The marvels of ancient civilizations - snapshots from Turkey (part 1 of 2)

Going through my pictures from last year's Turkey trip reminds me I have only partially covered that memorable trip in previous blogposts. In a span of ten days, my friend Neeta and I covered a wide range of places from the cross-contintental Turkish capital of Istanbul, to Cappadocia region and Pamukkale in central Turkey, and from there on to Selcuk, Sirince and Ephesus in south-western Turkey.

A key reason behind the planning of this trip was to see and experience what this land holds in terms of the many spectacular locations of ancient civilization dating back to our earliest existence as humans. This trip definitely brought alive the thirst to understand more about how some of our ancient civilizations arose, lived, flourished and faded (some of this interest also led to my Ignite talk on ancient civilizations from this trip). 

To appreciate the historical riches the land of Turkey holds, one needs to appreciate the history of ancient civilizations. Records of the earliest human civilizations date back to 3300 BC. And Turkey has formed an integral part of ancient civilization right since then due its location in the "Fertile Crescent" region. As our early human ancestors moved from Africa upward and westward, the earliest humans set civilization and flourished in this region  with adequate water supplies and fertile lands, that came to be known as the "cradle of civilization", and later as Asia Minor.

I have previously written about the other-worldly natural formations of the Cappadocian region and exploring its hills and valleys. We continue our stay at our quaint cave-roomed hotel in Goreme, and soon head to the Goreme Open Air Museum. Plan for a minimum of two hours to walk around this museum, which is actually a large monastic-like complex that has some of the best examples of rock cut churches from the 10th and 11th centuries. Its numerous frescoes, painted in natural dyes, represent scenes from the Bible. Some of them have tombs inbuilt, and if you peek into a few, do not be too surprised to find a skeleton of two grinning at you (I am not joking, there are some very old and well-preserved glass-cased remains here). The  Dark Church (Karanlik Kilise) has the best preserved frescoes, given that it has stayed in the dark for centuries (even now, the entrance is opened only as required and for an additional fee of 10 Lira). Fortunately photography within all churches is prohibited enabling some more generations to view these ancient works of art and architecture. By the time we leave the museum, the setting sun has cast a magical golden glow on the rocky churches and mountains around us.

The day long "Green Tour" of Cappadocia has us meandering through a comfortable 3 hour trail through the deep gorge of Ilhara valley along the Melendiz river, stopping by to see for some more stone cut churches (though these are not to beat the ones we had seen in Goreme), a leisurely Turkish lunch at a log restaurant in the middle of the river, and quick detour aided by our guide, Gulchin, to see an opal blue tinted volcanic lake. 

But the high point of this tour is very low..180 m low in fact! At Derinkuyu in Nevsehir province of Cappadocia, there is an entire ancient underground city. Carved into the rock here around 4000 years ago by the Phyrgians (an ancient Indo-European people), 

in later centuries to be consecutively occupied by the Romans, Greeks, Byzantine and early Christians as a hiding place from the various invaders of their times. Dug into the soft volcanic rock by the most primitive tools of those times, the city expanded to 8 floors (levels), 4 of which are now open to visitors. The underground city was large enough to shelter around 20,000 people, together with their livestock and food supplies, and provided refuge during war times for months together. As I descend into the network of underground pathways, tunnels and steep inclined corridors, I am well and truly stumped by the level of planning and thought that has gone into building this entire subterranean city dwelling. 

To sustain a "normal underground life" during invasion, there are places cordoned off for family rooms, large dining areas (with their stone dining tables), wineries (stone pits to extract and collect wine that flows down), prayer rooms, burial grounds (at the bottom levels), stables for the livestock and cattle (in the higher uppermost level so as to allow their odours out faster). The planning of air (and water) ducts made sure these utilities could circulate right down to the lowermost reaches underground, and at the same time, can be hidden to avoid contamination and poisoning from above by the invaders. Large round stone doors, that can only be operated from within, could be quickly slid into place during an attack. 

The next day, we make a quick 20 minute ride by local bus from Goreme to Avanos to check what has been a beautiful hub of Turkish pottery since the period of the Hittites in 2000 B.C. situated on the banks of the Kizilirmak, the Red River. Next is a long 14 hour bus ride with a day long stop-over at Pamukkale. Pamukkale (meaning Cotton Castle) is famous for its travertines (terraced mountain layers) made of limestone deposits formed over 15,000 years giving it its striking snow-white colour and cotton-puffy look. The hot water springs flowing from the mountains gave it its unique terrace formations. The water temperature ranges from 52 deg C at its source (where it is also rich with sulphur fumes) to ice cold at the bottom of the terraces, that contain its own unique shades of opal blue waters to wade in. These very thermal springs and hot spas are what drew some ancient people to settle here and there are some awe-inspiring testimonies of ancient cities right here in Pamukkale too. But more on these and fascinating places in the next posts. As you walk through the travertines barefoot (this is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that prohibits footwear to preserve the fragile ecosystem), you also appreciate that Pamukkale is also just the right place to get roasted if you ever want to in one quick day. So make sure you carry your hat, water and sunscreen along. 

In these ten days, we have had glimpses of human civilization spread over thousands of years. Time takes a completely different dimension here. When I visited places that have been built and inhabited by humans from several centuries B.C., it's truly strange how those built as long back as 1375 A.D. (Isabey Mosque in Selcuk) or or 1609 A.D. (Sultan Ahmet Mosque, aka Blue Mosque) seem very recent by comparison! 

- Pictures and Content Copyright - Dipali Ekbote

On her going away

She often talked of her mother

Dying on an auspicious day

I see as she breathes her own last

How much she can have her way



Her death isn’t quick in coming

The last three days an endless wait

As friends and family drop by

With Death waiting just outside the gate



Her face cradled in my arm

Her head resting on my thigh

We feel her slipping by

The ear strains for the final sigh



I just know I want my mother to live

The mind screams - Isn’t it too early to go?

But with her suffering so long

This will only be her relief we know



Death has a stealth in its final stride

Does she sense its fear?

She's left us. Left us...

too stunned for a single tear



Where next, I ask, will I see you mother?

Many a times in the years that follow

The eyes seek her from memories of the heart

The heart swells with the tears I swallow



Then I see her in my heart, and in the hearts of so many

Whose lives she has touched

Showing us whatever ordeal comes our way

Our spirit needn’t be crushed



In her life and in her death, she has shown

What it is to treasure, to retain the zest for life

To live with dignity and cheer

Come sorrow, pain or strife



It’s been twelve years you’ve been gone

But Death isn’t about taking away of lives

As your light lives in so many of us

It is in seeing your love of life

That our heart, our soul thrives


- Copyright Dipali Ekbote

Over to Changshil Pass - Himalayan trek in April 2014

Through the Obra Valley and further up to Devkyara Pass

This group is known for offbeat treks to locations that are yet to be explored as trekking routes. Our trek last year was to Devkyara Pass through the Obra valley in Uttarakhand. We started from Jakol near Sankri (below 6,000 ft) to Obra valley (8,000 ft) crossing Akoti to reach Bhawa (12,100 ft) near the Devkyara Pass before we started our descent. Over five days, we had traversed more than 48 kms through pine forests, snow, and not to forget...way too many landslides that left little trace of any trail. As the majority of the route was along the rivers, we had the added thrills of leaping over long stretches of massive boulders along the river banks, and crossing rivers over small wooden bridges, some of them nothing more than one or two tree trunks placed over the roaring chilled waters. 

This was an extremely scenic route...the river side, pine forests, snow covered mountains, Rhododendrons in full bloom on many of the mountain slopes made for perfect company....and introspection when one walked alone. We could stop over to fill water from the numerous waterfalls along the way, or from the river itself where it was gentler. The first two nights, we camped in tents pitched in meadows not too far from the river, which meant we had the sound of the water resonating in our ears all through the night too. (Have shared below some of my best memories in pictures).

On day 2, as three of us from our group of ten pursued with the remaining part of the trek and made way from Akoti to Bhawa, we encountered many places where the heavy snowfall earlier that year had led to trees keeling over and that had later led to landslides. I soon found myself gingerly and very quickly stepping over loose-soil as well as snow covered slopes overhanging the rivers flowing below. At times like this, you realize this ain't time to think too much...you just have to take a step through the loose soil and rocks or snow, judge quickly and move on real quick...to get onto the other side! 

I have a habit of getting into conversations with the local guides / porters who accompany us on the trek...always curious to understand their life, profession, views, etc. but I realize sometimes it does not always serve me well. I remember at one time on the climb up to Bhawa, there was just my guide, Ramesh ji and I and we needed to cross a mountain section covered with snow but in some places we could see the river through rugged cuts where the snow was thin and had worn out. Ramesh ji urged me to join him on the snow and as soon as I stepped onto it, he proceeded to tell me that just the previous year, two people had fallen through the snow and into the roaring river. I quite froze in my snowy track right there and asked him what happened to them. His chilling reply was "Woh toh dead ho gaye! Behte paani mein bahut door milein" ("They both died. And were found much further downstream"). After that, I chose to stay silent,and not just because I needed to catch my breath from the high altitude and steep ascent! (I had other such non self-serving conversations with our guide, Tikamsingh ji on this year's trek too. But more on that in another blogpost.)

Our campsite that night was in the midst of completely snow-clad mountains with a good view of the Kedarkantha peak too on the opposite side. We were just 5 of us (including Ramesh ji and our trek leader Kamlesh ji) who had proceeded until here and our two small tents there looked minuscule and remote. That and the fact that my conversations with the guide that day was about bears which, as I had found out inhabited these mountains, made for an interesting night as the winds blew all around us.

Being the only first-time trekker among the three and fearing we would need to retrace the same treacherous route back, I had decided that I would not make the 1-1.5 hour's trek further up the next morning toward Devkyara Pass. Little did I know then that things can change even for the better in the mountains, and on the descent back, the same route was much simpler with the snow having firmed up to our advantage and we could actually slide down the snow in certain sections. It was thus with regret of having left such a small section at the very last to complete, that I proceeded the descent back to Akoti where the rest of our group had camped. 

I was to encounter more challenging incidents on the subsequent trek - which also made me acutely realize that when you confront a problem, you are actually capable of surmounting it, much more than you have given yourself credit for up until that moment. As is true for so many areas of our life - To a large...very large...extent, it is about mind over body. 

The Obra valley - Devkyara Pass trek was a phenomenal experience overall, and by the time we were making our return journey, I knew well that I would be back here in these mountains. Soon.

Update: Received a few queries for a connect to the organizers of these treks. Please check them out at http://www.harkidun.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/harkidun.trek?fref=ufi

At Bhawa

Rhododendrons

Just before we left on Day 2 - the sunlight is about to bathe the Obra valley 

Tiny wild orchids on the rocks - on the way to Akoti

The mountains beckon - Getting ready for our Himalayan trek

It began with a casual mention of an upcoming trek to the Himalayas in Uttarakhand. It was then that I became conscious of the thoughts of the mountains I had been harbouring for several days...conscious that it was for a reason. The mountains were calling me. 

Quickly accepting the invite, I proceeded to find out what goes as preparation for the trek. Taking stock of what notched up as my own prior experience in this department, I came up with some outdoor camps and jamborees as a Girl Guide (where we got our first true sense of what it means to rough it out in camps) and a couple of one day / overnight treks in the Sahyadris with the Adventurers and Mountaineers Club of my college. Well, that was it...but in hindsight i believe this experience came in handy in an expectation setting of what it means to be camping in the outdoor. 

These were treks of moderate difficulty, so the mandate was to be physically fit. So began a month of preparation with ascents and descents of all inclined surfaces that included Pune's own tekdis" (hillocks), my building's staircases, and one or two visits to Sinhagad...all in the earnestness to make the body fitter, the lungs stronger and the knees more resilient. Skipping was also recommended, but was mostly skipped altogether. 

Now two treks down, jotting down my experiences for anyone else who may have a similar strong calling (do keep listening...to what your heart is telling you)...for the mountains, or adventure, or the outdoors.

This year's trek is to the Changshil Pass in North Western Uttarakhand. The journey starts from New Delhi. An overnight train to Dehradun makes for a good choice as you get to catch up on time plus some sleep, and get a nice and early morning start for the long drive from Dun. Irrespective of motion sickness tendencies, each of us down an Ondem to assist our digestive systems to tolerate the 8.5 hr, 210 km drive through the eternally winding roads. 

We pass Mussoorie (which is now too congested...I remember it as a sleepy idyllic place blessed with huge flowers everywhere from my trip with my parents some 30 years ago), Nainbag, Damta (either of these can be hot-paratha-breakfast stopover options), Purola (the biggest town close to Sankri), Mori and Netwar. At each turn and narrow pass along the way, I can only admire our driver's skill and patience with maneuvering the vehicle. It strikes me quite sadly how dirty some of these towns / villages are, especially with layers of plastic bags logging the storm water drains, turning many main roads into slush-filled paths. While the populace living here is using the same plastic wrappers and bags as in the urban areas, the infrastructure possibly assumes otherwise and garbage disposal and sanitation facilities are given a miss.

If you find the SUV wading through a waterfall, you will know you're almost at Sankri (this time, we did see work on this section of the road so the waterfall has a path under the road rather than over it..so fear not). Sankri and Osla (some 18-20 kms ahead) are the last stop - which means there is no motorable road thereafter! 

The first thing that hits you when you reach Sankri is the cold (esp. if there's rain and hailstones...which there was on both trips). It is not the coldest it will be during the trek, but it hits because of what we've come from...40 deg C. Sankri still is symbolic of a small quaint sleepy village (of not more than 200). Our trek organizer, Mr. Chainsingh Rawat belongs to Sankri and along with my friend, Neeta Godambe who has organized these treks for 6 years, has pretty much developed the trekking scene in this part of Uttarakhand. Our first day's meal is at Chainsinghji's residence, a lovely wooden house in the village where we are served steaming hot local food - an absolute treat to our cold, tired and slightly wound up bellies. We retire early for a good night's rest on a bed with cozy warm blankets - the last such material pleasures we will have in a week - before we start day 1 of our trek.

Afiyet olsun!

Turkey offers numerous opportunities to food lovers to explore - in its restaurants but more so on the streets. Istanbul, Selcuk, Goreme, Sirince all have interesting eating joints lining up the streets. Some of the best eating joints in Istanbul are the ones dotting both sides of main road at Sultanaahmet Square near the Blue Mosque, and along the walk from the Topkapi Palace toward the Spice Market. Am sure Taksim Square has its share of good eating joints too but could not check out any given the midnight hour we visited there! 

We also had the pleasure of spending leisurely afternoons in the local markets at Goreme, Sirince and Selcuk where the senses are heightened with the smells and colours of local produce that ranges from about two dozen+ varieties of Peynir (cheese), honey and edible honey comb (I tried the latter too...a first for me), assorted fresh and dried vegetables, spices and dry fruits, freshly squeezed fruit juices...I fell in love with the fresh fruit - a couple of times such as at the Goreme local market after our quadbiking ride, I just made do with the juicy pears and peaches for lunch.

On reading my earlier blogposts, some of my Facebook friends wanted to understand about Turkish food, especially if there was enough available among the vegetarian fare. So dishing out here through my experiences and pictures, a little from what I tried out.

Breakfast
Leaving aside the lavish spread for the first 2 days at Istanbul, our typical breakfast on the rest of the trip consisted of slices of tomato, cucumber, olives, watermelon, grape,bread with butter / jam / honey, with an egg preparation, and one or more varieties of cheese. A couple of places also served Simit, a sesame covered bread 
ring, but I found this too dry for my liking. Before long, I was addicted to having my salad and fruit with a bit of fresh feta cheese and was it delicious! 

I also ordered Menemen once. It's a nice Turkish version of our very own egg bhurji with lots more vegetables loaded. A good option for breakfast, it can also serve you well for lunch if you're not too hungry. 

Meze
This consists of several types of mostly vegetables mixed with herbs and spices. You can eat these individually as an entree, or as a combined ‘mezze plate’ where you can choose from the counter (or the menu) an assortment of vegetable dishes. 

Clay pot Turkish dishes
The clay pot has a special place in Turkish cuisine, given that it renders itself wonderfully to slow cooking and gives the food a unique taste of its own.

A must-have among these is the Testi Kebap, which is a meat and vegetable dish slow cooked in a sealed clay pot over a fire oven. And...now here's the dramatic touch...it is brought from the oven to your table, where the waiter breaks open the clay pot with a flourish of gentle taps (ofcourse which also necessitates not having bits of the pot get into your food). I had this in Cappadocia, which is said to the origin of this dish, as well as Istanbul and was satisfied with both preparations. While I did not try it myself, the vegetarians may want to check if there is a non meat version available as the sauce, herbs and spices definitely do justice to all those vegetables in the pot. 

The clay pot lends its special flavour so beautifully to other dishes too such as the mushroom n cheese preparation that we had at The Ulan Pide and Restaurant at Sirince, along with the Pide. The pide is the Turkish equivalent of the pizza, but unlike the round pizza we are familiar with, it is long and rectangular. Would recommend that you have your Pide in specialist pide restaurants that are equipped with wood fired ovens where it is also a pleasure to watch them roll and bake one right in front of you. 

The best pide I had was at The Ulan at Sirince, a quaint little old Greek village on the hillside above Selcuk, known for its wines, orchards and some very well preserved houses from the 18th and 19th Centuries. The Ulan is a lovely 100 yr old structure run by Ibrahim whose wife worked at our hotel down in Selcuk. The warmth and charm of the place reminded me of the old Iranian cafes in Mumbai and Pune, many of which have now sadly vanished.

Many of the village homes in Sirince had assorted stuff and vegetables drying out in the sun, some of them to be used as decorative items in their homes, and some to be used as food items, especially during the winter. A few homes at Sirince are run as hotels and while checking out the Oz Garden House the owner, Rahima, taught us to prepare Tarhana, a Turkish tomato soup made from dried powders that she had just prepared from tomato, red bell pepper, onion, flour, herbs and yohurt.

Soups, locally known as Corbasi, are also available in other varieties, both with and without meat. If you are particular about vegetarian, you may also want to make sure your soup is not cooked in chicken broth. 

Gozleme
A traditional specialty of the Central Anatolian region, this turned out to be a particularly huge favourite with me. It is similar to the Indian paratha, in that it is hand-rolled and filled with various stuffing, and cooked over a griddle. This again is available with meat or non-meat stuffing. An absolute must-have is the spinach and feta cheese Gozleme, which we were lucky to have prepared for us in its native origin land while meandering through the Ihlara Valley along the Mendeliz river on our Cappadocian Green Tour. You can also get to try this in Istanbul.

Sarma and Dolma 
These are again vegetables either fresh or dried eggplants, peppers, tomatoes or zucchinis stuffed with a mixture of rice and onion with various spices. When wrapped within vine leaves, they are served as Sarma (Yaprak Sarma). These are available with meat and non-meat stuffing.

Kofte (meatballs) and Kebap (Kebabs or roasted meat) 
These are must-haves for the meat lovers. Our most popular Turkish staple was the Doner kebab - especially as it was the easiest to pick up and munch on when on the road. It comes close to its Arabic equivalent "shawarma". Of all the places where I had the doner I loved it best in Istanbul...I am unable to remember the name of the place, but it was the first restaurant on the side of the Blue Mosque at Sultanahment Square. 

Desserts
For the sweet toothed, there is lots to tempt - but decent helpings of Turkish icecream and the famous baklava, which is just heavenly when had fresh at the sweetshop and which has too many varieties to choose from, are enough to keep one satiated. 

Beverages
The Ayran (a cold yogurt beverage mixed with salt - similar to the Indian Chhaas) is lovely and always a refreshing choice between long walks as well as to end meals. Turkish tea is nice, especially the apple tea (which interestingly has little trace of tea!), but Turkish coffee?...well, not my cup of tea! 

Overall, if you are a vegetarian, you needn't find the prospect of feeding yourself all that daunting as the vegetarian options are many and interesting, as long as you are open to different types of vegetable, especially eggplant and mushroom :)

On that note, Afiyet olsun!...if you didn't already know / guess that..that's Turkish for Bon appetit!.

Fruit lunch purchase at Goreme  

Sirince and Pamukkale had the most amazing pomegranate

Cucumbers and pumpkins soaking in the sun. Some will be used as decoration in the house, some will be eaten.

A dried pumpkin lamp at Rahima's cozy home stay in Sirince

Ibrahim baking our pide and mushroom n cheese

Our spinach and feta cheese Gozleme being rolled out in Ihlara Valley 

  

The honeycomb was a new one for me

One of the many restaurants lining Istanbul's streets

Wrapping the Sarma in vine leaves