few drinks and dinner. She invited her friend to come along, as he had nothing better to do as well. As skeptical as I was about a placed called Drunk, it was actually quite nice. The place was packed which meant there were no seats in the really cool garden. The garden seating consisted of coffee table style tables that are surrounded by large pillow like chairs. We ended up getting a table just outside of the garden. Damla's friend recommended a chicken dish specific to this restaurant, so I decided to give it a try. It was grilled chicken with a demi glace and frech fries. It was yummy. In addition to the 1.5L of beer I drank, I was one happy camper. It was really great sitting and talking with them. After dinner, her friend's friend arrived, and we all chatted until I was ready to fall asleep around 10pm.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/718192008/photo#5225543042218281810"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SITbtfXvS1I/AAAAAAAAAx8/k0KT4JRIU7A/s288/IMG_0583.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />With Valeria leaving on the Monday, we wanted to get together one last time to see some part of Ankara. They hadn't seen any of the malls yet, so we took the Dolmus to the METU gate, and walked to the CEPA mall. This mall is newer and bigger than ARMADA, as well as being within walking distance. Valeria wanted to eat Iskender Kebop, which I described in my posting about my dinner with Duygu. We found a restaurant that served it and had a nice lunch. After lunch, we decided to split up as Valeria had to change Zev (her 6 month old son). Yoshino and I roamed the mall. I had been wanting a pair of blue jeans since I got here, so I walked into the coolest looking store I could find. This ended up being Mavi, which is like the Turkish version of American Eagle. With the help of the salesmen who spoke passable English, I was able to get a nice pair of jeans. Apparently, I have lost enough weight on this trip to have dropped a whole pant size. To my surprise, they also were selling 1stanbul shirts. Yes, the first letter is a number one. According to the tag:<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">"This t-shirt has been exclusively designed in support of Istanbul's bid to be the European Capital of Culture in 2010. The European Capital of Culture program, launched in 1999 bu the EU Council and Parliament, will ensure Istanbul's integration with Europe's most conprehensive cultural event. "<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The tag also mentions that the shirt was designed by Ulas Eryavuz. Well, in my excitement, I didn't know that I was looking through women's shirts, so the salesman had to come up and ask show me where the men's shirts were. We definitely got a good laugh out of that one. I was also able to buy another shirt. The pants ended up costing 80YTL and the shirts cost 25YTL a piece. If you are doing the math, that's about $112. I didn't think that was too bad considering that Levi's go for $175 a pair here.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/718192008/photo#5225543093741314306"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/brloyola/SITbwfTyYQI/AAAAAAAAAyM/dTW-D8DU57E/s288/IMG_0588.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />We met back up with Valeria, Zev, and her husband Vincent for dessert and coffee. I got two scoops of ice cream, one of caramel and the other contained candied fruit. Upon finishing, we each went to get a cup of turkish coffee. Trying to use my phrasebook as much as possible, I used the phrase for Turkish coffee without sugar. Well, apparently what it means is coffee without sugar, so instead of getting Turkish coffee, I got filtered coffee.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/718192008/photo#5225543109441986706"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SITbxZzHoJI/AAAAAAAAAyQ/uLbeWRm6fFg/s288/IMG_0590.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">We chatted for a while before returning back to campus. Back at her guesthouse, we discussed our research projects before leaving them to pack. Yoshino and I decided to meet the next morning at 9am to head towards Ulus to see the museum and citadel.<br /></div></div></div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-6341839780762619992008-07-21T15:30:00.000-07:002008-07-21T15:54:55.157-07:00Water<div style="text-align: justify;">I have always known that I drink a little more water than other people. I generally have at least 2 gallons a day or about 6 of my 1L Nalgenes. Well, this has never been a problem back home, but here in Turkey where the tap water is not safe for foreigners to drink, it becomes a concern. Before I left, I bought a water filtration water bottle from Katadyn with an extra set of filters. I thought that this would easily see me through the summer, but I quickly found out how tiresome it is to drink from it all the time. You have to pull water through 3 separate filters by either squeezing the bottle, suction, or both. Enter, the ever present bottled water. Unlike in the States, bottled water here is very common, very cheap, and very clean. I think by now everyone has heard that bottled water in the US is a joke. Some companies are bottling tap water or worse. Here, the label on the side tell you what has been filtered out and to what concentration. You won't find labels in the US stating that they have filtered out Fekal Streptecoc (which I assume is Fecal Streptococcus) or Koliform Bak (Coliform Bacteria). Now bottled water in .5L or 1.5L bottles is relatively cheap, at maybe 1.5YTL(~$1.25) for 1.5L, but the cheapest and more convenient option is getting 5 gallon jugs of water delivered. There must be at least 10 different companies servicing the campus. All you have to do is catch the delivery man, and give him either 5YTL for a jug or 15YTL for the jug and pump (pompa in Turkish). My water comes from the Saka company but there is also Aqua Turka and many others to choose from.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/718192008/photo#5225543224668326050"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SITb4HDOCKI/AAAAAAAAA-o/YWFu6oZQjac/s288/IMG_0621.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />Now, why do so many people drink bottled water here when it's only really unsafe for foreigners? Well, Ankara's water is heavily chlorinated. In fact, so much so it has caused my hands to peel (Thank god for Nivea hand lotion)! Apparently the taste is awful, but atleast it is safe for them to drink. Now, why is it unsafe for foreigners? Well the reasoning is along the same lines as Traveler's diarrhea, we just aren't accustomed to the strains of bacteria present and developed a resistance to them. If I was going to be here more than 3 months, I might attempt to become accustomed to save some money, but I want to be healthy for when I get home. So, if you're traveling abroad, I would definitely bring a water filtration system but look for a safe alternative source as soon as you arrive, especially if you'll be staying awhile.<br /></div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-61728601267866315042008-07-21T11:43:00.000-07:002008-07-21T15:05:19.194-07:00Chinese Food in Altin Park<div style="text-align: justify;">Sorry about not updating for a while, but things have been really busy. My advisor visited for about a week, so between meeting with her and arranging experiments it has been nuts here. I have been able to sneak out and see some new things though. Hopefully in an hour, I will be able to write about them all...<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/EatingChineseFoodInAltinpark/photo#5225540765436028914"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SITZo9sjJ_I/AAAAAAAAAwQ/DedcrrJZ7-s/s288/IMG_0532.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Last Wednesday, Mert and I went up to Ulus to get some electronics components that I needed. It was a good thing he came along, because there was no way I was going to get by with hand signals and my phrasebook. Well, Canan and Damla met us at the Kizilay. We caught a bus and headed towards Altinpark, although only Mert knew where we were going. He wanted to take us to one of the very few Chinese restaurants in the city. We got off in the middle of what seemed to be a random neighborhood, so I thought we were going to come hole in the wall. Well upon walking down the street, we came to the entrance to a <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Altinpark+ankara,+Turkey&ie=UTF8&ll=39.966135,32.880771&spn=0.008223,0.016072&t=h&z=16">very large park</a> (Google Map). On the way, he had told me that he hoped this place was still open. When we got there, it looked like it was indeed closed permanently. We arrived at 7pm, and the door was locked. From the photo below, you can also see there was nothing in the display case. Well after trying the door, we started to walk out of the coury yard, and a man appeared in the window. They had apparently closed the door because it was cold. I have never heard of needing to lock a door to keep warm, but to each his own apparently.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/EatingChineseFoodInAltinpark/photo#5225540820546753922"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SITZsK_-FYI/AAAAAAAAAwc/hew_YubwBHU/s288/IMG_0536.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">We were seated on the back deck which overlooked a large man-made pond. There were several fountains around with an covered roller-skating rink on across the pond. We decided to get the meal for 4, as well as beer.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/EatingChineseFoodInAltinpark/photo#5225540884272412274"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SITZv4ZWdnI/AAAAAAAAA-g/NLh5jb_KAWo/s288/IMG_0543.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />They first brought out the best Hot and Sour soup I have ever had in my life. One of the reasons it was so good was that it was actually loaded full of the solid ingredients. Because pork is not commonly available in Turkey, lamb was used. It was at this point that Mert explained that a few years ago, Ankara participated in a cultural exchange with a city in China. The arrangement was for a few people from each city to move to the other and setup a restaurants. The purpose of this exchange was to not only broaden the culinary horizons of the city, but to train local cooks in international cuisine. Well, I am very happy they did...<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/EatingChineseFoodInAltinpark/photo#5225540853057119106"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SITZuEHC44I/AAAAAAAAAwk/WKNf-ep-oQs/s288/IMG_0538.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/EatingChineseFoodInAltinpark/photo#5225540873078631042"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SITZvOsi6oI/AAAAAAAAAwo/F08-g1ZFpuU/s288/IMG_0540.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />Next, wantons and egg roll were brought out. The wantons were served with a soy sauce infused with garlic. It was really good. Afterward, the main courses were brought out. Everything was so good, that we finished off everything. I really enjoyed the chicken in the chili sauce. The sun was setting by this time, and several of the fountains were lit with colored lights. After the dinner dishes were cleared away, fried banana balls were brought out. Chunks of bananas were dipped in a batter and deep fried. They were then coated with honey mixed with sugar which created a hard sugary shell around each one. To finish off the meal, the best tasting Jasmine tea was brought out. The tea looked almost completely clear, but at the most distinctive Jasmine taste I have ever encountered.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/EatingChineseFoodInAltinpark/photo#5225540897486723570"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SITZwpn42fI/AAAAAAAAAww/i7sblh94KYw/s288/IMG_0545.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/EatingChineseFoodInAltinpark/photo#5225540939184420754"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SITZzE9ZN5I/AAAAAAAAAw8/jau-YyKYgWE/s288/IMG_0551.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/EatingChineseFoodInAltinpark/photo#5225540955401695346"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SITZ0BX5MHI/AAAAAAAAAxA/WHLIlq45ugE/s288/IMG_0554.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />After dinner, we decided to take a stroll through the park. The sun had completely set by this time which caused the coolness of the night set in. Because we were so full, we took out time walking across what turned out to be an enormous park. Halfway through, we came upon a roasted corn and ice cream stand. Damla decided that she wanted some ice cream. So, her and I both got ice cream sandwiches. What seemed to be a father, son, and daughter were delighted to find out I was an American and even happier to find out I was Californian. The father started to make movie-making hand gestures. He told Damla that they should move to California to sell corn and ice cream. I think they would make a killing back home...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/EatingChineseFoodInAltinpark/photo#5225541045746563106"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/brloyola/SITZ5R7yeCI/AAAAAAAAAxY/LvjimgVvArY/s288/IMG_0563.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/EatingChineseFoodInAltinpark/photo#5225541093732099938"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/brloyola/SITZ8Esbp2I/AAAAAAAAAxk/7SOfDEQe6b4/s288/IMG_0567.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />Anyways, back to the ice cream sandwiches. The "bread" part was made out of the same stuff that our cheaper ice creams cones are made of. I think everyone knows what I'm talking about. I decided on caramel and chocolate ice cream. Now, Turkish ice cream is made partially from water buffalo milk, so it is very elasticy but really good. We caught a bus heading back to Kizilay, and ended up going to a really awesome bar near Tunali street. There were several very low tables that were surrounded by large fluffy pillows. The red lighting was really low, giving the place a very mellow and romantic feel. It made me wish someone was here....Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-75694721834672573642008-07-17T14:34:00.000-07:002008-07-17T15:54:58.462-07:00Ankara Ethnography and Sculpture/Portrait Museums<div style="text-align: justify;">Last Saturday, I decided to venture out on my own to find two museums that were supposed to me enjoyable near the border of Kizilay and Ulus (new and old Ankara respectfully). I left my dorm and took the dolmus to Kizilay and decided to walk the half a mile to the museums. Well that was at 10am. Thinking that I could get there by 10:30, I knew I would have plenty of time for when the museums closed at 12:30, to see one of them, and see the other after lunch. Well, I was wrong, I didn't get to the museums until 12:45. That's because I couldn't find the museums because none of the streets in Ankara are marked, and Ankara is a very 3-d city. By that I mean, there are lots of streets that have been dug out of hills with other streets crossing over head that look like train tracks. So, needless to say, it took me a while to find them.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/PaintingSculptureMuseum7122008/photo?authkey=JvGgqx-XY7k#5224104814561389170"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/brloyola/SH-_pn1W6nI/AAAAAAAAAkk/QaEvB4Pu-6w/s288/IMG_0358.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">When I got there, I found out both museums open at 1:30 instead of one opening at 1 and the other opening at 1:30. I ended up sitting in front of the museums which gave me a gorgeous view of Western Ankara. I could see Atakule (Ankara's version of the space needle),<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/EthnographyMuseum7122008/photo#5224111360831570418"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/brloyola/SH_FmqlywfI/AAAAAAAAAo0/p7KopB-Fjnc/s288/IMG_0419.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />Ataturk's Mausaleum,<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/EthnographyMuseum7122008/photo?authkey=8avQ2YKeqJg#5224106057829662162"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SH_Ax_XnPdI/AAAAAAAAAl0/KQua3V4LZ2c/s288/IMG_0401.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />and Ulus.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/EthnographyMuseum7122008/photo?authkey=8avQ2YKeqJg#5224106077132227010"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SH_AzHRtAcI/AAAAAAAAAl4/bADASauNgBQ/s288/IMG_0408.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">So at 1:30, I went inside the Ethnography Museum. First off, both museum buildings are from the Ottoman era. They have gorgeous stone work on the outside and equally gorgeous plaster and wood work on the inside. My guide book had noted that the automatic lighting would drive me mad. Well, it was right. Each room has a motion sensor for the main lighting, but each display case has its own motion sensor for its internal lighting. So, if you don't sway in front of a display case, the light will go off. This got old really fast. Other than that, this museum was interesting. It mostly described the different technical arts in Turkish history: Rug making, metal work, caligraphy, coffee making, wood working, tile making, and a few others.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/EthnographyMuseum7122008/photo#5224106235013561970"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SH_A8Tbi_nI/AAAAAAAAAoc/F_-fIV4XxYI/s288/IMG_0443.JPG" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/EthnographyMuseum7122008/photo#5224106269059861330"> <img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SH_A-SQ0S1I/AAAAAAAAAmk/Zyyh11dTwrQ/s288/IMG_0450.JPG" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/EthnographyMuseum7122008/photo#5224106491699790178"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/brloyola/SH_BLPqUAWI/AAAAAAAAAnU/2YpHwuoA0uQ/s288/IMG_0475.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I think most interesting part of the museum was the main hall. On the walls, were pictures of Ataturk's funeral precession to his mausoleum. In American history, I think the only person that remotely comes close to the respect and awe that the Turkish people have for him would be George Washington. If you would like to know more about Kemal Ataturk, you should look him up on Wikipedia. In the center, is a memorial to him. In fact, in front there is a large statue of him riding one of his horses.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/EthnographyMuseum7122008/photo#5224106362138183602"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/brloyola/SH_BDtAax7I/AAAAAAAAAm4/w2K3Letpq1w/s288/IMG_0463.JPG" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/EthnographyMuseum7122008/photo#5224106321696796530"> <img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SH_BBWWcL3I/AAAAAAAAAmw/bd2z_ro_Fv4/s288/IMG_0459.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/EthnographyMuseum7122008/photo#5224106096766837090"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SH_A0Qa9YWI/AAAAAAAAAl8/vOTzIy5Gaec/s288/IMG_0422.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The painting and sculpture museum was lots of fun. I somehow got in for free. The security guard at the door was the same one that I tried talking to at the gate. She led me inside and pointed upstairs. There was a group of school children here as well. They milled about and snapped photos with their cell phones. It was a very normal museum as far as art goes. The organization was a little lacking as well as signage but it wasn't too big of a deal. One room in this museum was left how it was when these museum buildings were originally built. The detailing around the room is quite amazing. The room was filled with a few dining room sets as well as a couch and chairs. It was probably the best display from both museums. <br /></div></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/PaintingSculptureMuseum7122008/photo#5224104970654897378"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SH-_ytU81OI/AAAAAAAAAlE/JlNERYBIdsw/s288/IMG_0498.JPG" /></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/PaintingSculptureMuseum7122008/photo#5224105026278080946"> <img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SH-_18ijQbI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/zWbcBMG-YRc/s288/IMG_0504.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">In reference to what I was saying about the rooms earlier, each room was sheetrocked and waiting with white paint to mimic a lot of other museums. I wish they had left the rooms alone, and just hung the paintings on the wood paneled walls that probably still exist behind the sheetrock. There was one painting in particular within this museum that really caught my attention. It is of three women with two children. It is a simple painting without much detail, but the lighting and warmth of the scene is really great. I don't particularly have "sophisticated" taste in art, so I normally just go with what I like or moves me. <br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/PaintingSculptureMuseum7122008/photo#5224105064133719602"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SH-_4JkCdjI/AAAAAAAAAlc/gFH6HSe190o/s288/IMG_0509.JPG" /></a></div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-81225519052685707352008-07-12T08:44:00.000-07:002008-07-21T11:26:49.838-07:00Dinner and Mojitos<div style="text-align: justify;">Duygu and I met up again on Thursday night in Kizilay with the express purpose of getting mojitos. First we went to dinner, where I got Iskender Kebop and she's got _____. Before the main dishes came, they brought is a type of Muslim puff bread, the salsa like stuff I have talked about, a yogurt soup with barley and chick peas, and a standard salad. I always look forward to this part of the meal because it is a fresh way of starting out before a normally heavy main course.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/DinnerAndMojitos71108/photo#5221868338729922786"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SHfNlmHbMOI/AAAAAAAAAis/ptxXm7ho0pk/s288/IMG_0293.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">After a while our food arrived. Her dish was kofte like meat that is wrapped in phyllo and baked. Once it is crispy, a tomato sauce is drizzled over it, and it is served with yogurt. My dish is kebop meet that is spread on top of a bread that is fried until crispy and then smothered in a tomato sauce. It is served with roasted tomatoes and peppers and a side of yogurt.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/DinnerAndMojitos71108/photo#5221868404779880946"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SHfNpcK9kfI/AAAAAAAAAi8/P1rEBfG1c3g/s288/IMG_0297.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">For dessert, we got a really interesting type of dessert. I can't find the name, so I'll have to Duygu tomorrow when I see her. But it is like chinese noodles that have been pressed around a layer of cheese and then fried quickly to make it crispy, then it is smothered in honey. To top it off, a scoop of kaymak is put on top. Kaymak is really thick Turkish creme. It has been explained to me as the creme that is at the very top of the container when the creme completely separates from the milk. Duygu was really disappointed in this dessert because the cheese was actually put on the top or bottom of the noodles. Also it was served with Turkish ice cream instead of kaymak. Not knowing the difference, I enjoyed it. I'm excited about trying different types of ice cream however. There are lots of vendors in Kizilay. I am also looking forward to tasting kaymak soon.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/DinnerAndMojitos71108/photo#5221868481327238754"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/brloyola/SHfNt5VRjmI/AAAAAAAAAjM/Af0sGpecpz0/s288/IMG_0301.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">After dinner, we started walking around looking for a place that served mojitos. Duygu bashfully told me that she didn't know of a place in Ankara that served good mojitos. She explained if we were in Istanbul, London, or Portugal then she could take me to a place she knows is good. We tried to go to Corvus Pub which is the middle level of a three level building with a different bar/restaurant on each level. They didn't have any seating outside or that was quiet, so we walked across the street to Twister. We grabbed a seat outside and asked for two mojitos. After about 20 minutes they finally arrived. Unfortunately, they weren't very good. The mojitos were really weak, and it tasted like they may have used vodka instead of rum.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/DinnerAndMojitos71108/photo#5221868530968209762"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SHfNwyQmqWI/AAAAAAAAAj8/fULUTUxwQwU/s288/IMG_0303.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />After a while, I decided that beer was a good idea so we each ordered .7L of Efes. We talked over the beers for a good two hours. They kept refilling our little bowl of popcorn. It really funny how much Duygu can eat for being so thin. The most surprising part of the evening was the bill for the drinks. For really bad mojitos, we paid 14YTL a piece! That's about $12! I couldn't believe it, but I had been warned by Damla and Canan that hard alcohol was very expensive here. I guess I am just spoiled with Havana in Walnut Creek. I think I can live with just beer during this trip. I happen to know that I'll be getting my fill of harder stuff when I get home... At about 9pm, Duygu got a call from her father saying that she needed to be home in about an hour. We talked for a bit more and then she walked me back to the Dolmus station or Dolmus otogar. It was a great night!<br /></div></div></div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628239615760525508.post-83765093293574136972008-07-12T07:16:00.000-07:002008-07-12T08:11:39.225-07:00Lunch at Armada<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/7808/photo#5221130435807448194"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/brloyola/SHUud_hIjII/AAAAAAAAAg0/HMjhXe3rKz8/s400/IMG_0265.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />Canan (the blond one and yes there are two) needed a laser printer to print her thesis a few times, so we decided to get lunch at Armada. Everyone suggest that I should get Doner Kebop, because I had not tried it before. So if you don't know anything about Doner Kebap, it can be found across Europe and parts of the Middle East from small little carts to sit-down restaurants. Doner Kebop is sliced meat that s stacked on a vertical rotisserie. You can either get it as Tavuk (chicken) or as straight Kebop (layers of lamb and sometimes beef). My sandwich was very good, and it had lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and some red pepper flakes on it.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/7808/photo#5221130414789138610"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/brloyola/SHUucxN-mLI/AAAAAAAAAgw/_CjHcc9u-oc/s288/IMG_0262.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br />I just happened to look at the menu of the McDonalds behind me, and I saw the most atrocious thing. They now have a Mega Mac. I don't know if these are available in the US, but that is just ridiculous. Remember when everyone complained when McDonalds was made to provide the nutrition details of the Big Mac, and people were aghast at how bad it is for you? Well, this just blows me away. That things must be something like 1500 calories. Bleh...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/brloyola/7808/photo#5221130453599182610"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/brloyola/SHUufBzA3xI/AAAAAAAAAg4/-ZdH56ITFn0/s288/IMG_0266.JPG" /></a></div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15922639308465722986noreply@blogger.com0