Speaking of food; Turkey is one of the two European nations that exports food. Blessed with a great climate and fertile coastline, Turkey produces some of the best vegetables and fruits in the world. Simple meals served in a modest café put many four star European restaurants to shame. My wife and I quickly became life-long fans of Turkish cooking.

Each Saturday was a shopping adventure.  We would visit the local market and purchase groceries for the coming week. By the third week, we had our favorite egg, produce, and fruit vendors. Our vocabulary increased and the Turks, who are noted for their hospitality, would graciously assist us in overcoming the language barriers.  We soon felt like members of the community and our new life was taking shape. We even adopted a stray cat. 

Hitting the Road

With my wife firmly ensconced in her new bungalow, I undertook what I like to refer to as the “You bet your life” commute to work. Turkish maps are really interesting. The line between the place where we lived and our project site was a relatively short distance on the map. I soon found out that the cartographer’s idea of a short line represented a curving, torturous 120 km one way commute. 

Turkey has a fine freeway system but the planners had somewhere overlooked our region.  The trip from home to work turned out to be over a two-lane mountain pass with vast panoramic views and no guardrails. This was the main traffic artery serving the region, which meant that if it had wheels it had to travel on this road.  Somewhere in the deep reaches of my mind a small voice said, ”Gentlemen, start your engines”. 

I found that driving in Turkey is akin to riding in the front seat of a roller coaster without a seat belt. If you survive you can drive anywhere. If you don’t, well that’s what spatulas are for. 

In Turkey there seems to be a continuing spirit to test the laws of physics. Fiat sized cars daily pit themselves against the Turkish equivalent of Mac Trucks and Greyhound buses… You don’t need to guess twice as to who always wins. I quickly developed what I call the lug nut theory of right of way. Simply put: If you can see his lug nuts, he has the right of way! 

Turkey’s geography hinders the establishment of an effective rail system. Continuous lines of mountains result in most goods being moved by truck.  Vehicle licensing is based on engine size and not gross weight. So when buying a truck, one normally selects one with the smallest engine but with a large carrying capacity. I quickly learned not to worry about road burning 18-wheelers here. 

Cargo capacity it seems has nothing to do with the size or shape of a truck. If you ask the question “How many (logs, bales of cotton, etc) can you stack on a Turkish truck?” The answer is always the same “One more!” 

This unique marriage of wee engines and huge payloads becomes most obvious when approaching a mountain grade. I quickly learned that not only did survival depend on grand prix driving skills, but also the ability to get to the mountain pass before the slow moving line of behemoths started their trek up the mountainous grade. 

Unfortunately, Turkey does have the highest rate of “no walk away” accidents in Europe. The government enacted a public awareness campaign to rectify this situation during our stay. Television ads and road signs called attention to the problem.  The program culminated with the decision to require all motorists to carry a body bag in their car.  I found this approach rather pragmatic and novel. It certainly established a tone for the campaign and may help eliminate the roadside litter problem. 

I actually learned my Turkish numbers by counting road causalities on my daily commute. In the first month I counted 13 dead mules, 2 horses, over 25 dogs, plus the occasional remains of someone’s once prized vehicle. While driving was a somewhat sobering lesson, I did learn my numbers quickly. 

My work eventually took us from the Aegean to the Mediterranean where we continued our adventure. New friends, new experiences, more good food all were there for us to enjoy. All projects however must come to an end and so it did with mine. Again we packed our bags grabbed the cat and hustled off to the next adventure. 

Since our Turkish travels, we have experienced living in a Dutch community, (in Iowa and not Holland), and are now living in Paris. Each change has brought new friends, limitless opportunities, and the ability to experience those things that fill travel brochures. The best part is that we get to see the world and get well paid for doing so. I have to say that our lives are like being on a full time vacation. 

Lessons Learned 

None of this would ever have happened if we hadn’t made that initial decision to “Go for it”. 

Looking back, I can isolate four particular factors that are universally applicable to escaping the humdrum and enjoying an adventuresome life-style.

• We had a desire to change our lifestyle and believed that there is something better out there.
• We developed a spirit of adventure.  Perhaps not “To go where no man has gone before”, but at least willing to get off the well-beaten path.
• We developed the flexibility to be able to “go with the flow”, knowing that we could master any challenge.  And, remember to always have a “Plan B”.)
• We maintained our sense of humor and learned to accept people and cultures as they are.