A Slower Place - June 24, 2010

I've been spending a lot of time in some of Turkey's largest cities, so today, my hosts took me for a drive along the Aegean Sea to glimpse a more traditional, more relaxed side of Turkey.


We ended up in the village of Urla.

Urla has managed to retain some of the facets of the Turkish culture that are beginning to die out elsewhere in the country.

Life here seems to be a lot slower. Everywhere I looked I saw people mulling about on the street enjoying one another's company through a friendly conversation, drinking cay (Turkish tea) or any of a number of other pursuits.

The man in this picture is smoking a nargile or Turkish water pipe. The pipe was a way of life for more than two centuries during the Ottoman Empire, but the pipe's use declined with the rise in cigarette usage.

No, I don't smoke. I don't condone smoking, and I go out of my way to tell my students and my friends to never take up such an unhealthy habit, but smoking is a big part of Turkey's past and present.

With the resurgence of nargiles, now many Turks are smoking a fruit-flavored, herbal mixture, instead of tobacco.

That's all I have to share for today. We are about ready to sit down and enjoy some fresh bread that we bought in Urla.

Often, people ask me why I love to travel so much. My common response is "because life is short." My friend Mike says it even better, "I could have been a lot further ahead in my 401k, but how many people can say they took a hot air balloon ride above the Serengeti Plain."

We'll all be gone from this earth shortly enough. With that in mind, I will leave you with a popular Chinese proverb, "Enjoy yourself. It's later than you think."



Travel Note:

I am back on the road tomorrow, so it might be a couple of days before I am able to post again. I continue to appreciate your messages and your support.