Category: life lessons

Who Will Rid Me of This Fly?

M's Adventures

I like Adana. I like living in Adana. And the flies in Adana like me. The moment I step outside, the fly is dive bombing straight at the corner of my mouth. (I now see why ladies of olden times wore gauze around their heads.) When we go out to eat if outdoors (and sometimes indoors), there will be a fly that will start to buzz around our food and our heads.

If you recall, I carried mosquito rackets with me in Dhaka. While I have yet to see a mosquito here in Adana, I decided that I needed a fly racket to defend myself and my khavalti (Turkish breakfast) from the flies. I bought an electrified fly racket at Koctas (like Home Depot), the home goods store. It didn’t seem to work. Maybe because it was too small and cute. I bought another.

But, more than that, I had seen that one of the bakeries used a table fly fan to keep the flies off their baked goods. I went hunting for it. The electronic stores did not have it. The home goods store did not have it. No one had it. I had to buy it on Trendyol, an online shopping site, and when I got it, I went on another adventures to find D3 batteries. It turns out that one can use two AA batteries instead. I was in the store and when the employees helped me with finding the batteries that worked, they seemed a bit disappointed for me that the fan was not going fast. I used Google translate to explain that this was not a fan to keep me cool but a fan to keep the flies off my food.

I don’t think they believed me.

A note about online shopping. The first couple of items that I bought online, the delivery person called to get the verification code, then hunted me down to hand deliver to me. A third item required me to go to the post office for retrieval. Now, Trendyol is growing accustomed to me and they just hand the items to my doorman. I am not endorsing Trendyol but if you use them through the internet, the site will get translated and that makes shopping easier. If you don’t speak Turkish.

Groseri Shopping in Adana

M's Adventures
Some people do load up their bikes when they shop.

Grocery shopping in Adana can be done at Groseri, a large chain. Easy to remember. Bu that is not the only place to shop. There are different levels of fanciness in grocery chains and the level of foreign food products also depends on how expensive and fancy the chain is… Here they are from highest in price to lowest.

Macrocenter and Kiosks is the fanciest and has the most Whole Foods or fancier vibe. There is one main store and lots of smaller kiosks. I find the kiosks are more like liquor stores with drunk food and drink. Owned by Migros.

Macrocenter has a Dean § DeLuca feel.

Metro is a Costco type store for restauranteurs. They have all that you need to open a sushi and maki place. Sushi is the rage in Turkiye. You have to sign up for a membership but it’s free and fairly easy to get the first time you go to the store. The store is a cavernous warehouse like most Costcos and you can buy glasses, furniture, etc. plus food.

Metro Center has a warehouse feel.

Groseri is probably my favorite chain. They have some interesting imported items, they make fresh food at the deli, and often there is a lady making fresh cig kofte which are vegetarian meat “balls”.

Carrefour is a French chain. The store in the M1 mall is huge while most of the neighborhood stores are average size. Imports from France include butter and other items that the Turks enjoy.

Migros is your average grocery store. They are a Swiss chain.

BIM is the largest retail grocery store chain in Turkiye. The stores are not always huge but they are like Aldi or Lidl in style. The middle aisle can have treasures or an air fryer.

BIM and most other places sell unmentionables.

A101 is a discount grocery store chain often found along with BIM in mixed income regions of town.

Migros Jet is also owned by Migros and is a discount chain.

Şok is also owned by Migros and is even more discount.

There are also open air markets and street vendors if you want to avoid grocery stores.

Tea Always

M's Adventures
The most common shape and size of teacup.

Every meal will end in tea, or “çay” (chai). It might even start with tea, if it’s breakfast, but it will always end with tea. Turkiye is the highest consumer of tea. It is customary to offer tea — always.

You can try to say no, but you will still get it. It’s like water in the United States. I have already grown accustomed to it. I still can’t hold the cup which is HOT. But, I do like the tea. I take it with one cube of sugar.

Tea is a serious shopping item.
As is sugar…

There is an art to tea. I’ll write more about that later as I learn more. But what I have learned is not to drink it straight up. Dilute with the hot water which is always part of the tea setup. I didn’t know this and was drinking tea that was darker than American coffee…

The double pot.

Learn from my mistake… dilute!

Bread Gives Life

M's Adventures

If you wander around Adana (probably elsewhere as well), you’ll notice bags of bread hanging places at convenient height. These are for the taking by those who need food. After all, bread is life.

But the shoes…

What to Wear in Adana

M's Adventures
Seen in Adana.

Whatever you want. This city is fairly relaxed about what people wear, be it shorts and tank tops, or fully covered.

I had heard that Adana was a “hot” city and maybe that’s why I see so many people in shorts and t-shirts.

This was a film crew down from Istanbul, but their clothes are typical of Adana.

Adana is sort of overlooked so people are left to do what they want and wear what they want.

And the locals are also warm and friendly like the weather. Except in traffic.

Melon Season

M's Adventures

There seem to be three types of melons here including watermelon. The other two look like honeydew or cantaloupe. That’s what they taste like too.

But the melons are enormous. Maybe because Adana sits in a fertile agricultural area. The melon season is September. Then the plums start arriving. And nectarines hard and crisp.

Turkish 101

M's Adventures

The first thing one has to get used to is the ‘c’ is a ‘j’ as in “Can” is “Jan” or “Jon” — or as in Jif. Then, there are those tails on some of the letters. That makes is an es sound.

The C sound make this product, “Jif”

Speaking of es sounds, the word for water is “su” but it’s a fast su and not “sooo” — that is broth or “suyu”… I think that’s what I was told. The soup in the photo below is a chicken soup, or “çorba” (say “shor-ba”) with spicy oil and lemon.

Rice and chicken soup with spicy oil.

Much of the food here involves lemon/lime so you can add a fresh zest to every bite. Another thing about the limes and lemons here is that they are a mix of the two but not as sour.

The Great Things About Living in Washington, DC

M's Adventures

I always try to share some of the great things about living wherever I live. This is my list of great things about life in the Washington, DC, area. (I will write about some of the “realities” of life in DC).

The historical sites: There is so much history here that one can visit for free. Most of the museums are free. There is a lot of history here even if it is not as old as in Rome.

Georgetown and Old Town Alexandria: These two small towns are part of the bigger town but they are old (for America) and were some of the first towns built in this area. They both retain that old time feel.

The national parks: So many of the parks are free.

The nature: So much greenery and nature available. There are trees everywhere.

Free things: Like the concerts at the Kennedy Center. There are many free events and that is a nice thing.

Transportation: Most cities in the United States do not have good public transportation. Washington has a metro system that is a combination of the subway and buses. It works (although slowly at times). Also, with Uber, Lyft, and Empower, it’s easy to get around without your own car. With three airports serving this city, it is easy to get a flight. National Airport is on the subway system (metro) and it is quite close to the downtown. Dulles is on the metro as well.

The immigrants: This area has some decent Ethiopian, Korean, Salvadoran, and Vietnamese food thanks to the immigrants from these countries.

The Internet: Decent speed and steady (most of the time).

Delivery: One can get almost anything delivered to one’s door.

The electricity: Same thing. Steady. Most of the time.

The water: It’s potable and most of it tastes okay.

The language: English is spoken by almost everyone.

“Say Jacques” It’s Hot!

M's Adventures
20 degrees above average?

When I told people I was moving to Adana, Turkiye, everyone told me that it’s hot in Adana. It was a 109 F (43 C) the other day. That is “sicak” in Turkish. Because the “c” in Turkish is a “je” sound like in “John” saying “it’s hot” sounds like “Say Jacques” (no es sound like in Jacques Pepin). So now I’ve learned that Turkish phrase.

My Turkish colleagues tell me that Adana is so hot that sometimes the locals will shoot at the sun… and in 2023 (when it was even hotter), some shopkeepers celebrated the inventor of the air conditioner. See the YouTube video here. Luckily, there is lots of air conditioning. But it makes exploring the city something that has to be done really early in the morning, or later in the year.

Chasing watermelons.

It is melon season so it is easy to keep up one’s electrolytes. Here they like to eat watermelon with white cheese, “beyaz peynir” (like feta but they don’t call it that here).

I had planned not to go outside for four months during the hot season, but with my linen scarf and sun hat, I actually do venture out. From air conditioning to air conditioning. After all, I lived in Dhaka, Rome, and Washington, DC, three other cities that get very hot. The difference is that Dhaka is hot for about ten months and it is humid.

Adana’s hot months are June-September. I arrived in the middle of the hellishly hot weather. It can only get cooler, right?

Free Shows at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage

M's Adventures

Maybe it’s one of those things that everyone knows about, but it bears repeating. The Kennedy Center has free shows (reserve a ticket online) Wednesday through Saturday at 6 pm at their Millennium Stage. The schedule is at this link. That is the long area out in the waiting area by the giant head of John F. Kennedy.

The shows are also livestreamed.

One Week in Guatemala

M's Adventures

Isn’t it dangerous? That’s what I heard before I went. Yes, it’s as dangerous as other places in the neighborhood. If you decide to go, here’s what I recommend.

In Antigua.

Two nights in Antigua: Or more. It’s safe, cute, and there is lots to see and do from museums, ruins, churches, shopping, chocolate tasting, etc.

Absolute photo op place in Antigua.

Two nights in Isla de Flores: Or more. That town is too cute! Cooking classes, salsa lessons, coffee tastings, disco, delicious food, and outings! Plus, just walking, swimming, boating, and photographing…

One early morning trip to Tikal: Tikal is one of the largest Mayan ruin complexes. It’s also HOT in the jungles. The walk in to the bottom of the main ruin plaza is over a mile (2 kilometers). And out again. A total of five or six miles (10 kilometers). It’s HOT. I would recommend doing the sunrise tour where you get picked up at 2 am from Isla de Flores.

Two nights in Lake Atitlan: I did not do this but apparently it’s worth visiting.

Notice I did not mention Guatemala City. If you do spend time in the “Guate” as the locals call it, then go to the Central Market to buy cheaper souvenirs down in the lower level. The market is near the main square so you can see that as well.

The main things about Guatemala is how sweet the people are, how good the fried chicken (and food in general) is, and that not everyone else on the planet has been there for tourism. Prices are not as cheap as you would think but you can also go there on a budget (I did not). Also, everything takes a bit longer so don’t expect to see it all in two days (we tried!).

The Pros and Cons of Visiting Tikal

M's Adventures
I was alone with this majestic sight.

Tikal is a World Heritage Site. It was used for a Star Wars movie. It is majestic. But HOT. Here are my pros and cons of visiting Tikal.

This was used in a Star Wars movie (think ending of the movie).

The pros:

It is only a 90 minute drive from Isla de Flores. But 30 of those minutes are at the main gate while those that didn’t buy their tickets online go to the ticket office (my advice is get a coffee at the stand where the driver is getting his cup of joe).

On the way, you can see the alligator island.
See monkey do.

The tourist museum and vendors are all at the entrance of the archeological park.

No one dresses up like a Maya.

There are lots of birds (peacock like birds and others).

There are howler monkeys that will spook you making you think some monster is coming to rip out your lungs…

You can still climb some of the original structures.

It’s fairly unvisited.

The main plaza.

There are bathrooms in the park. But you won’t need them as you will sweat out all the liquid in your body (or at least whatever is not blood).

Another pyramid.

The park is clean.

The guides are good. You must hire a guide (around 500-600 quetzal) for a sunrise or sunset tour, separate from your extra ticket.

More.

The cons:

Other ruins.

Too much walking on boring dirt roads wide enough for trucks. In fact, a dump truck takes stragglers out of the park at 3 pm every day. The walk in is over two kilometers (over a mile) to the rest station/toilets at the base of the main plaza (for the love of all that is right, put in a transport system! I’ll pay for it!)

The Jungle Lodge has cobble stones (why break our already shattered feet?) and costs $375 per night.

The Ceiba tree.

A sunrise tour from Isla de Flores starts at 2 am. I still recommend doing it so that you are not walking in the heat.

This is a huge site.

The sunset tour ends up with that two kilometer death march in the pitch dark.

Walking in the dark down stairs and over tree roots…

The mosquitoes leave puncture wounds that last for weeks.

A storage hole.

I can’t decide if the ticket price is a pro or a con. Things were in general more expensive than I thought they should be. But, maybe it’s a way to keep the place intact.

Another thing that may be a pro and a con — it’s not so easy to get to Tikal. An eight hour bus ride or a one hour flight from Guatemala City. Then the smaller bus. Then the walk in to the jungle. I guess it’s pro if you like excursions. It’s a con if you would like a pleasant air conditioned minivan.

To wipe some of the salt rime off your face.

I’m sorry Tikal, but I’m not coming back. You are just too hot, hot, hot for me.

Tamarind juice, water, and hibiscus (flor de jamaica) juice to replenish the five liters I lost in sweat.