Anchorage International Film Festival (AIFF) 2025 Judging A Film By Its Cover

 At this point there isn’t much more to go on

The AIFF website has shifted from the one that was just sitting there with old news about the long past deadline for submitting a film, to a new shiny one with a screenshot for every film, a schedule of when they’ll be shown, and a link to getting festival passes that takes you back to the top of the page.

At this point as a blogger, I’ve got little to help me to decide which films to find out more about, other than the film screenshots, the titles, and the categories,  My favorite screenshot?  This was the first one that really grabbed me. 

I think it was the lighting at first, but also the setting and the posture of the characters,  If I had to pick one shot to represent my film, I’d pick the one that was most compelling, whether that is just the visual quality of the picture or how the scene draws the viewer to imagine a story to explain what they see.  Preferably both.  The Ladder screenshot does that:

 Wow.  I just looked it up and it turns out to be an Alaskan film.  From KRBD:

“Torres is an NYU film school graduate who grew up in Ketchikan. For him, it was a no-brainer to shoot his first film here. 

“One of the reasons I made this film is I think Ketchikan is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and I think the film is a testament to the artistic community in Ketchikan,” Torres said over the phone, from his home in Arizona.

In many ways, “The Ladder” is a film about aging. It centers on Arthur, a commercial fisherman who’s getting too old to fish. Early in the film, audiences learn that Arthur’s wife died and his son lives in New York City. The aging protagonist wants his son to move back to Alaska, but they have a somewhat strained relationship.” 

It plays at 6pm on Sunday December 7 at the Museum.  

The next one was Dark Matter:

The first short I found online called Dark Matter was a film about snow boarding down almost vertical slopes.  Perfect for an Alaskan film festival, but the sound was badly edited.  A second one, in the right time period was a Malayalam film about paranormal disappearances in Kerala.  Neither had this image.  In the schedule (it plays Sunday at the Alaska Experience Theater at 3:30 pm in the International Gems program) I found the director (also writer and star) was Leo Berkeley.  From Leo Berkeley Films:

“Dark Matter

Dark Matter is a short diary film which explores the experience of living full-time in a wheelchair. Suffering from Multiple Sclerosis, I spend my days staring out the window of my apartment, my mind turning to topics from cigarette butts to quantum particles.”

This appears to be an Australian film.

The Mariana Trench

This picture is just so lush.  And who are these people?  A man and his daughter?  Grand daughter?  What are they toasting?  From Cineuropa:

“A debut feature film by director Eileen Byrne, The Mariana Trench [+] is a road movie exploring profound themes such as suffering, loss and feelings of guilt. Originally from Luxembourg, Byrne graduated from Monaco’s HFF with a short film entitled Touch Me, about how being diagnosed with a breast tumour impacts the relationship between a woman and her partner which had previously been known for its intensity. Based on Jasmin Schreiber’s bestselling novel of the same name, The Mariana Trench follows the journey embarked upon by a pair of seemingly incompatible characters: Paula, played by young Swiss actress Luna Wedler (a Shooting Star of 2018) and Helmut, embodied by one of the most famous German character actors, Edgar Selge (who’s 76 years old and mostly known in Germany as Commissioner Tauber from the TV series Polizeiruf 110).”

Next was Death In the Desert. 

From the Tucson   Film Festival: 

“Death comes across a wayward soul hiking in the desert, who resists moving on to the afterlife. This encounter sparks an unexpected bargain that fosters an unlikely friendship between them.”

This comment is long compared to the others I saw.  The link also has a bit of video from this short film.  It plays in the “Now for Something Different”  shorts category on Monday Dec. 8, at the E Street Theater starting at 1pm. 

And the fifth screen shot that made me pause was Hearts of Stone,  

Before I even saw the title, I wondered if she was a statue.  And then I realized he wasn’t quite normal either.  

From noomi-rapace.com  

“In a sculpture park in the heart of a bustling metropolis, Paula (Noomi Rapace), a lonely street artist, entertains people as a living statue. She longs with an impossible love for Agatha (Jessica Baren), a stone sculpture next to her regular spot. When a festival for living statues arrives in the park, Paula is dismayed to find that Agatha has been replaced by a new, modern sculpture. After a frantic search, she finds Agatha in a group of discarded statues, ready to be taken away. Almost as a farewell, she kisses the object of her affection. Later, at the festival’s closing party, Paula meets Agatha in the flesh.”

Hearts of Stone is also in the “Now for Something Different”  shorts category on Monday Dec. 8, at the E Street Theater starting at 1pm

So this is my intro to the Anchorage International Film Festival 2025.  Somewhat random, but not really.  Based on screenshots that caught my eye.  These were only the first five.  There are a lot more than these.  Go look at the site yourself.  

Often the Festival website is a work in progress.  It always tends to start a bit late because the webmaster has to wait until the films are chosen and then assigned a time and location.  So the webmaster has to sit around and wait and then suddenly there’s a ton to do.  

The Museum of Innocence

“3 We don’t need more museums that try to construct the historical narratives of a society, community, team, nation, state, tribe, company, or species. We all know that the ordinary, everyday stories of individuals are richer, more humane, and much more joyful.​

4 Demonstrating the wealth of Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Iranian, or Turkish history and culture is not an issue—it must be done, of course, but it is not difficult to do. The real chal­lenge is to use museums to tell, with the same brilliance, depth, and power, the stories of the individual human beings living in these countries.

5 The measure of a museum’s success should not be its ability to represent a state, a nation or company, or a particular history. It should be its capacity to reveal the humanity of individuals.”        

    -Orphan Pamuk, Manifesto of the Museum of Innocence  

I started the book Istanbul by Turkish Nobel Prize winner Orphan Pamuk before we left for Turkey.  It was going to help me get a feel for the neighborhoods of Istanbul.  

But in Istanbul, I learned of another Pamuk book that people recommended.The Museum of Innocence. An intriguing aspect was the fact that there is a Museum of Innocence in Istanbul that is related to the book. More than that.  It’s part of the book.  So much so that if you have a copy of the book, you get in free.  Mine was an audio book from the library so I didn’t get in free.

The Museum of Innocence - The book

Kemal is part of the post Ottoman Empire 1970s elite.  Rich, educated, well travelled, and engaged to even richer Sibel. But one day he reconnects with Füsun, a cousin, part of a poorer side of the family,  he hasn’t seen since she was a child.  They begin a passionate love affair that takes over his life and the book.  

In telling this bizarre and tragic obsessive love story, Pamuk also reveals layers of socio-economic webs that capture and tie together the people of Istanbul. 

There’s the decaying legacy of the Ottoman Empire, which the elite try to cover with European fashion and culture, though the physical remnants of thousands of years of Byzantine and Ottoman engineering and architecture dominates people’s lives.   

A key theme, I’m guessing the theme of the book’s title, involves the difference between what’s allowed of men and women.  Virginity before marriage is daringly challenged by upper class women who flirt with European mores, but ultimately they live in Turkey and even the chic look down on marrying women who have slept with someone other than their fiancee.  

Kemal has taken the virginity of both his fiancée and his lover.  In the first instance it would not be a problem if they didn’t break off the engagement.  In the latter case, we learn late in the book, it does, very much matter to Füsun. 

There’s also a fair amount on Turkish cinemas and movies.  

I have to admit that at one point I was getting weary of Kemal’s over-the-top obsession with Füsun.  But I’m sure there are readers who can relate to that situation better.  And it all works - as a novel and as a museum - in the end.  

Listening to the book, means I got to hear how names and places were pronounced, but not how they were spelled.  So some neighborhoods challenged me as I tried to locate them on maps.  But overall, the book gave me a richer sense of Istanbul than I would have otherwise noticed, and also reminded me how Istanbul was wrapped in millennia of nuance that I would never come close to understanding.  

The Museum of Innocence - The Museum

It’s easier to do pictures from a museum, than from a book - especially an audio book.  

The Galata Tower is a major landmark in Istanbul. This first picture is from the Istanbul Modern (the modern art museum.). The tower is the one on the left.  The other one is a minaret from a mosque.  

Here we see the Tower from across the Golden Horn in Eminönü.  The Galata bridge is the black line that goes from the middle of the left side across the water.     Below you see it much closer up.  

The map should give map people a better sense of things.  The Galata Tower is pretty much in the middle of the map.  The Museum of Innocence is about where the red marker is.  Istanbul Modern is toward the water below the blue marker that says European side.  

The picture looking out over the water was taken a bit to the right of the southern side of the bridge, about where it says “Haman.” 

(All the land here is on the European Side.  The waterway going up to the left is the Golden Horn which has a series of bridges and ferries crossing it.  The Asian side would be in the right, but isn’t shown.)

The hotel we stayed at when we were in Istanbul, was right near the mosque (Ayasofia) at the bottom. 

This is all pretty close.  From our hotel to the museum was maybe 4 or 5 km.  

The ‘start’ on the map is where we started up the hills to the Museum.  Though we went by the Galata Tower on the way. Not very direct.

The streets are cobblestone, steep, and narrow.  Sometimes cars come through.  More often motorcycles.  

The Museum of Innocence is in an old house in a neighborhood near where much of the book takes place.  All the cabinets are labeled by chapter and are filled with items which Kemal says he collected during the events of the book, but which the author, who is a minor character in the book, said came from various collections and from thrift shops,

Each cabinet (or larger display) is numbered with the corresponding chapter of the book.
 

The sign at the bottom of this one says:

“In those days [1970s], even in Istanbul’s most affluent Westernized circles, a young girl who ‘gave herself’ to a man before marriage could still expect to be judged harshly and face serious consequences:  If a man tried to avoid marrying the girl, and the girl in question was under eighteen years of age, an angry father might take the philanderer to court to force him to marry her.  It was the custom for newspapers to run photographs with black bands over the “violated” girls’ eyes.  Because the press used the same device in photographs of adulteresses, rape victims, and prostitutes, the photographs of women with black bands over their eyes were so numerous that reading a Turkish newspaper in those days was like wandering through a masquerade.”

On the fourth floor is the bed where Kemal and Füsun met.

Why All The Fuss About Mamdani?

Writing about Zohran Mamdani has been on my todo list for a while.  I'm finally getting around to it on election night.  

As I begin writing, NPR has declared Mikie Sherrill the winner of the New Jersey governor's race (with 57% of the vote) and Abigail Spanberger the winner of the Virginia governor's race (56%), but they haven't declared a winner in the New York mayor's race.  Mamdani is ahead with 49% of the vote followed by Cuomo with 41% of the vote, with 60% of the votes counted.  

Who is Mamdani?  Mamdani is a special candidate.  He's articulate, quick witted, innovative, funny, and has great charisma.  

He was born in Uganda.  His dad is a Muslim Indian from Gujarati.  He also happens to be a university professor at Columbia.  His mom, a Hindu Indian, and a Harvard graduate, is the world renowned film maker Mira Nair.  His family moved to South Africa and then, when Mamdani was seven, to the United States.  

His  had a relatively privileged childhood - though he was a dark skinned male in racist USA.  I imagine he met a lot of very interesting people around the family dinner table.  He graduated from Bowdoin College and before running for office, was a hip hop artist.  (All this from Wikipedia.)

Given his African and Indian  roots and family's achievements, I reckon that his world view is much bigger and more inclusive than most USians.  

Why has the winner of the Democratic primary been so attacked, to the extent that the loser in that primary,  Andrew Cuomo has run as an independent in today's general election?

Basically he's been attacked with several of the GOP 'epithets.  Words that most people couldn't accurately define, but just know they mean the person is a terrible person.  Let's look at them:

• Muslim 
• Socialist
• Progressive

He's also been called 'anti-Semetic' based, apparently, on the fact that he's Muslim and has publicly said that Israel is carrying out genocide in Gaza.  It's hard to distinguish what people say he has said from what he has actually said.  When I googled 'what has Mamdani said about Gaza?'  many, if not most, of the sites that came up were Israeli media.  

Muslim in GOP dialect means 'terrorist', non-Christian, anti-Semite 

Socialist means the same as Communist to the target audience and it means bad things.  Not sure what the people who get riled up over these terms think they mean.  But something anti-capitalist and anti-personal freedoms, and clearly anti-American..  

Progressive, as Trump uses it, means things like anti-American, pro-trans, and anti-white.

The basic things that Mamdani has campaigned on, as I understand it watching from Alaska, are making New York housing more affordable in part with a rent freeze, free transit and child care, and taxing the very rich to help pay for it.  

So who is the opposition?  This would seem pretty obvious

• the very rich see him as a threat 
• landlords (often part of the very rich) don't want anyone who wants to keep rents "affordable' 
• people who are strongly pro-Israel   
• establishment Democrats

When we first came to Anchorage we went to a couple of AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee)   presentations.  I was very impressed by how well organized, how well spoken, and how prepared they were with every detail of their presentation.  But it was also clear that they were very hardline pro-Israel.  If anyone had an even slightly critical question about Israel, it was politely, authoritatively and firmly countered. There was no acknowledgement that things might not be perfect.  In response to AIPACs hard line, another less rigid Israeli lobbying group - J-Street formed.  

We saw after the primary that New York Democratic politicians were reluctant to endorse Mamdani.  In part, probably in large part, AIPAC  (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) was lobbying politicians strongly - like House Minority leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, whose district is in New York City - NOT to endorse Mamdani.  Jeffries only endorsed Mamdani on October 24, less than two weeks before the election.  

Another factor that some have pointed out, is that older Democratic leadership, have gotten set in their ways - their policy positions, how they interact with Republicans, the the perks of office.  But a younger, less white, less male cadre of politicians believe their stands on some issues are out of date and weak; and their genteel behavior is no match for the ruthlessness of today’s Republicans.  People like AOC and now Mamdani challenge their seniority and everything else.  

Making Mamdani seem like an enemy of Israel matters in New York because it has the largest Jewish population in the US.  There are conservative Jews who are strongly pro-Israel no matter what.  But probably more Jews are concerned about how Israel has killed so many Palestinians and are strongly opposed to Netanyahu.  

In Mamdani's case, electing a Muslim, means to AIPAC, it would seem,  electing a politician they can't control.  

Another group that strongly supports the Israeli government are Fundamentalist Christians.

 

But not every Muslim fits the GOP stereotype.  Certainly not Mamdani.  He's taken his life experiences and charm and created a monster volunteer group to get out the vote.  He doesn't back down at charges of being progressive.  He has clear answers for critics which, he delivers articulately and with a disarming smile.  

As I finish this post, Mamdani has now been declared the winner  with 50.4% of the vote to Cuomo's 41.6%  

He's going to have a lot of powerful people still fighting his agenda.  But he's surprised the establishment - both the party establishment and the New York establishment - with his unique and successful campaign for mayor.  Let's see if he can keep that organization going and and make New York City a more affordable place to live.  

I think he's the future of the party, but the old guard won't just roll over.  

Jet Lagged Blogger

We got back to Anchorage Thursday night.  An overnight near the Frankfurt Main airport broke up the flying somewhat, but it's Sunday and we're still dragging.  Our sleeping hours are all screwy.  But there's so much to blog about.  [It’s Monday as I review this one more time before posting, and the jet lag fog is lifting.]

• Lots of thoughts on Türkiye - history, time, human beings, 
• Thoughts on travel in Türkiye, and travel in general.
• Best photos of Türkiye - I'll try
• The Museum of Innocence - the book, museum combo that I listened to and visited to get a sense of Istanbul
• Pico Iyar - An interesting man I came across looking for reviews of the Museum of Innocence
• The case that democracy in the US is lost, the case it's still salvageable
• Anchorage International Film Festival is just a month away
• The Mamdanı phenomenon
• Computer tricks (meaning tricks the computers play on me and the time it take to overcome them)

Like always, I want to write knowledeably and except for minor personal experiences, that takes time.  Some of these will become blog posts, some may become several posts.  Others will fall by the wayside.  

And here’s a picture.  The image was just so poignant.  It’s in the Fener neighborhood or Istanbul. 

Alaska Airlines, What’s Happening?

 I’ve tried four or five times to book tickets to visit my grandkids in San Francisco for Thanksgiving on the Alaska Airlines website.  I’ve been a loyal fan of the airline for many years.  They’ve been one of the best.  Before starting this post, I checked to see if others are having problems too.  

There’s a Reddit discussion: Alaska has lost its step

And a Facebook discussion about logging on problems

Seattle Times writes about Alaska Airlines reviewing IT system after two shutdowns in four months.

So I’m not alone here though the issues are different.

We’re at the end of our Türkiye  visit,  We’ve been gone almost six weeks now.  I first tried when we got here.  I was able to pick flights and get prices, but when I wanted to pay, it didn’t work. 

I tried again from Mauritius where we visited my daughter and her family who are there for six months.  Similar problems.  I could get flights, but it couldn’t get me through the payments.

I tried again from Turkey when we got back.  This time I could book the outgoing flight for Nov 16 and the return flight for Dec. 3, but when I hit the pay button, it showed the two flights both on the same day - Nov 16.  I tried several times, but although I had the right dates starting and picking the flights, they went to a page that had me flying to and back on the same day.  

My phone is off roaming while we’re traveling, but in getting eSIMS, my wife got a US phone number with limited minutes that could call over internet.  I used it to call the Alaska MVP line.  This is a number for people with MVP status on Alaska Airlines.  It used to be answered with no wait at all.  Lately, there’s been a bit of a wait.  

This time it said there was a 28 minute wait.  OK, let’s see how much time I have on this phone number.  I couldn’t have them call back, because I was calling via internet.  (Could I have?  I don’t really know if someone can call the number.)  After an hour I hung up.  

During that hour I booked two one way flights.  But this time the price was significantly higher than when I first started trying.  And the connections were not ideal. (Long overnight waits in Seattle or Portland in most cases). I wanted to use our companion fare ticket, but I wanted it on the round trip, not just one of the one way fares.  I was hoping that when I got to talk to someone, they could arrange that.

After 30 minutes on hold I went on to look up other airlines and found I could get round trip tickets, with much better times at half the price on Delta.  So, at the end of the hour of waiting, I hung up the phone, bought tickets on Delta, and cancelled the Alaska Airlines tickets.  

Alaska, be better!

Gallipoli - Why?

The Gallipoli Tour:  The bus picked us up Tuesday (October 22) at 7am, before the breakfast buffet opened.  So the hotel gave us sandwiches to take along.  We were headed to Gallipoli, where the Turks held off the British and French in 1915 and 1916.  

1.  Why did the British and French undertake what turned out a military failure that cost so many lives?

2.  Why were most of the people on our tour Aussies and Kiwis?

You military and World War I buffs, of course, know all about this, but The Dardanelles was a name I knew, and I sort of understood it was a shipping route to Istanbul.  Having been in Istanbul for a couple of weeks now, having taken a Bosphorus cruise to the edge of the Black Sea, and having ferried by the Marmara Sea,  I understand all this much better.  

For those of you who are like I was, I’m going to map this out.

Let’s start with the Black Sea.  [Update Nov. 2, 2025 -I didn't have a picture of the Black Sea when I first posted this, but we flew over the Black sea when we left Türkiye.]

It’s bordered by six countries.  What are they?  Start with Turkey and go clockwise.  

Turkey

No, not Greece, the Turkish border goes north of Istanbul

Bulgaria

Romania

NOT Moldova - it’s landlocked

Ukraine

Russia

Georgia

And on the western side of Turkey you can see the Aegean Sea.  Our day off Friday has been in Kușadası.  Our travel guy in Istanbul, Ilyas, got us into a hotel that’s got a balcony looking out at the Aegean Sea.  (See photo on the right.)

We could hear the waves. 

 Between the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea, you can see a small blue puddle - that’s the Marmara sea.   The picture below is looking toward the Marmara Sea.

Now back to Istanbul’s important location.  Further west and south of the Aegean Sea, you can see the Mediterranean Sea.  Russia is on the Black Sea, but needs to go through Istanbul to get to the Marmara Sea and then the Dardanelles to get to the Aegean Sea and then on to the Mediterranean Sea.  

But since on the map above Istanbul is just a dot, you can’t really see the wet significance.  So below is a map of Istanbul and its watery environment.  

All the white is Istanbul.  On the top and on the right is European Istanbul.  On the right is Asian Istanbul

.  The Bosphorus, coming from the Black Sea, flows into Istanbul. From the upper right.  Look closely, it says Bosphorus   The photo to the right is looking at European Istanbul from the Bosphorus. Then at the bottom you can see the Marmara Sea. .  On this map you can see how the Bosphorus connects to the Marmara Sea and divides Istanbul into the European and Asian sides.  There are lots of ferries that go back and forth.  That channel going up on the left is called the Golden Horn and ends not far above the edge of the map.  

I’ve got you to the Marmara Sea, now let’s proceed from the Marmara Sea to the Dardanelles.

You can see on the map above how narrow the Strait gets. Several websites (here’s just one) say that at the narrowest point, the Dardanelles is 1400 meters wide (about 3/4 of a mile.  We took a ferry at that point to Çanakkale where we spent the night.  

Getting close to the WHY question.  

1.  Britain and France were allied with Russia in WW I.  This was 1915.  The Russian Revolution was two years off.  Britain and France wanted to get supplies to their ally Russia. Central Europe was allied with Germany, so this was the only warm water port for Russia.  

2.  Australians and New Zealanders (ANZAC = Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) were a large part of force used to try to get control of the Dardenelles in Gallipoli.  8,709 Australians died and 19,441 were wounded.  The Kiwi numbers were 2,721 and 4,752.  The British numbers were much higher (34,072 and 78,520)  and the Turk casualties were significantly higher (56,643 and 97,007).  (From Wikipedia.)

One of the Kiwi families on the tour brought along a New Zealand flag and held it up at an ANZAC memorial.

So Gallipoli was all about opening the route to and from Russia’s Black Sea ports. 

You might have noticed I started out talking about Turkey and then switched to the Ottoman Empire.  The Empire was on its last legs - which was why the British thought they could overpower the military.  But looking back at other accounts, they use Turk and Ottoman, so I’ll leave it mixed.  

After WWI what was left of the Ottoman Empire was partitioned among the Western Allies .  However Ataturk defeated their forces and abolished the Ottoman Empire in 1922 and in 1923 declared the secular nation of Turkey.  That is grossly simplified.  You can read more about Ataturk here, and about the partition of the Ottoman Empire here.  And about the WWI Gallipoli campaign here.   Just writing this post reminded me how much I don’t know.  Fights over the Dardanelles goes way back.  

Those heroes that shed their blood 

and lost their lives . . .

You are now living in the soil of a friendly country

Therefore rest in peace

There is no difference between the Johnnies

And the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side

Here in this country of ours. . .

You the mothers ,

Who sent their sons from far away countries

Wipe away your tears

Your sons are now living in our bosom

And are at peace.

After having lost their lives on this land,

They have become our sons as well

-Ataturk, 1934

By a cemetery for Turkish soldiers is a large statue of Ataturk with a group of Turkish students posing for a picture.  Ataturk was the commanding officer defending Gallipoli from the British and French and ANZAC troops.  There were also Indians.  

And this spot - the remains of the trenches of the ANZAC/British troops so near to the trenches of the Turkish troops - brought the reality of all this much closer.  The trees weren’t there back then.  It was hot, there were lots of bugs.  

That’s it.  A post like this takes me way too much time.  There are so many other stories and pictures that I’m afraid most of which you’ll never see here.  

We only have a few days left.  Can’t spend them at the keyboard.  

Cappadocia

 The Cappadocia region is shown on the map in the previous post.  

 We arrived in Göreme by bus after dark and walked up to our hotel which was less than a kilometer.  The town is old and buildings are mostly built with rocks. But it was uphill on a narrow road paved with stones.  The picture isn’t great, but it gives you an idea of neighborhood.  We’d find out that most of this hill was ‘cave hotels’ built in old houses and even in the strange rock formations that the area is famous for.  

I used the word ‘old’ just now.  Let’s clarify that.

‘Göreme is a unique town located in the Cappadocia region of Turkey. It is known for its fairy chimneys, rock-cut churches, and cave dwellings. The town’s history goes back to ancient times when the Hittites were the first to inhabit the area. Later, Göreme became an important center of Christianity, and many churches were carved out of the soft volcanic tuff rock. In the 4th century, Göreme became a monastic settlement for hermits who lived in the caves and practiced asceticism.”

What does “ancient times” mean? 

The Hittite Empire was an ancient civilization in Anatolia from the late 17th century BC to the end of the 12th century BC. The Hittites provided significant examples of stone masonry. Stone reliefs are commonly found on monumental structures, such as city walls and gates. If you read that paragraph and pulled 4th century out to determine ‘old’, that’s perfectly reasonable.  But go back to “ancient times when the Hittites were the first . . .” (From a Koç University site)

Our hunger got us back down that street to a looking for a place to eat.  The photo isn’t too clear, but under ZUKRA it says “Pasta & Bliss.”

In Turkish, pasta means cake.  But it was in English and it sure looks like pasta on the plate.  I asked J, “Does it mean pasta in English or Turkish?  Looks like English.”  And it was a pasta place, but I was hoping to have lentil soup, which is delicious in Turkey.  I asked the young lady if they had soup.  She said no, but to wait a second.  

She came back and said her mother would make me soup.  So we had dinner there.  The whole family worked there - mom, dad, and the two adult kids.  And no, it wasn’t lentil soup, but it was a delicious tomato based pasta soup.  

The next morning at 5:55am I was supposed to be ready for a balloon ride.  Cappadocia is known for balloons.  I’d decided that everyone should probably ride a balloon at least once and that Cappadocia was one of the best places to do that.  J didn’t agree with the first

They said there were 160 balloons aloft.  It was magical. I bonded with a French Canadian couple as we lifted up in morning twilight.  

It was chilly - about 35˚F (1.6˚C).  Colder than it was that day in Anchorage.  I had several layers on, and fortunately I was relatively close to the propane burner.

Soon we were up and drifting over the many rock formations that Cappadocia is famous for.

The ride was just under an hour and I got back in time for the hotel’s buffet breakfast that comes with the room.  Maybe I’ll do a post on the breakfasts.

Then we were picked up for the ‘Red Tour”.  The next day we did the “Green Tour”.  Cappadocia’s tourist industry is highly organized.  One tour goes to the north, the other to the south.  Big white VW busses (not vans, but busses that hold 20 people or so) come up the narrow streets picking up their passengers from their hotels.  Where we were the street was very narrow and one way, and if a passenger wasn’t out waiting and the guide had to go looking for them, it would lead to seven or more vehicles blocked.

I’m running out of steam here, so I’m going to focus just on the rock formations parts of the tours and combine the two.  I wanted the people in this picture so you’d get a sense of the size of these formations.  People, over the millennia, have carved out spaces inside the formations and lived in them, had churches in them.  

“Geologically, Cappadocia is an ancient region that has been shaped by millions of years of geological activity, including volcanic eruptions, tectonic movements, and erosion. The landscape is characterized by soft, easily erodible volcanic tuff, which has been sculpted into a variety of shapes by the forces of wind and water.

Over the centuries, humans have also played a role in shaping the landscape of Cappadocia. The region has a rich history of human settlement, dating back to the Hittites in the 2nd millennium BCE, and later occupied by the Persians, Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines. The people of Cappadocia have also left their mark on the landscape, carving homes, churches, and other structures into the soft volcanic rock.” (From Geology Science)

 

One last very memorable visit on the tour was the Nevşehir Kaymaklı Underground City.  This is a city build underground - eight stories underground.  I couldn’t figure out how to take good pictures - I had to keep up with the folks in our tour.  But you can go to the link to learn more.  The public is only allowed to go down four levels.

Besides narrow passageways with low ceilings, there are bigger spaces for sleeping, kitchen areas, and ‘living rooms.’  People lived in these underground cities when they were in danger from enemy armies.  They were down there up to several weeks at a time.  For those wondering, they also had a ventilation system, which was pointed out, but not explained.  

I’d note the first day tour included people from Germany, Italy, Japan, London (originally from Hong Kong), Palestine, and Turkey.  We were the only Alaskans, and the only people from the US.  As we stopped at different places we got to talk to all the folks.  The next day it was just us and three women from Brazil who we got to know fairly well.  The guides were excellent.  

We’re back in Istanbul, exploring this amazing city.  I’m looking at Istanbul itself as a museum.  We’re learning how to use all the public transportation - which includes busses, trams (on tracks), ferries, a subway, and a furnicular.  I may have missed something.  We’ve figured out how to use and refill our Istanbul Card - which you tap to use the various forms of transportation.  And we’re eating well.  

I’m going to post this now and I’ll proof it again tomorrow and make any necessary edits.  

Some Turkeyı Pics

Keeping up here has been difficult.  We’re just too busy, but let me just give you some selected pictures and comments.  

We met with a travel agent our trusted hotel guy recommended.  He put us on a whirlwind tour of the places we wanted to go.  Konya and Cappadocia.  Fortunately I’d done a bit of research and knew we could get a fast train to Konya and then a bus the rest of the way.  On the map below, Konya is to the lower left of the red circle showing the Cappadocia region.  We stayed in Göreme, which is northeast of Kayseri.  Istanbul is in the upper left between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara.

These men whirled slowly, like they were connecting with the universe.  See more on Sufi dervishes here.

Konya proved a true highlight.  I’d seen that Çatalhöyük was closed on Mondays, so we left Saturday.  Our travel agent arranged for a guide with knowledge of Çatalhöyük who picked us up at the train station.  WhatsApp proves to be very helpful communicating.  Çatalhöyük is a world heritage site.

Our guide turned out to be a Sufi teacher who teaches college level - not only was he knowledgeable, but he practiced his Sufi - with lots of care for us.  I’d also read that there were whirling dervish (performance isn’t the right word,). There’s a huge modern building where they whirl on Saturday evenings from 7-8 or so.  Our guide showed us where it was before dropping us off at the hotel.  We had a delicious local meal
next door to the hotel and then walked to the Mevlana Center.  (Mevlana, as I understand it, is the Turkish name for Rumi, the founder of Sufism.)

The next morning we walked a bit after breakfast and I was duly impressed by this blue motorcycle.

We were scheduled to go to the Mevlana Museum, which was across the street from the hotel.  We didn’t realize that - we thought it was a mosque.  And it had been a mosque, but is now a museum for Mehvlana (Rumi).  But the name ‘museum’ doesn’t do it justice.  It had been a like a monastery for men studying to become Sufi dervishes (I need to be careful here with my terminology.  My understanding is they would become monks, though again I’m not sure that’s the right word.)  So in addition to the old mosque, attached to it are a series of cells for the acolytes. 

The picture below shows Mevlana’s tomb inside the old mosque.  Rather than requiring people to remove their shoes, they provided paper shoe covers to wear.  

There is a mosque right next to the museum.  There’s a pic below showing the mosque (to the right) and the museum from the night before when we walked back from the dervishes. 

The picture above is Çatalhöyük. This is a site that dates back to the Neolithic period.  (Yes, I had to look it up to better understand what we were looking at).  But 9000 years ago, people built this community of 3500 - 8000 people.  The living spaces are all connected to each other.  There were no streets.  People had ladders inside to the roof, and the roofs were the ‘streets’ of this place.  There’s a museum which explains a lot, then there are some reconstructed dwellings that you can go into to see how people lived.  Finally, there is the actual archeological site.

I’m going to let people who are interested, go to the link to find out more.  The picture above is a tiny part of the complex under a large cover that visitors are allowed to see.  There’s another section open to the public, but it wasn’t open when we were there.  

I’m still trying to grasp people who were only just beginning to transition from hunter/gatherer to growing some of their own food, and developing this complex housing system.  

The picture below shows the mosque, to the right, and the Mevlana Museum.  The green tiled turret in the museum area is from the original building, which if I got it right, was build in the 1200s. The rest was built later. Later = 1500s.  

Think about it.  The turquoise green turret in the back of the museum complex was built over 200 years before Columbus’ reached what became ‘the new world.,’. Humans back then were just as clever and just as emotional as we are today.  Not really much difference from what I can tell.

 

There is a lot referenced in this post that people know little or nothing about, so I won’t feel bad if I don’t post again right away and give you time to check out the links.  

New Inspiration From A Long Time Hero

Just in the opening intro to Robert Caro’s Working, I was inspired to take on a project I’d put off for a couple of years now.  Caro reads his audio book and talks about how when writing the Power Broker he realized he needed to document the human cost of all the parkways and bridges and slum clearance Robert Moses built.  I have such a project to pursue in Anchorage.

I guess I’m getting ahead of myself.  My bookclub is reading Working this month, and while the time zones don’t work out for me to zoom in, Caro has been a hero of mine for just about 50 years.  Caro’s first big book - The Power Broker - is about Robert Moses who created  a mesh of overlapping ‘authorities’ - park authorities, transportation authorities, port authorities - that gave him a working income that he controlled and the power to create public works projects that transformed the landscape of New York City.  I should be clear - Caro never found any indication that Moses was in this business to make money, but rather to fulfill his visions of how to create infrastructure that would improve life for New Yorkers.  They money he made through tolls and bonds went to build his vision.  

Caro tells us in the intro that he wanted to understand how Caro had wielded so much power for close to 50 years, power over mayors, governors, and other elected  officials, though he had never been elected to any office.  He talks about advice he  (Caro) got early on about doing research on documents - read every page.  

Caro worked full time on The Power Broker for over five years.  It came out in Fall of 1974 about when I’d finished my Masters in Public Administration and was working on my doctorate.  And I would have read it right after it came out - maybe the Spring of 1975.  And as I started teaching as a doctoral student, The Power Broker, at least parts of it (it’s over 1100 pages) were part of the readings in my intro class until I retired.  One of the questions I had about the book - as did many others - was how did Caro find out all the stuff he had on Moses.  This book answers that question 

I’ve mentioned “Thick Description” several times lately, and as I listened to Caro talking about the need to get the stories of the people Moses displaced with his projects, I realized this was an example of thick description as well.  (I hadn’t thought about that before since I’d been using Caro’s book long before I’d heard about thick description.). https://whatdoino-steve.blogspot.com/2015/07/who-am-i-who-are-you.

Blood Thicker Than Money And Climate Change

We’re in Mauritius.   I’ve already written about my ethical concerns of flying to Türkiye.  And here I am in Mauritius.  If we weren’t already planning on a Turkish trip, I might not (was going to say probably not, but unsure) be in Mauritius.  But Turkey is a little more than half way to Mauritius.  

And my daughter, granddaughter, and son-in-law are living in Mauritius for six months.  My kids don’t like my writing about them, so that’s all I’ll say.  But we’re here in this island in the Indian Ocean that is considered part of Africa, and is about as far away from Alaska as you can go.

I probably should be giving you some insights, like a brief history, but my head isn’t there.  Here’s what the government of Mauritius says.  Today there is a mix of Indians, Africans, Chinese, and Europeans. Mauritian Creole seems to be the language most Mauritians speak, but French and English are also spoken by many.  French is the default language after Creole.  People of Indian descent are the clear majority, their ancestors originally brought over as slaves to work the sugar cane fields.  

Our main goal is to be with our kin and they’re living in a very comfortable place with a great yard.  So I can sit there and watch the birds.     

The red one is a Mauritius Fody, found, as I understand it, only here.  There are lots of them visiting the yard and generally around.  The bright red is easy to see.  (Which would seem to contradict t their endangered rating.)

I’m pretty sure this is a Village Weaver, an African bird that has found its way to Mauritius.  It was taking thread from the palm and flying away - presumably to do some weaving.  

This one, with the distinctive red-orange beak and the red eye shadow is a common waxbill.  Also an immigrant from Africa.

And a Malagasy Turtledove.  There’s a pink pigeon which is endangered and lives only in Mauritius and at first I thought this might be one.  But I think the turtledove id is the right one.  

A prominent landmark in Mauritius is Le Pouce (the thumb) and it’s not far from where we are.  Some books say it’s an easy 3.something km hike, others that it’s a difficult 6.something round trip hike.  Our daughter said it was extremely difficult - what with mud and steepness and sliding and we should definitely take the easier trail which winds around.  But that’s a much longer distance and still we would eventually get to the steep parts.  And my wife, who does her 10,000 steps a day, is not into steep uphill.  So we took a short bus ride and walked to the parking lot from the main road.  The picture to the left is a shot of Le Pouce on the walk to the trailhead.  

We followed my daughter’s advice and took the easy trail.  It was a nice walk - birds, butterflies, frogs, lots of flowers - but we never got near starting up the mountain.  And it wasn’t clear we were still on the right trail.  

Instead of hiking 4 or so kilometers up Le Pouce, we walked that distance back to our daughter’s place.  

We did have a spectacular Creole lunch nearby few days earlier.  And J and I took a one day tour of the sights in Southwest Mauritius, including a volcano crater, an Indian temple at a sacred lake, some waterfalls, a gorge.  A good trip, but not really my style - “Go up the path and take your picture, I’ll wait for you here.”  But it was a good way to

Grand Bassin

see a lot in a short time.  And apparently it's how many tourists here see the island.  We saw the same people at different stops with their drivers.  

I’m constantly reminded why my preferred way to travel is to have a long term stay some place where you have a purpose for being there (besides being a tourist) and a home base from which to wander out to see other places. You have time to slowly figure out how things work, where they are, and how to get around.  But I also get why people like package tours.  The figuring out can get uncomfortable and having someone who knows what they’re doing is much more efficient.  

Our guide Thursday knew all the shortcuts, and didn’t have to think about where things were or how to
squeeze in seven or eight sightseeing worthy stops.    

Subject shift:  When we try to forge an ethical path in life, we have to balance many values. As we toured the other day, we saw a number of signs like the one below, that highlighted things like conservation and maintaining environments that allow native species to survive. 

I know it’s hard to read so let me copy from the black box on the left of the tree:

“The Black River Gorges National Park is the core zone which is legally protected.  It is home to the last remnant of the Mauritian endemic flora and fauna species thus making it a unique ecosystem.  The main focus of this zone is the conservation and restoration of the native biodiversity.  It also promotes education, research and sustainable ecotourism activities.”

At the same time, tourism is a significant part of Mauritius’ economy.  

“Tourism industry in Mauritius

Mauritius tourism industry has experienced drastic growth in the last decade.

The Island of Mauritius had about 18,000 visitors in 1970 and in the last few years this number is almost reaching 1 million visitors to Mauritius annually.

The tourism sector is one of the main pillars of the local economy, and created 30,000 full time job equivalents in 2000 and the number today it is estimated that almost 40,000 has full direct employment in the tourism sector.

Tourists visiting Mauritius are primarily European, mainly French and British.

The amount of resorts and hotels along Mauritius coastline is increasing every year to accommodate the increasing number of tourists visiting the Island.” (From Mauritius Attractions)

It’s hard [for anyone] to lead an ethical life when most of the important measures of individual and national success are reported in dollars or Euros or RMB.  Those resorts and hotels the website above mentions, are, in some cases changing the economy, but also the culture of Mauritius, the second most densely populated country in Africa. 

It’s easy to just say, “screw it, my trip is just a blip in the climate change scenario.” But a million individual trips add up.  We can look at the impact on the climate of Russia’s war against Ukraine, of Trump’s frequent trips, or flying all the US generals from around the world to be lectured to by the defense secretary and the president. And, of course, a trip to Mauritius is something that financially comfortable people can do.  But our airfare was less than the average down payment on a new car or truck ($6,856)

Am I overthinking all this?  Compared to most people, I probably am.  But we should always be considering the ways we use our money affect the environment, other people, and power.  But our purpose on Mauritius is to visit with family who we otherwise wouldn’t see for a year, and I’m comfortable with that.