Merhaba from Türkiye, If you are the type of traveller who eschews crowded places, the Türkish Riviera still has options for you. Not every resort destination has been spoilt by over-exploitation and congestion. And you will already know that there are marketing campaigns specifically tailored for you and your cohort. The best way to guess …Read More
Merhaba from Mount Nemrut, King Antiochus Ist wanted to live forever. Even though he was no more than a flesh and blood human like the rest of us, he believed he was destined to spend eternity with the gods. During his life as head of the kingdom of Commagene in south-eastern modern-day Türkiye, he planned …Read More
Merhaba from The Euphrates River Valley, Everything we understand about the roots of human civilisation is based on the accepted theory that the shift to agriculture led people to change from being nomadic to sedentary. And that it’s here in Mesopotamia that the first settlements occurred. Some theorists have recently sought to reverse the causation. …Read More
Merhaba from Trabzon, After the disappointment of Uzungöl, Trabzon itself is a rejuvenated pleasantry (especially when the sun is out). Whereas Uzungöl is presented – by 20-year old photos – as a bucolic paradise, Trabzon is unashamedly and unpretentiously a town. Towns are urban settlements which don’t have pretences. This is an urban settlement and …Read More
Merhaba from Trabzon, Farms are not natural places. They represent modified nature at best, but they are not natural. And urban settlements are decidedly less natural. So, why do travel agents promote either as retreats to nature? Uzungöl is a green valley in the steep hills above the Black Sea on Türkiye’s north coast. It’s …Read More
Merhaba from the Datςa Peninsula, At what point – at what moment – does a place cross the threshold from Paradise to Paradise Lost? The evidence here in these coastal towns in southern Türkiye that it’s a function of population. Here on the Mediterranean coast the beautiful climate, the turquoise water and the picturesque scenery …Read More
Merhaba from Ephesus, Colleague Bill is an expatriot American who says, “I’ve never been interested in the tourist thing”. He’s talking about the way we’ve become mobile leisure travellers with lots of spare cash and lots of spare time. Few of us can enunciate why we go to places like Ephesus. For most, it’s not …Read More
Merhaba from Istanbul, It’s a mistake to suppose that modern market theory is all new and modern. The Harvard Business School have a vested interest in us all believing that they have a monopoly on business wisdom but the touts here in Istanbul have been adopting pro-active marketing techniques here for centuries; long before the …Read More
Merhaba from Türkiye, The prevalence of stray cats and dogs in the streets of Istanbul can be a bit disconcerting for someone used to such animals being on leashes or kept indoors. This is a huge city and the cats and dogs are ubiquitous. These animals appear to be cared for by a great number …Read More
Merhaba from Turkiye, Yes, I’m borrowing from Indonesia’s national motto to write about Turkiye, but that’s excusable. Turkiye is a country which achieves the former whilst enjoying the latter. We met Ali at a function inside a local’s home in Cappadocia. Ali is a shrewd judge of character and an erudite student of …Read More