Intro to [Blackfield] : Blackfield / Blackfield II / Welcome to my DNA

Blackfield is a very much different attempt for Steven Wilson, hearing the songs by the Porcupine Trees and I would say the music produced turns out equally great if not more. Blackfield is a music project by British singer, Steven Wilson and Israeli singer, Aviv Geffen and the curatorship of which, according to Wilson has been trusted upon the shoulders’ of Geffen in view of the future of the band. I would perceive this normal, as far as a prolific artiste  like Wilson is concerned, where one has to expand his realms of creation and collaboration to have a wide range of feels for music.

The band has from 2004 till now released three full-recording albums, and gone for a plenty of tours around Israel and Europe. Here are a few songs from the first two albums that I’d recommend.

Official Website : http://www.blackfield.org
MySpace : http://www.myspace.com/blackfield

Day 2 : Istanbul to Bursa, by ferry

Upon waking up contained in the soft sun ray in Daril’s bed, which he kindly gave up and went to sleep with his flatmates instead, I felt so rejuvenated. It’s time for me to go, so I quietly packed my backpack and headed for the doorway. Waved good bye I set out again, in the direction of Yenikapı ferry terminal. It was a great morning as I walked the streets that was to me of certain familiarity from yesterday’s travel, and interacted with the locals by asking for directions and inquiring prices of some goods on sale. The ferry terminal was in the vicinity of Süleymanıye mosque and Istanbul University and I stopped by to admire the University which I believe in every part of the world portrays the culture of the country as a whole. Unfortunately I cannot enter as the entry applies only to students with valid pass probably due to security reasons.

The magnificent main entrance of University of Istanbul

The ferry is a popular means of long distance travel as compared to bus, though the bus can go onto the ferry itself. On the ferry there are limited entertainment but TV programs shown on large screen LCD or hanging outside the cabin to enjoy the sea breeze. A few kids came to me and tried to talk to me in Turkish and the least I can reply were “How are you” and “What is your name”. But still the enthusiasm of the kids upon seeing some Asian faces made their interest linger on me and we all smiled at one other without talking. When the ferry arrived at the terminal at Güzelyalı, the lovely children along with their families sent me the last but best regards.

From the terminal you have to take public bus that costs 6TL to the city centre (şehir merkezi). The scene outside the ferry terminal can be confusing at first but just head for the kiosk selling the ticket will be fine. Request for the purchase of the ticket then inquire which bus to take. There are always enough kind souls around to show you the way, which was true on my account I must say.

The ride lasted about 20 minutes and my destination were the Ulu Camii and the PTT (Turkish post office) opposite it. The sky was already getting dark and I tried to call my host but to no avail. There are internet cafes around or you can just try the cafe beside Ulu Camii as they provide WIFI to facilitate you searching for new hosts online. But in the end I chose to just roam around first because the reply can never be so immediate and spontaneous.

Bursa is a large city and was the first capital of the Ottoman Empire. Hence you will be able to find the tombs of the great kings, namely Osman and Orhan and also the buildings that remained from the past eras. I decided to save these exciting encounters till the next morning when I could have a clear and vast view of the city from the citadel on top of a hill. In the end I had my night in a small building in a large park called the Merinos Kütür Parkı.

Intro to [BOY] : Mutual Friends

I first saw these two fair ladies on Noir TV on youtube, performing a song called Boris and was immediately attracted by the splendid quality of the vocal. The band is founded in 2007 by Valeska Steiner and Sonja Glass and only released their debut album recently — “Mutual Friends“, which won the 2012 European Border Breakers Award. Overall the album is of good quality and I personally would recommend two songs, namely Boris and Skin. I especially like the live version that are performed on Noir TV show and below are the videos:

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/listentoboy

ps. I really would like to hear them sing some German songs.

Day 1 : Istanbul, the city of the East and West

First thing first, Istanbul is not the capital of Turkey but Ankara. However, it does not make any difference to the wonder of the city. It is an amalgam of religions and cultures, east and west, old and new alike, that cannot possibly fail to surprise anybody. When I touched down at the Ataturk International Airport I felt almost light-headed with slight excitement. Soon to my horror, there was no clear direction to the custom and you just simply followed other tourists. In the end, I got out of the airport and headed for the metro. Metro was easy to find and the staff there were friendly and more than willing to assist you.

I was in a state of disbelief when I was on the train, that I was actually on a foreign land all by myself with a huge bag pack that drew the eyes of every single passengers in the train. I was looking out the window and trying to capture every single frame in my head. For a backpack beginner like me, I could not stop smiling to myself. It just felt wonderful to be on a foreign land, breathe foreign air, see foreign people, feel foreign culture and enjoy being a foreigner.

I got to Aksaray within an hour and headed to Taksim square to look for my host for the day, Daril, a German Erasmus medicine student. I also got to taste my first cup of Turkish Cay that I had been seeing on every book and blog about Turkey (with more emphasis on the amount of sugar accompanying it).

A small cafe just outside my host's place

I dropped my luggage at Daril’s place and head out to the famous Istiklal Cadessi (Avenue) and the street was alive with young people and street artistes. It was rather surprising to see not so many artistes that day because I had expected to see more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The avenue was a one way but had many narrow passages alongside leading to hotels and restaurants. At first sight it would be rather confusing because there were so many names for each sokak (street). Do remember the address of your desired destination and you can ask for direction from the police posts along the avenue.

A church located on the Istiklal Avenue

The avenue linked all the way to The Taksim Square by the tram railway.

The famous Mustafa Kemal Ataturk who was the first president/founder of the Republic of Turkey. Most of people in Turkey deemed him as a great and unprecedented figure who was indispensable in the freeing of the country from the occupation by the European powers after World War One.

Ataturk leading the Turkish in countless battles against foreign invasions.

Hitch-hiking – away from the norm

Hitch-hiking is no more than the acronym for DANGER in many people’s mind, especially so in a foreign land where the driver can easily find a discrete place and finish you off. But damn! Somehow I got this image of hitch-hiker doing that thumb up sign stuck in my head. Well, it must be an after effect for watching too many movies and drama when I was a child. Needless to say, when I realised that travelling in Turkey with bus according to my schedule is going to cost me a bomb, I could already envisage myself being one of that many hitch-hikers that left a mark in my heart. Finally this day has come, to be an action star of my own.

Rules of hitch-hiking in Turkey:

• Always go to the periphery of the town/city to get a lift. Reason being most of the cars in the city are just travelling within the city and it is almost impossible to get a ride.
• Go for lone car. Reason being if you go for a swarm of cars they are not going to stop and obstruct the traffic.
• Go for small diversion lane, ie. Petrol station, shops by the road. Reason being the cars are stationary so just approach the driver for his direction.
• Smile. You can even pretend to look tired with your bulky backpack or luggage, but still with a smile 🙂
• Long vehicles are not an option when you hitch-hike in the morning, but they will definitely stop for you if it is at night.
• Get a map so you can point your destination to the driver, likewise ask the driver for his destination.

I have done around 30 plus hitch-hiking trips in Turkey and I can say it is really easy to get a car. On average I spent 1 hour strolling out of town/city (15 minutes if you choose to take public transport) and 20 minutes to get a car. In addition, the road infrastructure in Turkey is well established between cities so it is not confusing at all. Just decide which highway to go and you will be all fine. You will see road signs showing the distance and destination quite frequently along the way so you should know where you are heading.

A fruit delivery man who gave me a ride to Kayseri! Even offered me some fruits 🙂