Apparently, Mezgit is a type of fish; whiting/ haddock or similar, the etymology of which is hard to pinpoint (I tried). It’s a tiny lil thing, nestled on top of a mountain hill. It has beautiful weather, sunny and breezy with sprouts of chill. Last night and this morning for example I had a sweater on. It has not gotten hot so far, perfect weather if you ask me.
Not many folks live here and the ones I met/ was acquainted with are very elderly, stooped and slow, yet active, lively, and go about their day-to-day independently, on their own. It’s not touristic by any means, and pretty much no one I met in Datça seems to know about its existence. Of the many things I love about this village other than its apparent old-world charm is how happy people are here, it’s like they live in their own little wonderland. It is also a self-sustaining village, people very rarely venture out, they eat what they grow and that’s pretty much it. Seasonal everything, a few crops and fruit trees, chickens, and all the wild bounties the mountains have to offer.
As it’s the case ever since I stepped into the universe people like to call Turkey, language was my hindrance. It’s no surprise that by now everyone knows me by name, but not only that, they know “about me”, everything to a tee, from waking up early, my mountain escapades, why I am not going to the beach, that I lock myself all day in the cottage to read and write…etc But this always leaves me smiling; people here are the nicest I have met in Turkey so far, they are curious but not in a rude way, they are extremely friendly. So of all the things I will miss here, it’ll be those old women including my landlady, who tries in every way possible to communicate, invites me in, gifts me vegetables, asks about my health .. always with a warm motherly smile, I will miss them dearly.
Last mountain hike today, strolling back, relishing as much of my surroundings as I could. I pass an elderly lady – I really like her - who lives at the far end of the village … adorably sitting in the garden, cane in hand, gazing at the mountains … I step close to say hi, happy to see me she starts talking non-stop and as is usually the case reciting my daily routine including what time I wake up to me. I smile widely. She then inquires if I’ll be staying with Mustafa forever, I try to muster anything that would be comprehendible for her but fail, she then goes on and on to convince me to stay in Mezgit and not go back to Jordan, not knowing again how to respond I smile assuredly, I leave her happy with the knowledge that I’m staying, I just didn’t know what else to do. I swear, if I just knew enough Turkish to get by, I’d be best pal with all those ladies, I’d be jumping from one house to another, helping, giving a hand, planting/ picking veggies, chasing hens, and chatting over endless glasses of tea ..etc
Twelve days in Mezgit went so fast but were exactly right, mission accomplished, i had my fill. I will leave with the fondest memories, and it would be lovely to come back later – after I improve my Turkish – but as for now, i am ready to move on, no looking back, no slowing down!
So what’s next on the menu?
Early after tomorrow I’ll be taking the bus from Mezgit to …. Leo’s house everyone!
I am babysitting his house and pets while they are on vacation! Other than the fact that they have offered me to stay in their house (they are awesome), it is a lovely and properly equipped, hospitable place – a breath of fresh air, besides, having a dog and two cats around to cuddle and feed … well I missed that. It’s also in a perfect location for me to easily hit town when needed (back to the gym) and venture around the peninsula a bit.
Now, this leaves a period of 8 days between crashing at Leo’s abode and moving into my temporary house in Bertolt Brecht (Fabi & Brant’s place) …. However, there is a minor issue to consider here… I ran out of money to pay all those greedy airbnb/homeowners. To be honest I have not given it much thought, well up until my lost and found drama yesterday. I was picking up those prickly bugger hitchhiker seeds when it hit me, I’ll just backpack, Turkey is massive, I’ll wing it on a shoestring, it’ll work and it’ll be grand! So instead of looking for a “solution” or a way out which I abhor doing, I’ll just embark on a new adventure.
Fortunately for me, Leo’s house is the PERFECT place for me to work, write, and plan this trip. There are so many places I wanna visit. Transportation is easy and cheap, I can carpool or take buses, and hostels and pensions are pretty abundant and reasonably priced ... honestly, I CAN'T WAIT!
Before we sign out:
A tiny tribute to the beautiful Mezgit