Mezgit bus stop, early am June 21st
çok sıcak ya
The köy otobüsü may very well be a weirdly looking vehicle, but make no mistake, those old chaps are fast, punctual, and more reliable than the bestest airlines, and just like locusts, they spread everywhere. However, there is one minor issue …. Lack of O2 or what people existing outside the Otobüs call “air”. There are NO WINDOWS, as in none that CAN open EVER. No AC, no ventilation system of any substance. And they always bite more than they could chew. Let’s paint a picture, shall we: we be like sardines, encased in a “tightly sealed” metal container, the sun hitting us hard from every direction, slowly sautéing the hell out of us. A sauna to top all saunas. If you are on a short trip, you are among the lucky ones, however, if you are going city to city, well!
Proof that a shade does not necessarily "shade"
I’ll tell you what else should not be hot, THE GYM! And yet…. Let me introduce you to “Code Orange” which is the exact brain temperature you will train with. I understand, it would only make sense when you live in Siberia or the North Pole to decide not to turn “the only two” ACs in the ENTIRE GYM on whilst in summer, however, when the gym, the subject of this post is in a seaside town, and it’s summer … why do I even need to discuss this? Yet that is the case. Now how about combining the two … like I did? A long bus/sauna ride then a long hard gym sesh. Paradiso!
Mandatory sun-bathing as I await the bus
On the Otobüs every day is a PARTY!
If you think it’s just a bus, think again. It’s something akin to a community center, people get in as if entering a friend’s house or a local café’, always smiling, always happy to see everyone! They chat – extremely loudly like from the back end to the front – and the Drivers, well they are like superstars (ok, I am exaggerating) passengers literally jump at the chance to sit next to them, especially the younger female population, they crowd in 3s there and seem to have a great time. To be honest, I love that, and although I am in every sense the black sheep/ duck, I still love it.
Hanging around in town, hobo style
This whole community center thing though makes everyone too lax, for example, drivers do things like stopping by a grocery store/ bakery, and “taking their time” doing their home shopping while we all wait, and that never bothers anyone. Drivers seem to also decide whether they fancy picking you up or ushering a – no way Jose’/ talk to the hand - kinda gesture in your face, they can also choose to not open the bus door for you while you stand there staring right into their soul ... or even shut it in your face as you get there and then take off - need for speed style - leaving you swirling on your feet. All true stories, all happened to me …. and with the exact same bus driver! call me paranoid but I'm starting to think something unholy is going on here!
I missed Datca
Daddy, Daddy cool
One day I hop on a bus and instantly the driver bombards me with an endless flow of non-comprehendible – to me – words, he looks interesting though, completely shaven, with a cool earpiece on, black blue mirror shades, and a vintage canvas backpack at his heel. In short, he looks nothing like the usual bus dude. Of course, I answer in the best way I could, I say nothing, I only stare.
He then asks me - loudly as if I were miles away - IN PERFECT ENGLISH: do you speak English?
I say: yes. He then goes (very very sternly): You look like a fitness model! Then mechanically turns his head and resumes his duties. Throughout the rest of our daily encounters, he would always look at me sternly with extreme focus, never smiling, never saying/ answering my hello.
On one other occasion, I took the bus from Mezgit to town, then back to the Garage to hop on another bus to a totally different area. The Mezgit bus driver who knows me well by now came rushing, he thought I am taking that bus by mistake, I assured him I’m fine and told him where I am going, he then went on to tell me that (it was 5:00 pm) if I don’t get this bus back to Mezgit now, the next will not be until 8:00 pm, I assured him again that I am well aware of the schedule and that I’ll be taking the 8:00 pm bus and recited the word “Anladım” a dozen times. I get on the bus, he follows me INSIDE ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK END and rewinds, I Anladım him again, he disappears for a minute and comes back with a dude who speaks some English, issue dealt with now, he still gives me that “I’m not convinced” or “I don’t approve” look with a sigh for effect, then reluctantly leave. A needlessly lengthy ordeal that attracted a wide audience.
Last, because I really loved – at the beginning - the community feel of the bus rides, I mean it’s very unique in this time and age. I decided that I should take part in the fun, be a member of the gang so to speak, I hopped in one morning and stood there for a second – just so that you know, the bus takes off even before the door closes which means almost 99.9% of all the people who get in trip EVERY SINGLE TIME but that’s like standard practice- cheerfully turning my head around, looking at everyone and loudly said Günaydın that was more like gunaaaaaaaaaaydiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin ……. A hush …. no one said a word, dead silence. How did I feel? Nothing really I just sat down and kept myself to myself afterwards.
Back to Mezgit:
Javriye's house
Javriye (waving enthusiastically): Yarın görüşürüz (stressing on the word Yarın)
I paid the good old lady a visit before ushering out of Mezgit, this time however she poured her heart out to me, and I understood more than I ever thought I would. In her 80s, Javriye lives alone in a humble house, she suffers from heart problems and was in the hospital in Marmaris just a week ago, she has two sons and two daughters (kız çocuğu), I also got that they don’t visit her much and when they do it’s for a mere cup of coffee. She kept pointing to the sky telling me “Allah'a tevekkül etmek” and “Müslüman”, much of which I could not understand but got the jest of it.
As I was leaving, she kept nodding, looking into my face for the assurance I’ll be staying and never go back to Jordan, I told her I’ll be in Datça but failed to explain otherwise. Call me a softie, but I wish I was able to be the solace she wanted me to be, I mean this woman’s face was beaming with kindness, I liked her A LOT.
Sunrise Yoga:
I know it sounds incredible but it did not actually happen that way, I watched the sunrise, Roger that, I did maybe 5 yoga poses, kinda Roger that too … but then … a picture is worth a thousand words!
This is my Yoga partner, his name is Bagel, a handsome fella with a limp
To be continued .....