Well, the two things I needed to sort out in Ankara are now done, and I’m moving again. My Uzbekistan visa was sorted no problem, passport back on the same day. Doing it in advance with Stan Tours worked out well, as it meant quick processing at the embassy. I met another couple there who looked lıke they were going to have to wait a few days for it.
Poste Restante works in Turkey – address something to Merkez Postanesı, Ankara, and it gets delivered to the main post office in Ulus, conveniently also the area with lots of cheap hotels. Going into the Post Office, you get directed downstairs to rows and rows of P.O. boxes. You’re meant to work out that you need to push the unmarked buzzer, then a lovely lady comes out and helps you. All very nice. 6 days from London to Ankara, and I am now wearing my new Gore Bikewear “Function II” jacket – very nice too, Windstopper, removable sleeves, lightweight, packs small. Think I’m going to wear it a lot.
I’m glad it turned up today too, as otherwise I was going to go on a three day loop ride to some nearby hot springs. It’s cold and drizzling though, and I didn’t really fancy it. So once I realised I could move on today, I spent the day mucking about Ankara instead. I went to Ataturk’s mausoleum, where I was told I couldn’t take the bike up to it. No problem though, I could park it in the trees near the guard house. They even stuck a little numbered tag on it, and gave me the other part, so that I could reclaim it – as if they had a lot of bikes there or something.
A free lift up the hill, then I spent a while looking around. All kind of big and sterile, and slightly disturbing in the way that personality cults are. I’ve always wondered a bit about just what the Turks do think of him, and just how revered he is. A few nights ago, I got an answer. I was invited to join a group of middle-aged men eating a meal, and drinking raki. One spoke some German and English, another some French. If you’ve seen a group of old men sitting around eating and drinking in one part of the world, you’ve seen it everywhere, and language barrier was not really a problem.
Although you couldn’t understand everything that was said, you could work most of it out by tone and expression. Even the songs they were singing had a familiar tune to them. But anyway, somehow the subject of Ataturk came up, and one had his hand on his heart, the other was showing me the lapel pin of Ataturk he has, and they all burst into what I think was the national anthem. So yes, I think the love is there – perhaps not in all parts of the country though – e.g. the Kurds may think differently.
But anyway, I wandered around the extensive museum associated with the mausoleum, looking at Ataturk’s effects, etc. At the same time, a group of 11-12 year old school children came in. I actually wanted to look at the displays, but they started crowding around, following me, pretending to look at the same paintings, until the first brave one talked to me.
They have all been learning English, and want to practise it. So one asks me “What is your name?”, and I respond, and then another asks, and another, and another…then we try things like “Where are you from?” and “How old are you?” I got a new one today, “What time is it?” Think I made it difficult on the girl though, I said quarter to eleven, she was expecting “10:45”. So I ask them basic questions too, and they all like to respond, and shake my hand. They all get a great kick out of practising their English with a native English speaker, as opposed to amongst themselves.
The teacher sees me surrounded, and starts trying to herd some of them away – but as soon as one group gets moved, some break away and run back over to ask me something. I don’t mind though, it’s nice to interact with them, help them with a little English, and just have some company. Not at all threatening, and it’s definitely not like some parts of the world where you know that a group of children surrounding you will start trying to pinch things.
The hotel I’ve been staying at was only 10YTL per night (around $10NZ, or 3-4GBP), for my own room, which is pretty good, especially since they also changed the sheets every day. However I could never locate the showers, and since today is 3-4 days since I last showered, I was wondering a bit about the poor person I might have to sit next to on the overnight bus tonight…but luckily the Ankara bus station is much like an airport, and they have a shower available. Hamam and massage too, if you wanted that. Just a shower will do though, nice to be clean again. Lots of towels and hot water too, even if you do have to pay a bit for it. You never know when the next chance for a hot shower will come…
So now off to Erzurum, which is close to 2,000m, and looks like it’s going to be pretty cold – minus 7 tonight I think. Should be fun when I go out camping on a loop ride then…