Features of Turkey - an inside look
Like any country, Turkey has its own characteristics. When a person arrives in a new place, he necessarily begins to compare what is like here and what is completely different. Since I have traveled only a few countries, I compare mainly with Russia..
You can read about our adventures in Turkey here: Independently to Turkey - 1500 kilometers and photos.
The differences are most likely noticeable only during the first visit to the country, in the first days, and then you get used to it and the eye gets blurry. Therefore, I always try to write down my impressions in a notebook and what was surprising today along the way. But more to the point. Part of the peculiarities of Turkey will be of character - «what do you remember».
Features of Turkey
In this country, almost no one knows English. Only students and staff in some hotels. About the non-resort part of Turkey, I generally keep quiet. This is strange. It is somehow wild in our age that people, even at the most primitive level, do not know a second language. This is especially true of those places where anybody needs it: train stations, ticket offices, shops, communication salons. To be fair, I must say that in our hotel almost everyone spoke Russian. And in general, in the resort area this is a normal phenomenon, Russian language.
The second feature of Turkey is that it is a country of patriots. Flags all around: in hotels, at high points, at all sights. And also on buses and cars. How do you like the flag that completely covers the rear window of the car and swells like a sail? When talking about Turkey, you can see how people love their country. And that's great. At the same time, people very much respect their Turkish Lenin - Ataturk, who pulled the country to the level where it is now. And if anyone thinks anything bad about him, they should go to prison. There is a truth and an opinion that Ataturk worked for the Western government, but it is better to keep silent about this.
Flag in Istanbul.
Flag in Antalya.
Flag in Kemer.
Flag on the top of the old city of Ankara.
Turkey is also a country of minarets. Towers are everywhere, in every city and district. And 5 times a day you can hear the call to prayer. We got an analogy with the film Inhabited Island, remember there were towers. So here, they are built in such a way that the entire city or village is covered. The most interesting thing is that few people go to these mosques, and they are built on donations. Like he threw off money for construction, and sins were forgiven.
Evening Istanbul. Turkey.
Kocatepe Mosque in Anakara.
Mosque in the village of Karasu.
The main feature of Turkey is hospitality and goodwill, we have seen this with our own eyes. The driver who hitchhiked us, treated us to tea and salad in a cafe. If a local resident sees a confused foreigner, he is in a hurry to help him. Repeatedly this happened to us, they came up and asked if help was needed. Throughout the entire trip, which is 1,500 km, we felt quite safe compared to Russia, for example. There was not a single case where you could strain because of a meeting with a trash company.
The driver who fed us and my friend.
Ufuk, the guy who helped us in Ankara.
Turkey is also a greenhouse country. As we have learned, 60% of people are employed in agriculture. There are sometimes greenhouse valleys, when the whole land is lined with greenhouses for square kilometers. The only minus of agricultural products is the abundant use of chemistry, I myself saw the beds covered with white granules, and the leaves in white stains.
Greenhouses near Demre.
All toilets have additional taps, you know why. Even the most seedy village public toilet has one. In general, it is customary not to use toilet paper, there is something rational.
The next feature of Turkey is the bus service, which is very, very developed, from any village you can get where you want. And no more expensive than in Russia, especially over long distances. But the railway communication leaves much to be desired: few trains, delays, not an extensive railway network.
Comfortable buses in Turkey.
Another feature of Turkey is its appearance. This is understandable and not new about women in hijabs. But why don't men in shorts and sandals meet? Even in the heat, when we were losing seven sweats, in such European cities as Ankara and Istanbul, we did not see anyone in shorts. But all the guys walk like cocks with tucked-in haiers on their heads.
Typical modern Turk. Photo by Leonid Trusov.
Not a modern Turk.
There is also a small contrast. The women are all closed, and the streets of the cities are full of advertisements for underwear. How so?
Now I would like to say about women. As the locals told us, all Turkish laws are on the side of women. And there is no question of any discrimination against the female population. Yes, tradition tells them to go closed, but at home they do what they want and keep their husbands in tight hands. All property belongs to women, and if a controversial moment arises, the men are left without pants. There are commodity-money relations within the family: if you want today, they say, to taste marital debt, drive a gilded bracelet. Therefore, the peasants do not have enough, and they are looking for happiness on the side. And they also try to leave to work in another country away from their «beloved», if only to send money and not see. Unmarried people try to find a wife from another country. Therefore, they do not particularly like women of other nationalities in Turkey, they are afraid that husbands will be taken away or grooms. Their women are a dime a dozen, are born more often than men.
Typical Turkish family.
Fashionable Turkish woman in hijab.