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So I was out of the country for a bit….Went to Turkey with some friends filming a new movie for MVM. The area was called herakleia, also known as bafa golu. Herakleia is the fabled hometown of Hercules. The area is literally layered with history dating from around 2000BC, when the original inhabitants left paintings in the caves under the rocks, and carved sarcophogi directly into the rocks. What is now a lake was once an inlet on the Aegean Sea. Around 300BC a Roman port town existed on the same site as the fabled Herakleia, and Roman artifacts, fortresses, and roads are still visible throughout the landscape. At some point (I need to study the history more) a landslide landlocked the inlet turning it into a salt water lake.

If you go to the momentum video site you can see some shorts (MC calls them dailies) of Turkey.The shorts don’t do the place justice. We looked upon miles of untouched golden granite. Lots of highballs. I think I climbed 2 previously established problems….everything else was cleaned and climbed for the first time on our trip. More posts to come with some pictures and videos of the area.

In the meantime, here’s an excerpt from our first two days in Istanbul:

It snowed in Istanbul! A lot. We’re told it hasn’t snowed this much here in years….which is a mixed blessing. The snow has made the roads so bad that we have delayed our journey south to Bafa Lake (Bafa Golu). That’s a bummer, but it also means we get to stay in Istanbul an extra day and check it out. The snow also makes everything beautiful and surreal. Snow plows and shovels seem to be a foreign concept to the city. Merchants clean the sidewalks in front of their shops with squeegees, and the roads are a bit treacherous even to walk in – imagine cobble streets filled with a mixture of sheets of ice and 6″ deep puddles of slush. Today we explored the Blue Mosque – the wood, tile, and stone work is phenomenal, as is the architecture. The scales are colossal – pillars as big around as two elephants facing head to head, 60′ vaulted ceilings, one giant 500′ square carpet…it is all so impressive. We tried to check out Aya Sofia, the oldest and largest mosque in Istanbul, but it was closed. Next we went to the Grand Bazaar, the giant indoor market. With 12 of us and hundreds of narrow, crisscrossing alleys all under a roof, it was difficult not to get lost or lose each other. Trinkets were acquired, semi-precious stones, apple teas, jewelry, turkish evil eyes, hookahs….rugs were bartered over and almost bought (at far too high a price) but we all escaped relatively unscathed. Next stop was the spice market, with piles and piles of colorful spices as far as you could see in any direction (again, all under one roof). Apricots, nuts, turkish delights, turkish coffees, and of course Baklava. Baklava and coffee stops were made every hour on the hour, where we all recuperated over syrupy coffees and pastries that oozed honey.

 

The smell of coal in the air brings me back to China, but the people, the atmosphere, and the commerce is much more modern and western. About six times a day, prayers echo through the city over loudspeakers. They begin at 6am and occur every few hours for ten minutes at a time throughout the day. This also is surreal.

 

Tomorrow we hope to catch an early ferry (6am) across the marmara (sp?) sea and then drive another 5ish hours to bafa golu where we all hope the weather is drier and warmer. Everyone is having a great time, and Cerre says “P.S. Granny was right, the pastries are divine.”