From Harems to channelling Yoda

Selim the Sot (who died by drowning in his bath after too much Champaign) , Ibrahim the Mad (went mad after they locked him in a cage for four years), Memhet the Conqueror ( I assumed he did some conquering) and Suleyman the Magnificent (the Sultan who lead the golden Ottoman age) all walked where I walked today - Topkapi Palace. I was early in the line and first to enter the Harem, it was wonderful to see the place without the crowds and as I walked around the rooms I tried to imagine what it would have been like to live there. How did the women feel as they were foreigners brought or given as gifts. I put my hand out to touch what I can, trying to feel some echoes from the past - or just leaving my germs so other poor soul trying to do the same thing can feel my cough.

Throughout the buildings there was a slightly raised round pebble pathway - this was the route to the Sultan. If you were summoned you followed this path. I walked along it and had a rather weird sensation. Everything within the Harem and Palace operated on tradition, obligation and ceremony. When younger, we spend so much time trying to fight against such things and yet some traditions ground us, make us feel part of something - feel connected.

The rooms became more beautiful the closer I got to the Sultan quarters- until my eyes are overloaded with intricate tile work and the elaborately painted walls and roof of the Sultan’s boudoir. Two massive golden beds adorn the room (well some of the Sultans had 300 wives!!!) and the colours are a rich deep red and gold on the huge domed roof. This rarefied atmosphere leads to the last section of the palace which holds the swimming pool and summer pavilions where brilliant green grass butts up to 500 year old twisted cypress trees that have seen the ages come and go.

The palace also houses bizarre religious relics. There is the right arm and scull of John the Baptist both encased in gold containers and dotted with precious jewels. You can still see the bones through this - and I think could it really be the John the Baptist and who decided it would be a good idea to keep this stuff???? There was also hair from Mohammad’s beard, a section of his tooth and swords from various disciples. My favourite item is one of the worlds largest diamonds that was found in a rubbish tip and sold for 3 spoons - it’s called the Spoon maker’s diamond…now….where was that rubbish tip????

Entrance to Topaki Palace

Beautiful old tiling that is everywhere

Giant gold mirror in the Harem - just to make sure you look ok

Harem courtyard

Harem bath

The raised pebble road leading to the Sultan

The Sultan's mothers chamber

The Sultan's bed. The roof in this room was spectatular but we couldn't take pictures

The Sultant likes is drainage in his courtyard to look nice

Wonderful old cypress?? tree in Sultan's courtyard

Ceiling in the 'receiving' hall

The day is the first one I’ve had with beautiful weather and I decide to lunch in the park amongst the tulips. A man sits further down moving pray beads through his hands with his head slightly bowed. Another man sits on the next seat and is talking loudly. I don’t know what he’s saying - there are only other tourists around me, no-one to look for guidance…..is he speaking to us, about us, to himself?? is he crazy or is this normal???? I don’t know and as he is now looking at me I smile my super sweet ‘I’m just a very very harmless tourist who can’t understand a word you’re saying but think that you are an ok type of person’ smile and walk back to my hotel to meet Zeki.

Older man meditating with beads in the park

Zeki was a contact I made through Horizons Unlimited (the overlander motorcycle on-line forum). I’m keen to meet up with him as I’m sure he has a wealth of knowledge that can help me on my journey. I received more hospitality from Zeki that I could have ever expected. He is a kind, intelligent and gentle soul that I was very blessed to meet. Zeki gave an insiders view to Turkey, it’s people and customs. He arranged for me to spend the night with an Istanbul Motorcycle and Bicycle club member‘s family. Mehmet Ali and his wife Rezide and their three year old twins Pinar and Nehir put their hand up to let me into their home. The hospitality was again overwhelming. I was greeted with kindness and immediately served a traditional homemade dish of spiced meat steamed in raviolli type pastry and topped with a yogurt mixture and chillies, followed by tasty bites of Turkish sweets. Delicious!! This was real Turkish food (better than the 15 kebabs I must have had by now) and it tasted divine.

Attempts to teach me some Turkish indicated the Lonely Planet guide used very formal or outdated phrases “we don’t say that, we would say….” and then they would indicated something completely different. This was good information and I tried to write down the phonetic spelling of the words that would get me by on my journey…thanks, good morning, this is very good, this is bad, fill her up and can you help me please, I’m lost! I realised that I would need to channel Yoda to speak correctly…it was not “this food is very good” it was “good this food is”. So whenever I tried to talk Turkish, I would try to visually remember the phonic spelling while being Yoda in the swamp.
We spoke about family life which is so very different than Australia and I meet Ebru (Rezide’s sister). She was a designer for a big leather manufacture and looked the fashion icon she was. The twins went to stay the night with their grandmother and we went out for dinner (I’d actually thought that what I had eaten was dinner - but dinner is much later). We went to where the locals hang out - in really large numbers on the other side of the Bosphorus. There are over 55 million people in Istanbul (twice as much as in all of Australia) and the place was packed with young trendys…so I looked really wonderful in my only pair of jeans and a shirt - but of course no one cared. Dinner was seafood mini dishes and we cracked open a bottle of Raki - the national drink with an aniseed flavour. You have the drink, followed by iced water and then a piece of strong Turkish cheese….a little like the Tequila lick, sip and suck, except this was sip (followed by head shaking) sip and chew. I found out that you need money to go the toilet - even in a restaurant and was embarrassed by my hosts refusing to let me pay anything towards the bill. I had earlier given the twins some of the Aussie pens I had brought as gifts, but they were obviously made in China as they broke immediately and were generally crap. This was a great trade, three broken pens for a wonderful dinner….Australia was not being represented well! I got the postal address and will send over some real Aussie goodies when I get back home.



Homemade YUM!!!



Double YUM

Rezide, Mehmet Ali and Zeki - wonderful people

The twins - Pinar and Nehir with dad

Nightlife...bring on the Raki

Typical Breakfast the next day, crepes, yogurt, olives,
tomato with green chilli, cucumber, boiled eggs and turkish cheese

The view from the house - we sat on the verandah
and drank copious amounts of Turkish tea

Sleep and I are usually best mates, put me to bed and I’m out cold until 8 hours later. I hadn’t really had a good night’s sleep since I arrived - often only 4 hours but sleep came on quickly and I didn’t emerge until about 9am the next morning…just in time for the breakfast Rezide had made...again feeling embarrassed that I was not up earlier to help. But then I thought that I would not expect that of guests in my house and remembered it’s ok to receive! Ask me if I drink tea or coffee in Australia and you’ll get a “I’m a hot chocolate gal” response…but as a work colleague said “you had better get used to drinking tea” and after breakfast we drank tea…tea and more tea...sitting on the verandah and talking with Mehmet’s mother who lived next door.

Zeki and Adil (Istanbul Motorcycle club) sat with me for the next 7 hours as we worked our way through the Turkey map and looked at best routes, secret places and rough time frames. This advice was invaluable and the local knowledge will hopefully serve me well when I’m on the road. After the mammoth session we went out for Turkish pizza and a frothy Yogurt and water drink…which arrived bubbling over from a copper cup.
It was a wonderful day being with Turkish people who’s hearts are open wide to accept MLC Aussies without laughing too loudly.

My Turkish Guardian Angels - Zeki and Adil
at the Istanbul Motorcycle club headquaters

Days till I’m with my bike: 8
Freaky relics seen: 4
Kindness given by Istanbul motorcycle members: immeasurable
Fantastic Turkish food dishes that were not a kebab: 7
Raki shots: can’t remember
Lesson to keep learning: It’s ok to receive