Turkey, Revisited !. Review on Turkey, General

This is the third occasion in less than two years, my business tour took me to Turkey. Every time I have some thing new, as if some are rediscovered!

Business visit to any country is always hectic and also demanding, since some meetings get rescheduled and prioritized to maintain focus on the goal for such visit. Usually one cannot expect to be a normal tourist on such trips. This time my wife accompanied me knowing fully well, I will have not time to go round with her see the places of interest like a tourist. She had to accommodate my official engagements and in late evenings and in betweens we could manage some breaks with our professional acquaintances, which turned to be our local friends. The biggest gain for us to know some of them quite closely on this time and also their knowing us on our cultural background.

We started early morning on the 12th from Sahar Airport in our own Mumbai by Emirates (as I planned to spend two days in Dubai on return for business reason) and reached our destination in Ankara by late 2 am (local time) …..almost after 20 hours after. It is taxing no doubt, particularly with sharp change in climate. Ankara in mid night is around 2 to 3 deg. C at this point of time. Though it was raining time to time (when we left for Istanbul on the 15th late afternoon) and we could feel chilling effect within our warm wrappings, but it was a pleasant experience.

Bilkent hotel where we stayed was full to the brim as was hosting members of an Educational Conference. So young and old faces from many countries were seen everywhere, particularly at Business Centre, being busy with PCs. For my office messages, I had to queue this time unlike previous occasion. Though laptop is helpful, but carrying that weight plus luggage for two and gifts (with specials sweets) for Turkish clients and friends were little awesome. Turkish people share gifts and typical sweets known as Turkish Delight which they bring for us when they come to India. It is a delightful custom, a mix of oriental and central Asian culture. This, I feel, breaks the ice easily and interactions become easier.

While in Ankara, we visited a restaurant for dinner at an exotic location in an old fort on the hill, which tells many a story of the past of Turkey and their heritage. It resembles the aura of the forts in Rajasthan. All fortresses like that in Jaipur were planned on similar consideration…security and safety of the loyalty and its resident subjects. It brings in the mystery of medieval era of emperors and empresses, kings and queens who lived and journeyed through this world. The left imprints rather their mark on such heritages we see and relive the history. We could see some part of twinkling Ankara from a height and distance…a wonderful experience in the night!

We also had a dinner at a midtown restaurant Coconot known for Turkish delicacies. Unless one acquires the taste of their vegetarian food (which bland and baked kind) with all kinds of green salads, it is difficult to get food of Indian taste. …really tough for a strictly vegetarian. My wife lived mostly on breads (all kinds of breads available) and butter and tomato/lintel soup and breakfast with omelet/scrambled eggs and juices of all kinds. Turkey has wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables so alluring and great to eat, provided we could cook in our Indian ways.

We mostly had quick lunches with a lintel soup with bread and butter and green salads while in Ankara. It was enjoyable and without any trouble to our stomach.

In Istanbul, we stayed near Taksim Plaza…a very interesting place at a central and vibrant location on European side. I stayed almost same location during all visits. This time we stayed in Point Hotel, which is renamed from Taksim Plaza Hotel to present one after renovation with major expansion. Last time I stayed at Perksa Hilton close to Bosphorus. Istanbul was pleasant in cold climate; of course, some rains/drizzles brings about a chill in the atmosphere that makes it so special with its dynamic way of life…people are always on the move. It resembles our own Mumbai in its commercial phase of life…fast and moving!

Every time we have walked through ever moving human flow through Istekal street…a small lane with central tram line, where people of all ages (particularly youngsters) are almost always found to be walking up and down throughout the day till mid nights. Both sides have shops for food, articles, restaurants that add variety to the entire atmosphere. As if, it reflects a constant happening environment with large conglomerate of people. Taksim plaza itself is wide and expansive centre spot in that locality, where one can stand or sit to watch the city moving in front of the eyes.

This time we discovered just two days before leaving Istanbul a restaurant for Indians and Pakistanis run by a young couple from Pakistan. They are running for two years and strangely, I have missed it on earlier two occasions. They provide Indo-Pak delicacies. Not only my wife who was relieved by getting her kind of vegetable dishes, but also our local Turkish representative relished the food, particularly Tarka Dal, sabjis and kababs. Though Turkish non-vegetarian food constitutes kebabs (as they call it) of all varieties to a great extent, but they have more of Central Asian touch in cuisine.

Other interesting part was a local popular coffee in a joint right on the coast of Bosphorus. It tasted so much in the drizzling evening soiree on penultimate evening we spent with our local rep., who took us there to spend some time over coffee while chatting and looking at wavy Bosphorus banging the coast time and again.

We also had a quick visit to Grand Bazaar (where I went on earlier occasion) to purchase some gifts for colleagues and friends in India. We bought beautiful Turkish bangles, wall hangings with evil eye prominently placed, gift boxes etc. We also had an episode; while getting out of the taxi to Bosphorus after the purchase from Grand Bazaar at a distant location, we forgot to pick up the packet. Being local person, our local rep. And my colleague could retrieve it from Taxi station near Grand Bazaar with articles in tact. We do hear such cases occasionally in India, where human values are not totally lost.

Earlier visits were in the month of July and early October last year, when we have not seen the advent of winter, which is quite harsh in later stages when it snows particularly in Ankara. This time we could have had some glimpse of it in rains, but the journey was really pleasant. The memories we carried back home of the people and these two cities are such that we salute them with a Salaam and a Namaste (not Salaam Namaste movie style) in our own way!