Love Turkey already.

We sailed from Symi (Greece) to Bosboyrun, Turkey yesterday in what you might call 'breezy conditions'.  The harbor where we stayed that night was calm so we could not quite believe the weather reports calling for 25-30+ knot winds.  Good thing that winds like that dont bother us much, because when it gusts up to 40 knots on the beam (side) it feels like the whole boat is going to blow over.  Fortunately it was just a 15 mile, 3 hour sail and once we got tucked into the harbor in Turkey, we were once again well protected. 

The difference between Greece and Turkey are striking, and hard to believe for two countries separated by just 5 miles in some places.  The first thing we noticed were the mountain cliffs that drop straight down to the water.  Much greener than Greece, and much bigger than Greece.  It has less of a Mediterranean look and feel and it seems much more eastern, or middle eastern.  The islands seemed like they moved aside as we pulled in closer to the harbor where the first building we saw was a mineret with a blue stained glass 'steeple' and a silver domed mosque.  They do call to prayer 5 times a day, but it seems that most Turks blow it off. 

They seem to love Americans, and Code's Canadian passport was a bit of a novelty for the customs guy.  The infrastructure seems less developed here; the local roads are a bit of a mess, the power goes off occasionally, and the cafe's are not as glossy as Greece, you get the feeling that the Turkish government use their money wisely and doesnt overspend- in a good way.   We found that the young Italians choose either not work because they want the 'good life' and the government corruption keeps things backwards, the Greeks didnt work because there were no jobs (the government overborrowed, overspent, and now that the EU would like their money back they Greeks dont have it).  In Turkey, the economy is strong, with unemployment being about 6%.  People are employed, they are happy and you can feel it.   We learned it is the 15th strongest economy in the world.  Who knew?

So far, we went to the market, which happens to be on Tuesdays.  We filled up on cheeses, spices, and some fruit.  Turkey is known as Europe's garden, or something like that.  The fresh foods are abundant.  The people are unnervingly friendly.  The instant they talk to you, you are their friend.  We are of course, wary and careful, but the friendlyness is pervasive - shop owners, people in the cafes, the passport checker guy, even passersby stop and talk with the kids.  And it isnt just a smile, it feels like they genuinely want to chat and engage but without pressure.  It is just really nice.

For certain, Turkey wont be a bed or roses, like any country it has its share of issues and foils.  But at first glace, I think we're going to love our time here.