TO SCARF OR NOT TO SCARF: Local Life in Turkey

Cruising the Bosporus, enjoying kofte on rice, I met the 2 young Istanbul sisters. In their excellent English they giggled, searching for precise vocabulary words to tell me about their schooling, their family, and their dreams to become teachers and translators. They introduced me to their Anne (pronounced a-nay), or Mom, who still spoke only Kurdish, then proceeded to fill in my gaps in the 4000 years of history of their hometown. We cruised past the heritage markers like the Ortakoy Mosque and luxury hotels like the Ciragan Palace Kempinski (the fanciest hotel in town). By the time the baklava was served, we got around to the subject of headscarves.

Turkey has worked hard to promote its secular image since its inception in the 1920s. 25 years ago, nary a scarf could be seen on the Beyoglu streets, and today, despite the fact that about 45% of the female population wears scarves, Turkey has outright banned them in government buildings and public schools. Some real families, like my dinner cruise companions, raising their daughters in Istanbul, struggle to protect their Muslim customs, often by giving their daughters an Istanbul version of home-schooling. Other female students wear special wigs over their scarved-heads.

Still, others find scarves to be demeaning to their gender or an outright political statement.

Headscarves seemed an odd question for such a culturally integrated, modern country, so I was left to wonder what regular people thought about it. I decided, as I toured around, to take an informal poll.

As I tunneled through the 5 floors of 4^th-century underground city, Derinkuyu, out in Cappadocia,

I asked my guide what she thought about it. She distained the historic scarf requirement, and so now retorted that, after the long years when all women -practicing Muslims or not- were required to scarf-up, the new freedom felt appropriate, and even vindicating. To her, scarves were a loaded symbol, and her enthusiasm over the full-swing change to outlaw them couldn’t help but bring to mind our own affirmative actions in the US.

As I counted spires at Blue Mosque (there’s 6! In a 15^th-century world of 4-spire mosques, this mistake is the reason why the big mosque in Mecca was given a 7^th!) and the Topkapi Palace (home to the staff of Moses and other relics collected by the first Caliphs), I noticed schoolgroups on tour. Not a single girl was wrapped, as per current national law. I mulled over the value choices that were at stake: to follow one’s family’s tradition and personal beliefs or to get an education.

As I rode the funicular up to “my” Taxsim neighborhood and Old City,I asked a chatty group of 20-something girlfriends. They were a mixed group… some bare-headed, some covered, and some sporting both scarves and tight pants… all co-existing and mutually accepting. It reminded me of US high-schoolers, who all go to a Friday night party, drinkers and abstainers dancing side-by-side. The Millenial generation makes all this acceptance look so easy, that I had to remind myself of the deeply-rooted issues at stake.

As I photographed oil tankers heading south from the BlackSea and Russia,

I asked some local moms whose children played around the tulip beds (did you know that Turkey’s gift of tulips to the Netherlands started the whole craze up there?).

They wore beautiful scarves, an undeniably feminine flourish which I admired. We stumbled through a warm tho largely untranslated exchange. From all I could gather, they seemed content in their world, untroubled and a bit set apart from the secular debate.

As I sat on the terrace at the boutique Museum Hotel in Uchisar (site of the Uchisar Castle, in the land of cave dwellings),

I was alone to savor my gritty Turkish coffee and to people-watch. In this historic mountain village, famous for its impenetrable fortress during centuries of warfare, all seemed at peace, a congenial commingling of all generations of rural residents, city travelers, and even international guests from all over the Middle East, Europe, and the West.

I even asked a few males. It seems that everyone had an opinion on headscarves and few of them are without conflict. I learned that headscarves are just one of many “charged” issues in their country, but unlike an international issue like forgiveness with Armenia, the headscarf issue is striking right in the heart of the Turkish families.

These two sisters from the Bosporus came to represent Turkey for me. They knew they lived in storied land, and they were excited to share it. Their lives were impacted by current politics, yet they were not bitter. In fact, they loved their city and planned to stay there after University.

They’ve invited me to come to their home when I return to the city, and, in the meantime, we’re Facebook Friends!

For a full slideshow of "Istanbul: East meets West", go to:

picasaweb.google.com/toughlovetravel/IstanbulIntersectionOfEastAndWest#

Thanks to all who came to my South Africa show!

Next show date? Monday, June 7th, at the Princeton Public Library!

Maybe you'll win the door prize? ... a CD of the Africa Children's Choir!

Call 609.923.0304 for details!

Introducing a photo tour:

Faces of South Africa

What: A Photo Tour of wine country, adventure sports, tribal life, history from ancient to Apartheid, the World Cup, and

Safari in South Africa

Presented by: Melanie Tucker @ Tough Love Travel

SA Destination Specialist, Member 2010 Fundi Club

www.ToughLoveTravel.com

For more information call, 609.923.0304

Selemat Pagi, INDONESIA!

Ferry hop the Indonesian archipelago! Whether you're exploring the jungles of central Bali, haggling with rupiah for trinkets in the markets of Jakarta,

or riding the outstanding surf on the coasts of Kuta,

there is an adventure waiting around every corner! See Indonesia's intriguing history first hand and compare the hindu water temple,Tirta Ganga, to the buddhist Borobudor Temple.

If you’re an animal lover, don’t miss the journey to Bukit Lawang-- in a remote village in the forested northern tip of Sumatra, you can trek amongst the wild orangutans in their natural environment—connect fingertip-to-fingertip,

and remember that rough warmth and those huge eyes forever!

Music’s everywhere – whether you dance to a “gamelon” show or grab a guitar on the sidewalk scene.

Top it all off with a horseback ride up Mount Bromo to watch the sun rise over the Javan valley!

Bring your sunscreen, your water bottle, and a mind and heart open for unexpected adventures... Good morning, Indonesia! Or, as they say in Indonesia... "Selemat Pagi, Indonesia!"

Easter Island...the land of the Moai

Easter Island -- Rapa Nui in the native tongue - is a minute volcanic island in the South Pacific with a history magnificent enough to captivate any imagination. The most remote, continuously inhabited island in the world, it lies just over 2000 miles off the coast of Chile, not quite halfway across the Pacific to Tahiti.

The island's most storied occupants are the moai, great carved beings that are representative of the people's forebears. The moia, made of tuff or volcanic rock, were quarried at Rano Raraku, one of the three volcanoes that formed Easter Island.

These statues were carved and transported to the ahu, or burial plots, on which they were placed. They were constructed at the height of Rapa Nuan culture, a society which grew to 15,000, overpopulated, and in which rivalries and shrinking resources begat civil war, which ultimately left all the moai toppled.

The British took over the island in the early 1900s, appropriating all the fields and settlements into sheep herding territory, and relocating the many tribes into one settlement on the northwest coast. This settlement, Hanga Roa, is the one and only town today on Easter Island and the home to the island's 6,000 residents.

Here is a photo tour of my favorite island in the Pacific...

The first view of Rapa Nui, a mostly barren island of 3 volcanoes

The main street of Hanga Roa is lined with street vendors, artisan shops, and farmers, including this vendor of "pisse", an island delicacy from the seas.

The guesthouse, right at the edge of town, is a lush gardened hideaway, hosted by island natives with deep roots...

Biking is the perfect way to explore the island... the parque nationale with the moai,

the lava caves,

and the fishing harbor.

Ramon is an amusing guide, bursting with island history both old (the warring tribes of the 1500's) and new (how long it takes to get to a hospital on the mainland), and a perfect guide for our exploration of the ruin-laden southern coast.

The first stop is the quarry, Rano Raraku, where the moai were carved and transported from (for theories on transport, check out sidebar). You'll see some moai, still connected to the quarry walls, like below:

and others, completely carved, including tattooing and body details, ready to be transported to an ahu:

Here is "El Gigante", measuring 65' and weighing over 270 tons, left in place on the mountainside:

On the south shore, by the quarry, is Ahu Tongariki. It is the largest Ahu on the island, and had as many as 30 moai in its heyday:

Check out the detail on these moai... the elongated fingernails, the unique facial features, and even the decorative earrings:

As you tour the island, you'll see lava tubes, caves which sheltered plantlife from the tireless pacific winds, so which became garden pockets for the tribes, producing banana, tobacco, corn, and grapes:

and on the eastern shore, visit Ovahe Beach. Here is our guide, Ramon, next to the burial mound of his ancestors:

Another great day is on horesback, exploring the rugged, undeveloped northern coast:

Back in Hanga Roa, have your pick of candlelit bistros

serving island varieties of Chile's specialty, ceviche (a raw fish dish, "cooked" in lemon):

My favorite spot was La Taverne du Pecheur:

You'll also want to take a look at the Incan stonework, like here at Ahu Vainapu:

...learn the tale of the Birdman:

and even get your passport stamped at the post office:

Before you go home, you should meet Miguel, who carves models of Ahu Tahai, out of the local chinaberry tree:

Take one home as a touchstone to this minute treasure out in the Pacific!