Sunday, June 04, 2006

Our Arrival: Turkey Welcomes Us

Nicole and I landed at the Istanbul International Airport, named after the famed Ataturk, the country's modern day hero, and national unifyer. We got in at night, after 11:30pm, but in Istanbul that means nothing. It is a city that truly never sleeps, a city that operates on the premise of 24-7. Nicole and I were lucky enough to be picked up by the film festival coordinators Onder and his wife. We also picked up another member of the festival, who had flown in from San Franciso via London, and we all squeezed into Onder's car. We left the airport, and traveled the freeways, where I got my first taste of what driving in Turkey is like. The roads were crowded well after midnight. The driving was...well a few words should clue you in: crazy, nightmarish. Now, I grew up and learned to drive in New York City, The Boogie Down Bronx, which is pretty imfamous when it comes to driving in the city. My friends, Richard and Craig, were partially responsible for me finally getting a driver's license. For years, I was like many New Yorkers; I took subways, buses, and relied on other drivers to get me around. When I knew I would eventually move to California, to experience the crazy quest to make it in Hollywood, I began to seriously learn how to drive. At first it was difficult: the near fatal accidents, the constant jay-walking pedestrians, the reckless, life threatening driving on crazy road systems riddled with bad design, and crater-sized potholes. Eventually, I got the hang of it, the rhythm of NYC driving, and I became one of the Romans in Rome. Many people have often asked if I learned how to drive from a taxi driver. That to me, is a compliment; to some that means their hearts skip a beat when I'm driving. But my record stands for itself, mostly safe. While sitting in Onder's car, watching him drive like a New Yorker on steroids and crystal meth, me in the death seat beside him, I quickly learned what kind of reputation Turkish drivers have. They are worse than New Yorkers. Worse than the lunatics in Los Angeles; they are most like drivers in Rome and Mexico City. Though I've never been to either place yet, I've always thought I could keep paces with those crazy drivers. Let me just tell you that I no longer have any desire to drive in these places, so I thank Turkey for that. Still, it was kind of Onder to pick us up. This was to be one of many of my experiences with Turks, and of how warm, generous, and hospitable they are.






That night we arrived we were taken to Sed Hotel. Because my trip was sponsored by a Turkish doctor's association interested in learning about the Cuban and American healthcare systems, Nicole and I were put up in a great place -- Sed Hotel. Located in Taxsim, near the Bosphorus, it is a great neighborhood, one conducive to walking, shopping, sightseeing, clubbing, bumping into people at the square, at the park , and even along the side streets where there are a multitude of cafes, bars, restaurants, and clubs. After being stuck in traffic in Taxsim, we arrived at the hotel well after midnight, and between the late hour, and the jet lag, Nicole and I decided to forgo checking out the night life; instead, we crashed for the night. The next morning, we awoke to the wonderful sights and sounds of Istanbul, a city of 9+ million people ( many say 14 million), a city thousands of miles away from California, a world full of adventure to come. Here are some of the photos we took, and here are some of the stories that came with the journey.