ON THE ROADS OF LYCIA - September 2014

              Another trip, another book, another stories. I am in the house of Ahmet, Spikey on a sofa of old Anatolian style. CouchSurfing Spirit. I can sleep anywhere. On floor, wood and on land. I am in  Cerci village, on the outskirts of Kaş, I'm at heights 300-350 meters above sea level. This is so natural, roosters, chickens, sheeps are walking around. In my pillow there is smell of pillow where I slept in İspir, Erzurum. As human ages, he wants less sleep and desire more to see new places. I want to tell more and share more. Mehmet and Laureen meet me in old Kas port. They drink malt beers in an Fiat-tipo car. 

Mehmet works in Kaş Marina. We enter to road from old Kaş port and pass rough and hubby roads and arrive to Flag area where a big Turkish flag is waved. Scene is wonderful. Kaş is under our feet. While we drink our beers we put our feet under cliff, and we enjoy the freedom of wind blowing to our spirits. Our topic we share are; Kaş, Israel, Chicago, future, urbanization, constructions, globalization and speed. That is the moment we are lost. She tells me about the port cities Eilat, Chicago and Michigan. I asked about Eliat how was it. How is its water? Laureen tells about red sea. She is a member of American Jewish family, her origins is Askhenazi, dating back to Poland and Germany where they migrated from. Next cities are Ashdod, Jerusalem, West Bank. Naturally we make comments about demeanors of today’s Israeli government. When it comes to politics there is a silence and we go quiet. Our next step is Academy of Dreams. 

Summer camp where our disabled brothers & sisters live. I am so lucky that I have found opportunity to see this beautiful place two days before the camp ends. I take a trip to the library which I fell in love, where I have wanted to sleep between the pages of those many books. We chat with children with Down syndrome and spastics.

             My sincerity with them starts in meal, their trainers two sweet girls say that I should sit near them I could make better conversation. I like temporary tattoos on Gönül’s arm and I tell her then she look better and differently. She smiles inside her eyes. A young boy, whose name i can’t remember reads a disabled poem. Even I am not that good to read a poem like that. How he is smart and he like poems, it is even a long one. There is fat boy at the end of the table. Brother what is your name he shouts? Brother Berat, are you a body builder? Very sincere, he says I will also start to the bodybuilding. Waves hit land. If you ask me he is smarter than me, Berna and Yasemin teacher. I take other trips to the extended garden. They have beach volleyball fields climbing areas and football pitch and basketball areas. It is like another world here, so large, green and clean. With abundance oxygen, this camp presents human serenity and silences. We start for night chatting on wood chairs made of crapped woods. Chatting circulates from one point to another. Wherever the wind takes us. Berna teacher was so sincere and shared her their two months period in camp of dreams. I like this very much and I tell her about my project to visit other parts of the world for helping. She says no need to go such far, we also need people here around. How man’s life is sufficient for such projects, how to reach hearths and hands of other people.  In this camp question to be asked is that: what do humans need in fact? And how much these children, our disabled friends need us? We all need each other whether we are disabled or not. Life needs us and we need life. People accept to need as something vulnerability and not disgraceful. Today’s human struggle, is to be able to be self-sufficient. Life is faster than before, and human should work so much in a short time and they think that human should produce most of the time. General belief is that nobody needs anybody is the most correct way of living.  Deep issues, humanity is concerned, the most sensitive point. Maybe, while there are such disabled people in need of others to this extent, to talk about other needs is very painful and very impertinent. I thank to Mehmet for he bringing me here and Kaş means Academy of Dreams for me, from now on.

            Republican square of Kaş is the most authentic part of Kaş.  

While there are construction in hills, this area is full of Ottoman and Greek houses with balconies which protected old architecture. There is an old bookstore, many shops selling old things and a few shops. I meet with Ms. Feride in an old book store and we talk about old Kaş. She says they collect Kaş photos from leading families of Kaş and they have their prints. Very nostalgic, in Kaş of 1950s and 1970s there are 7-8 houses near old Kaş port. Today, skirts of mountains covering this are over constructed.  Maybe I came here in the best possible season. Then we walk some streets and go back to Cerci village. We watch the town with night wind and night lights. Water melon that Spikey cut and delivered maybe is the tastiest one I ate recently. Spikey lays down on chair, I get pleasure of the night and I read İlber Ortaylı’s Old World Travels book… My friend accompanied me during my Kaş travel my book and my good spirit fiend Ceren Özbaylı. We are in the roads of Lycia with many shades of blue and green all around us.