My all time favourite drink on this planet, or in this universe, is something unique. It's not a glass of wine, a Red Bull, or a strong coffee, but...Turkish tea in its special tulip-shaped glass called an ince belli. Nine years ago I came to Istanbul after a grueling two months in Ethiopia, and I immediately fell in love with the city and the tea. I can sit and drink 15 glasses of Turkish tea in one go and still haven't had enough.
Over the past couple of days it was a journey to get here. I didn't want to fly from Athens to Istanbul and my time was too short to hitchhike (combined with the fact that I don't have camping gear with me), and I couldn't leave Thessaloniki without having a gyro. I thought it was pronounced "Jy-ro" but it's more like "Year-O." It's somewhat like a Turkish kebab that you find at shops in the West. Travelling overnight and ending up at Alexandroupoli in the far east of Greece, squat toilets were a reminder that I'm making my way east. From there I was only a short distance from the Turkish border but it was still just a little too far to walk. Just past the town of Feres I had my first Greek hitchhiking experience, even though it would take nearly an hour to get a lift five kilometres. Getting stamped out of Greece, two soldiers from the Hellenic army were guarding the no-man's land, and would tell me that I couldn't walk across; I had to be in a vehicle. If I was riding a bicycle or even a skateboard, they could let me across. Hitchhiking in the no-man's land, nobody would stop but one of the soldiers came over and flagged down the next vehicle, and explained the situation. The driver spoke no English but brought me across. I planned to go with him and his family a short distance into Turkey, only to forget that I needed a visa. The visa counter wasn't open yet, and didn't open until about half hour later. 25 euros poorer, a Turkish immigration official jokingly told me I was denied entry due to being (the perceived belief of) a Trump supporter. I bit my tongue when I was about to say something about Recep Tayyip Ergodan: the controversial leader of Turkey. My first glass of Turkish tea in a really long time beckoned, and and I had that "ahhhhh" feeling and was instantly addicted again. Whilst I figured it would be painless getting a lift since I thought most traffic would be going to Istanbul, it took the better part of three hours to get a lift. I was picked up by a truckie going to Ankara, and he spoke no English. We would stop for lunch only a few kilometres over the border in İpsala for a glass of Turkish tea and the biggest Turkish lunch feast I could have. Pide with cheese...yummy! Turkish cuisine is definitely up there with as one of my favourites! As long as it didn't have olives in it, I was gonna eat, and eat hard. Stuffed to the brim, I was also very tired as I had pulled an all-nighter on the bus. I figured I'd be in Istanbul by mid-morning. The driver wasn't going through Istanbul proper, and then I had some difficulty getting him to understand to drop me where I could hitch from, otherwise I would have ended up going with him all the way to Ankara. The Turkish countryside between the border and Istanbul is very beautiful, and I would love to spend some time exploring other areas of Turkey. Surely I'll have my tea fix wherever I go.
Just when it appeared I could have been walking for awhile, two guys pulled up to see if I was alright, and one of them spoke English fluently. He called Ismail, my CouchSurfing host, and he gave instructions on where to have them drop me and how I get to his home from there. The Turkish lira has weakened considerably since my first visit to Istanbul in 2013, and I noted that when I bought an Istanbulkart card and topped it up. Two rides on the metro would eventually get me to Ismail's home. He lives several floors up, directly in front of a large mosque. Exhausted and wet, I was immediately greeted with my favourite drink. I was ready to feast some more, so I wanted Ismail to surprise me. It wasn't just an overload of tea, but tomatoes, onions, salad, and meat roasted on a rotisserie.
Istanbul, I'm back. As one of my favourite cities in the world, it demanded my attention and my craving for food and tea. Salivating as I was on the train into Istanbul I just had to race into the Grand Bazaar for another cuppa. Turks wouldn't be seen dead drinking "apple" tea, and neither would I. In wondrous awe I wandered through, having a perouse at carpets, tea, flags, clothes, spices, and everything else...I simply love the Grand Bazaar. The first geocache I'd sign in Turkey would be in an area of the bazaar. Ayasofya, the Blue Mosque, and many other places would bring back memories.
As one of those countries I could happily eat and drink my way through with no regrets, I must put the rest of Turkey on my radar. Konya, Cappadocia, the Black Sea coast, and Mt. Ararat all have my calling. On the ferry to Kadıkoy, I seem to have mastered one of my best recent travel selfies.
Put a glass of tea in front of my face any day of the week and I'll never be upset. Turkish tea prepared in a double kettle called a çaydanlik and is served with sugar cubes. One cube or sometimes one and a half is enough for me. Two cubes make it too sweet. Turkish tea is never consumed with milk or lemon. As a proverbial bridge between East and West, it's no surprise that Istanbul demonstrates a culinary mastery. Islak burgers are like "sliders" that you'd find in pubs in Australia, although I'm unsure whether or not they're "tourist" Turkish food. Either way, they're tasty with their tomato-based sauce. Now, I'm having withdrawals! Where is my next glass of Turkish tea?
Turkey is a story of tea, tea, and more tea, and it's also like food, food, and more food. Dinner this evening...
Delicious! As I sip my current glass of Turkish tea.
