Posted by Krista
Mediterranean Coast, Turkey

“Hos Geldiniz!” is one of the most common phrases we’ve heard as we’ve cycled along the Mediterranean Coast. It means “Welcome!”, and here are the people who really welcomed us into their world.

Mustafa!
Krista first met Mustafa in India 10 years ago, again in Pakistan where they tried to get visas for Afghanistan together, and then she was a guest at his place when she came through Turkey. I can’t believe all these years have passed! We spent a great day with Mustafa, catching up on the old days and visiting his self-built house in the mountains, which overlooks the azure sea and Rhodes.

After a long day slogging uphill on ever winding zig-zagged tracks, we were generously invited in to stay with Ayse and Aliriza. That evening, the inquisitive population of the village visited the house, to see who the ‘yabanci’ (strangers) were. At one point, Ayse got stressed because there were not enought tea glasses to go round!

After some days in the mountains, we had a sharp descent. Enjoying the downhill speed, we overtook a motorbike, carrying Hassan and Gullu, who waved and smiled. Later, as we stopped to look at some wild flowers, the couple passed us – and more waves and smiles ensued. When we reached their house, they flagged us down and they invited us for the night. Like Ayse and Aliriza, they grow their own food and we were treated to fresh milk, olives, soup, cheese, meat and potatoes. Warmed by the wood-fired stove and their generous company, we made pidgin conversation and laughed alot.

We asked Gulay if there was a place that we could put our tent for the night. But instead, she took us to meet her German husband Kuno and insisted that we slept at her family home. The generous hospitality didn’t end there as the next day, we were invited to stay at their appartment at the beach in Finike, a stark contrast to the simple village life the night before.

Kuno draws us directions to get to their place at the beach. We felt very refreshed by their company and the relaxing time we spent with them.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 25th, 2009 at 06:57 and is filed under turkey, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.