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This Turkish Delight will be the death of me...
buti nalang din pala uuwi na ko.
buti nalang din pala uuwi na ko.
Feb 17, 2006
Feb 16, 2006
Cyprus: pre departure blues part 1
I am calling this 'part 1'...I don't know if that means there will be a 'part 2' but just in case...
My laptop says its 449 PM...surprisingly, the sun's still up. If it were as it was when I first got here, it would be dark by now. Its that transitional period in countries with several, varying seasons...its no longer is quite winter anymore, but neithe is it spring yet...Changing seasons, changing hours of sunlight, changing temperatures throughout the day.
Its been more than 2 months since I first stepped foot in Cyprus. As with any of my other travels, things will never be the same again. I will never hear about nor have Mediterrenean food without remembering how it really was to actually be in the Mediterrenean, having their food, having their Halloumi and feta and village salad. When I hear of people who incessantly speak of Cyprus as being sunny throughout the year, I may be able to get a word in edgewise and say, that no, they do have winter season, and that their winter IS winter...at least to tropical country dwellers like me.
I will never hear the word Kalimera again and not claim that I've heard that before. When they bring up Cyprus, I won't stop and ask where in the world Cyprus is.
Because I know. Because I've been there. Because I am still here.
On Sunday I will leave Cyprus. Will I be able to return in the future? I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows, really? All I know is that I can cross out one more country off of my list. I will leave and take with me everything I've learned about myself, my country, this country and life and people in general -- little things, trivial things mostly. And when I leave, I will be looking forward to my next trip and my own little piece of adventure.
For now, I am posting this, because you said you liked it.
My laptop says its 449 PM...surprisingly, the sun's still up. If it were as it was when I first got here, it would be dark by now. Its that transitional period in countries with several, varying seasons...its no longer is quite winter anymore, but neithe is it spring yet...Changing seasons, changing hours of sunlight, changing temperatures throughout the day.
Its been more than 2 months since I first stepped foot in Cyprus. As with any of my other travels, things will never be the same again. I will never hear about nor have Mediterrenean food without remembering how it really was to actually be in the Mediterrenean, having their food, having their Halloumi and feta and village salad. When I hear of people who incessantly speak of Cyprus as being sunny throughout the year, I may be able to get a word in edgewise and say, that no, they do have winter season, and that their winter IS winter...at least to tropical country dwellers like me.
I will never hear the word Kalimera again and not claim that I've heard that before. When they bring up Cyprus, I won't stop and ask where in the world Cyprus is.
Because I know. Because I've been there. Because I am still here.
On Sunday I will leave Cyprus. Will I be able to return in the future? I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows, really? All I know is that I can cross out one more country off of my list. I will leave and take with me everything I've learned about myself, my country, this country and life and people in general -- little things, trivial things mostly. And when I leave, I will be looking forward to my next trip and my own little piece of adventure.
For now, I am posting this, because you said you liked it.
Feb 13, 2006
Okay enough with all that fuss....on to more Cypriot stuff.
It is my last week in Cyprus and my last full weekend (this past weekend that is) was spent in Nicosia. As we've been sightseeing a lot over the past month or so, I havent really had that much time to go around and do some serious shopping...not that I plan to spend that much anyway....but I still wanted to go shopping.
So Saturday was my shopping day. And since Cypriot stores close hella early on Saturdays and remain closed on Sundays...we were up early on Saturday morning. And then Tita Eva called...would we like to go to the other side? Damn right we would!
The Other Side
This of course, refers to the non-Government controlled area. Nicosia (and the rest of Cyprus) is divided into the Cypriot side, and the Northern Republic of Cyprus which is Turkish Territory. For those who do not know, Turkey attempted to occupy Cyprus occured in the 70s. To this day, Cypriots speak of the other side as if crossing over means acquiring the plague. UN forces guard the boundaries and No Man's Land lies in between the two parts.
And we crossed that border, went through No Man's Land, saw ruins of old houses and passed by what used to be a Cypriot hotel turned UN quarters in order to get to the Turkish side. And the reason we crossed? Shopping!!! At the risk of sounding like I have no respect for the Cypriot complaint against the invasion... crossing over was one of the most exciting things I've done so far.
Once on the other side, people spoke a different language, words were written differently and, well, the men were different. I'll save that story for some other time....but bottom line, we went through the shops and found cheap cheap cheap signature clothes. Who bought what and what was bought? Lets just say, that the men outnumbered the women hands down.
Lazy Sunday
Being in a different territory the entire Saturday morning meant that shops were closed when we got back to the Cypriot side. That was the end of our shopping weekend. We had a day and a half in an entire city that was mostly closed.
So we decided to walk and shoot. Allan had Buddy while I took charge of his Ixus 50. It was refreshing to have a camera that fits in my pocket....but I have to admit...it didn't feel right. Like I was missing an arm or a leg.
Photos I took:
It is my last week in Cyprus and my last full weekend (this past weekend that is) was spent in Nicosia. As we've been sightseeing a lot over the past month or so, I havent really had that much time to go around and do some serious shopping...not that I plan to spend that much anyway....but I still wanted to go shopping.
So Saturday was my shopping day. And since Cypriot stores close hella early on Saturdays and remain closed on Sundays...we were up early on Saturday morning. And then Tita Eva called...would we like to go to the other side? Damn right we would!
The Other Side
This of course, refers to the non-Government controlled area. Nicosia (and the rest of Cyprus) is divided into the Cypriot side, and the Northern Republic of Cyprus which is Turkish Territory. For those who do not know, Turkey attempted to occupy Cyprus occured in the 70s. To this day, Cypriots speak of the other side as if crossing over means acquiring the plague. UN forces guard the boundaries and No Man's Land lies in between the two parts.
And we crossed that border, went through No Man's Land, saw ruins of old houses and passed by what used to be a Cypriot hotel turned UN quarters in order to get to the Turkish side. And the reason we crossed? Shopping!!! At the risk of sounding like I have no respect for the Cypriot complaint against the invasion... crossing over was one of the most exciting things I've done so far.
Once on the other side, people spoke a different language, words were written differently and, well, the men were different. I'll save that story for some other time....but bottom line, we went through the shops and found cheap cheap cheap signature clothes. Who bought what and what was bought? Lets just say, that the men outnumbered the women hands down.
Lazy Sunday
Being in a different territory the entire Saturday morning meant that shops were closed when we got back to the Cypriot side. That was the end of our shopping weekend. We had a day and a half in an entire city that was mostly closed.
So we decided to walk and shoot. Allan had Buddy while I took charge of his Ixus 50. It was refreshing to have a camera that fits in my pocket....but I have to admit...it didn't feel right. Like I was missing an arm or a leg.
Photos I took:
Having Mini Meze for Brunch
A Coke in any Language Tastes Just as Good
Not quite the Pimp Hat he's looking for
I'm loving mirrors and wide angle lenses...they're best for self portraits
Look into my (Turkish Evil) Eye
You know you're on an overseas assignment when you're served Evian and you don't really worry about the price.
You know you're on an overseas assignment when you're served Evian and you don't really worry about the price.
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