A Day Well Spent

Today I went on a bike ride around Izmir. I didn’t really have a plan or destination in mind – I simply wanted to turn the cranks for a couple hours.  I decided to head west since I had not really explored anything in that direction.  After winding my way down to the water-front I followed it until it abruptly ended at some sort of military checkpoint.  I’m sure I could have picked up the path somewhere on the other side of the facility but didn’t really see how.  So I headed north figuring I would eventually wind my way back to the east and home.  While on an overpass crossing a busy highway I noticed a Kipa supermarket.  I had been told there was one somewhere on my side of town but wasn’t sure where.  The lack of street signs makes it very difficult to share directions.  I am sure I could have found it if someone could have simply said “Take Elm Street past Main Ave then go left on Fairfax Blvd.” 

  Anyway, I locked up the bike outside the Kipa and went inside.  After passing through the security station (all big buildings have them) I was greeted by a very familiar sign: STARBUCKS!  Yes!  Although I can’t speak Turkish, like all true Starbucks, their menu was in what Dunkin Donuts refers to as “Fritalian”.  The girl working the counter was able to understand my order of a “Grande Latte”.  Not really the best drink to get with 30-40 minutes of riding left to do but hydration be damned.  It’s been a month since I’ve had a Starbucks and I was not going to pass it up. 

  After a rest to enjoy my coffee, I walked around the mall a while.  Standard mall type stuff, shoes, jewelry, kitchenware, etc.  And of course there was the Kipa….kinda like a Super Target.  They have a mix of food, cheap clothes, electronics, etc.  I didn’t need anything so I just wandered and snacked at a few of the sample stations.  I did notice some odd glances cast my way.  A tall white dude in shorts and carrying a helmet would go unnoticed in the States but in Turkey it’s a rare sight. 

  Once I got back on my bike I continued heading east.  About a half-mile from the Kipa I suddenly realized where I was….I had been without ¾ mile of this place on an exploratory trip a few days earlier.  If I had taken a left-turn on that trip instead of a right I would have found the Kipa.  Of course this meant I knew exactly where I was and exactly how to get back home.  Not having to worry about where I was going, I was able to pay more attention to what was around me.  By this I mean the stores and restaurants.  Whenever I am on the bike I am constantly scanning around me for hazards: open storm drains, homicidal Dolmush drivers (sort of a free-lance bus driver..the faster they do their route the more money they make), buses, and suicidal pedestrians. 

  As I approached the last climb back to my apartment I decided to take a right and see what was along the street that runs up behind my apartment complex.  The ride had made me hungry so I was mainly looking for someplace to eat.  Not only did I find a back-side entrance to my apartment complex, but right there on the corner, just a 3-minute walk from the apartment, was a Pide/Kebab shop.  So I stopped and ordered an Adana Kebab (spiced lamb). 

  I am so glad I found this place.  Kebab houses in Izmir are like delis in New York.  There are thousands of them and they all offer pretty much the same thing.  What separates the decent ones from the good ones is the presentation and the sides.  My Adana Kebab came with sliced tomatoes (cold, not baked like most places), some greens, a small pizza with a paste made from peppers, parsley, and other junk, the spiced lamb with yogurt, and a whole basket of toasted pide bread (pide (peeda) is the same as pita..just a spelling difference).  Simply put, it was delicious. 

  While I sat there a couple of the employees were checking out my bike.  The cook came over to ask me a few questions but none of them spoke English so conversation was very limited.  The only successful communication (aside from ordering food and an after-meal tea) took place when the cook brought out the sports section to the newspaper and pointed to the rankings for an international soccer league.  A team from Houston had played a team from Toronto.  He asked if both were from America.  I told him that Houston is in America but Toronto is in Canada.  He seemed pleased with this very basic geography lesson and treated me to another cup of tea.  Good thing I was only a couple minutes from my apartment with all that food and tea in my belly. 

  All throughout my meal I was treated to two forms of entertainment.  The first was a little kid with a soccer ball.  Employees from the shop took turns playing with him in the little courtyard where I had parked my bike.  The second distraction was from a stray cat.  When I first sat down I saw the cat walking down the hill past the café.  A couple minutes later it walked back up with something in its mouth – a chunk of food from a trash can most likely.   About 5 minutes later it came back down the hill again.  Shortly after it walked back up with something else in its mouth.  This happened 4 times during my meal.  I have decided to name the cat Sisypuss after the myth of Sisyphus – a man whose punishment for tricking the gods was to spend the rest of eternity rolling a stone up a hill only to have it roll back down again.  

  So that was my day.  Got in a couple hours on the bike, had a good meal at a café close enough to walk to, found another grocery store, and taught a local where Toronto is.  A day well spent.   

Comments

[Doug]

Your adventures and your writhing about them brings me joy. Thank you.
I am somewhat envious; adventures, open people and new discoveries are rare.
Have a great look on life: your brother