Sins of the Gulttonous

Murat & Samet...Masters at Work

The battle to keep the weight off has opened up a new front as more dinners and teas are on schedule as our departure approaches. Our last update had us heading upstairs to Murat Bey's home for homemade çiğ köfte, patlican (egg plant) and kebaps.
Stanley and I tried to help out with massaging the bulgar and ground sirloin but gave up after a quarter of an hour. Samet, Murat's son took the lead and continued to finesse the mixture of meat, spices, onion and peppers to a smooth consistency. Over an hour of work was needed before he announced it ready.Samet & Stan

Samet Takes the Lead

Following traditional Ottoman hospitality our plates were loaded for us and when they were too full to hold any more the food was placed in stacks on the table next to our plates...waiting patiently for their turn to be funneled into our distressed mid-sections.The First Course

We gave a valiant effort and were rewarded with Turkish coffee, followed by a Mastic pudding and Ice Cream, all washed down with a final set of scalding hot çay. While I was terribly uncomfortable with all we had to eat...it will go down as one of the most delicious meals I have ever eaten....simply an amazingly succulent mixture of flavors and spices.
The next morning Stanley asked if he could have the remainder of the Çiğ Köfte for breakfast. I am going to miss that kid.
Here it is 6 days later and my hands are still stained red and smelling of onion, spices and garlic...a morning scent-memory of the sins of the gluttonous.
In just a few hours we head upstairs again...this time to another neighbor's apartment for whatever their definition of a "light meal" is. May God help us all.

City of the World's Desire to City of Angels

Down to just 18 days till we leave the City of the World's Desire and land in Los Angeles...and things are going pretty smoothly with the transition. Much of it is easy because we are keeping the attitude that this move to the states is just a "trip".
We will keep our apartment, truck and the stuff of life in Istanbul. Plans are made to return for the month of July to visit our Istanbulu family and take care of tax payments and vehicle inspections.
Our permanent return to Istanbul is scheduled for January to March of 2010. The kids are already having separation anxiety issues with leaving Turkey...mainly with friends and food. Tomorrow evening, Murat Bey, our neighbor, (who makes the world's best Ciğ Köfte) is having us up for dinner and a crash course in how to make the spicy raw ground meet delicacy. It is a huge issue for Stanley who is famous in our neighborhood for his ability to eat the stuff in amazing quantities. He wanted to learn so he can make it while in LA.
Our calendar is still filling up...if you or your friends want us to visit your neighborhood to chat about the great nation of Turkey and the tribes and peoples who live along the ancient Silk Roads, send us a note...we would love to hang out with you and tell you the stories of life as we live, travel and wander on the far side of the world.

A Short Walk in the States....Insallah

We are just 3 weeks away from heading back to the states for a year. Our days are full of visiting, trying to figure out what "20 kilograms" per person of baggage merits making the list of things to take and trying to get in our last minute goodbyes.
We arrive in LA on February 24 and will spend the next month between LA, San Diego, Bakersfield, Grants Pass and Seattle. Our house in Brea will be open in June and then we can settle down and get back to the business of making some money to return to Turkey and visiting our family and friends.
Our return to Istanbul will hopefully be quick...we are keeping our flat and truck in the care of our Istanbulu family and have tentative plans to return in August to lead a tour and celebrate Ramazan with our neighbors. We are already missing Turkey and we haven't even left yet.
If you want to hook up with us while we are in the states give us a hoot...our calendar is filling fast. For more on the August tour head to Silk Road Expeditions.

Back in the Saddle

Shopping With Ercan & His Posse

Yep...we are back in the saddle and thanks to SRJ's comment we are now expected to produce something other than sympathy and whines for our vast contingency of 6. We arrived in Istanbul about 10 days ago and were immediately smothered in love and affection from our Istanbulu family and neighbors.
Since we had been away for 4 weeks we all needed to catch up and make up for the "visiting time" that we had lost. Our first few days our friends were inseparable, even to the point of hanging with us as we went grocery shopping to fill our empty cupboards.
Before we knew it New Year's Eve was upon us and we were expected to be at Levent's house for a celebration that started at 6pm and ended somewhere around 5am New Year's Day...we bailed about 3am after exhausting our Turkish and dancing skills.
New Year's Eve at Levent's

Things have now settled back to normal and we are grateful for the chance we had to turn our Turkish off and power down for a bit in the UK.
Now, we are busy preparing for our first trip to the states in almost 3 years and keeping up with our normal schedule of hanging with the locals. Yesterday we pounded out an agreement with our landlord that allows us a discount if we keep our Istanbul apartment while we are in the states for 2009...the neighbors said we needed to keep the apartment while away...otherwise, they worry we would never come back.
Even though things get pretty smothering...it kinda nice to be loved to death sometimes.Levent and His Anne

Walking Across Wales

With just a few days left before our return to Istanbul we are still spending our days wandering the dunes, beaches, hills and valleys of Wales. We have kept track of our rambles and in our few short weeks here we have walked or hiked over 80 miles...and yet I have managed to maintain my robust 12 stone frame with pub meals and roasted beef baps.
We are simply longing now for good Turkish food and the cheeses and olives of home. Thanks for letting us take some down time.

Welsh Report

My Babe, Navigator, Boss Lady

Just a few windows into our week...

Elle & Stanley at Dyfi Estuary


Furnace Falls

Elle at Bird Rock

The Summit of Craig y Aderin

Dysini Valley

Talyllyn

Merry Christmas

Hey thanks for the gift you are giving us this year! A whole month off from updating our blog....How did you know?
We are not yet halfway through our month in Wales and are spending our days hiking through the rain and sleet and getting lost in the mountains and hills.
We will keep you updated as whimsy dictates......

Welsh Christmas

The Rooftops of Coastal Wales

With Christmas fast approaching we Stewards are heading off to our ancestral homeland for our annual kilt refit.
I know that the holiday season in the states has some of you weary with its commercialism and cost...but when you live in our little corner of Istanbul it comes early every year.
With our first vacation in a year just 10 days away we are full of Christmas spirit, the decorations went up weeks ago and Bing and Bob have been singing their way through our flat and into the hallways of our building all week.
We will box up the Christmas decorations in a few days so our flat will be Christmas free when we return from a month in our little cottage in Wales.
Just a few pics from last year to fire up our daydreaming. Thanks for allowing us to bring the season into the mix a few weeks early.
Aberystwyth


Steward Christmas Hideaway

Vacation on the Horizon

Just a note from the frequently absent hippie posing as a writer....we are pretty whacked after a busy and difficult year. BUT....our annual get-away to Wales is just a few days away and excitement is in the air. This time a full month in our hidden cottage in the "suicidally desolate village" on the coast. Why is that good? No phone, no internet, no interruptions....just our crew of four and the Christmas Season.
We will get some updates to you within days and lay out our schedule for the rest of the year soon. The Steward Travel Organization thanks you for your loyal readership.

The Republic Celebrates

Ercan, Stanley & Elle

A few days ago Turkey celebrated its 85th birthday with a party for 15 million in Istanbul. While the culture of Asia Minor is one of the oldest on the planet, the Republic of Turkey was established by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk on October 29th, 1923.
Even today Ataturk is revered by Turks as their founder and the man who saved the country from being absorbed by the allies at the end of WWI. It is illegal to even say anything negative about him...his legacy grows constantly. The truth is that without Mustafa Kemal, there would be no nation of Turkey today.
Wednesday night we headed down the street a few blocks where millions of Istanbulus had gathered to celebrate...it was mayhem. We have never witnessed the love of a country the way the Turks expressed it. It was the most nationalistic display I have ever witnessed. We had an amazing time celebrating with neighbors, friends, our Turkish family and total strangers. Here are a few vignettes from the evening...
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk Remembered



Reyhan & Ann

Chipping Away at Life

Stanley Praying at the Halilurrahman Mosque (Urfa)

Blogger was released from detention today and is back up and running. We are not optimistic that this will last for long, but will keep the flow running as long as we can.
The Turkish government is still navigating the merge of free speech and its core values and the arena where they clash causes quite a bit of uproar. After watching this dismal run for the presidency from abroad...I understand the dilemna the Turks are facing.
The Masters of Urfa Stone
In other news...A few weeks ago we made a run to the Syrian/Turk border and visited Harran and Sanliurfa. We met two stonemasons sitting in piles of Urfa stone chips who have spent their lives carving the stone into amazing ornamental blocks for Balikli Gol...the legendary place where Abraham and King Nimrod clashed. I won't bore you with the legend here, but this site has to be one of the top destinations we have visited in Turkey.
We will keep you in the loop as we watch where this Internet mess is going.
Just 32 days till vacation. I am leaving early, mentally.
Balikli Gol...Abraham's Pool

Shutdown in Istanbul

Within the last day or two our platform for blogging "Blogger" was banned in Turkey, along with our alternate "Wordpress". With the ban of YouTube leading the way some months ago testing the Turks tolerance for cyber-censorship, it looks like we will no longer be able to update this site from within Turkey using any of the mainstream blogging platforms.
We will be looking for other, legal platforms to publish our adventures and our love of Turkey...until then keep your fingers crossed that things will change. We have anticipated this for some time now and have kept our activity low-key. Now it is simply No-key...we are locked out.
This posting is courtesy of some great friends in Frankfurt.

Normal Life

A Return to Normal Life

Things are slowing down a bit for us this week. Our fellow travelers from the states on this last SRE are gone, our visas are in and except for some lingering bureaucratic issues we are on the long coast off this hill.
Our annual exodus to Wales is just a few weeks (5) away and then February will see us flying to the states for the first time in 3 years. We will be home for most of 10 months but will be keeping our Istanbul flat open hoping to be back by the end of 09.
This week we are wrapping up some issues with banking and tax registration in Istanbul and getting back into the swing of normal life, which for me means back to Ann's amazing Turkish cooking...and that translates to full stomachs and a busy living room.
I love this place...have I mentioned that before?

Wrapping Up the Season

Our Crew Chief

As we drove from the airport to home a few hours ago it sure felt good to be close to home, when we turned down our street the smells of Istanbul made us smile...we love this City. With this last trip being the final SRE of the season we had mixed feelings about the wrap up. We had a great SRE but the schedule was pretty tight with fitting in our guest's travel dates and the territory we needed to cover.
We have meetings tomorrow in Taksim and will bring you up to speed once we take care of some business next week. For now we will leave you a few windows into our weeks on the road.
At the Tell of Ancient Lystra

Dusting Up

Cool Digs in Parts East
With our first chance to update since we hit the road 7 days ago we are taking this opportunity to check in. Today we found the Biblical Lystra which has been a point of contention between competing guide books and guides.
The "tell" is just that....a mound of rubble several acres across at the top and sitting 8 miles NE of the "site" where most guide books place it. We found pottery, finished marble, inscriptions and figurines littered across and poking through the soil along with an amazing number of hibernating turtles...something that I am going to put to the test now. More......coming.

Playing Marco Polo

In a little over 40 hours we will be off on the last SRE of the year...we think. Taking a few friends from the states who wanted to live on the road and see what all the fuss was about with our Silk Road Expeditions.
We will hit Antep, Urfa, Harran, Antioch of Sryia, Kapadokia and wind up passing thru Konya before arriving in Smyrna.
We are already booking for our next SRE in August 2009, if you wanna wander with our crew...drop us a line.

Silk Road Expedition 08-Fall

Exploring Forgotten Villages

In just two weeks we kick off what may be our final SRE of the year. Trying to catch up on the endless summer with no permission to travel, we are heading out on October 8th.
This time we are leading a small group of adventurers from the States on a 10 day trip to the interior and southeast of Turkey and back. Just a few picks to whet your appetite for another armchair adventure.
Picking Up Parts of our Truck in the Outback

Abandoned Nomadic Village SRE08

Want to travel with us? We are putting another group together for August 09,now is the time to get your name in if you want to help us as we explore the villages and tribes along the Turkish, Iranian and Iraqi borders!

Tasting Ramazan

Now that some of the pressure is off and we only have a half a dozen more offices to visit to wrap up our paperwork, we will begin to bring you up to speed with the small stuff of our lives.
Ramazan started a few weeks ago on September 2, a few days before that our apartment was filled with the smell of baking bread and cheese. Wondering where it was coming from I followed the smell down 3 flights of stairs until I hit the basement.
There our Kapici's wife and friends were making Borek village style over an old gas burner with an upside down pan on it. They used the curved bottom of the pan to lay the wet dough on and then stacked up the Borek's starters that were finished.
Stacks of Borek Await Ramazan

Cooking Borek Village Style


Borek is a thin crispy dough with a variety of fillers added. Cheese borek is the most popular, followed by meat borek and occassionally a sweet borek with milk and sugar. It is almost always served hot and has become a staple in our own kitchen.
Our friends and neighbors had gathered together to make a month's worth of borek. They would then be stacked dry in the house and when needed, would be dampenend with milk and water and cooked again in order to crisp it up and be served hot.

As the only male in this harem in the basement it fell to me to be the taster and approve or advise on the different seasonings being used. Kinda hard to believe we are still losing weight when these responsibilities involve such amazing sacrifices as health and weight...but as I have always said "I want to give something back to the community.

Road Trip to Hell

Well, those of you that are creating a fuss about our infrequent postings as of late...you are right. We have been off the job. Just a few notes of news as to the why;

• We did receive confirmation that our first attorney took our 5k and skipped town on us
• For some crazy reason that affected my normal "cop mode" stress free life and my BP spiked 190/174, apparently that is something bad
• We scrambled a bit to borrow 4k to apply for our Visas, since we gave our attorney a free trip

I know...sounds like I am making a big deal out of nothing and for that I am sorry.

NOW for the good news, 3 days after applying for our Visas last week, they were approved and we picked them up this AM and the most important step in the process is finished! Thanks for standing alongside us as we have taken a road trip to hell and back.

Ikhametler Aldik!

Three steps remain;

• Re-register the jeep in our name-1200USD
• Get my Turkish driver's license-700USD
• Apply for our carnet de passage, the permit to drive the jeep overland and across borders and hopefully into Iran, Tajikistan and onto China-200USD 

So if all goes as planned we hope to have all this finished within the next two weeks. Soon as my Valium cocktail kicks in I will bring you up to speed on Ramazan in Turkiye and the food fest that has descended. Thanks for being so patient as we have juggled the plates in our crazy little circus:)