The Asım Account: Trabzon


Looking east in the morning, from the shore in Trabzon (Photographer: Ashley)

We woke up on the bus in Trabzon, first thing in the morning. By 'we', of course I mean Ashley and Agnés as well. Agnés was our new companion on the adventure; we met in Amasya. For the first time on the trip, we had come to a place that I had already been. The familiarity of everything recalled a time of innocence when my experience in Turkey was new and I knew little. I thought about how the city would seem different this time around.

Looking west (Ashley)

We rode a shuttle bus to the center of town and then walked to the seaside. As we approached the water, we noticed a handful of people napping under a canopy near some picnic tables. With the backpacks and everything, they looked like tourists. We walked to the water's edge where we ate apples which we had carried with us from Amasya. I remembered taking an early morning nap there on the rocks two years before. Times more innocent. As we began to walk back toward the city, the nappers had awoken. We said hello and shared our apples with them. They were Polish students, just celebrating the summer by hitchhiking through Georgia and then Turkey on their way to the Balkans. They told us all about their adventure and it was quite inspiring actually. None of them knew any Turkish, but that didn't prevent them from hitchhiking through parts of the country to which I hadn't even been. They slept in tents or not, if the weather allowed. Our strategy of couchsurfing in safe albeit small towns and economizing on bus trips no longer seemed very badass. They welcomed us to join them on a hitchhiking adventure to a remote monastery in the mountains later that day. We gladly accepted.

Making plans at breakfast (Agnés)

Before going to the mountains, however, we stopped for breakfast at a restaurant in the middle of Trabzon, which to our amazement was open despite the Ramadan holiday. The Poles were delighted that I could speak a bit of Turkish and so we got along very well, asking advice and directions of the locals while we ate our Turkish breakfasts in a group of six. After breakfast our new friends told us that what they desired most was a shower and a place to wash their clothes. We knew just the thing. After our experience in Amasya, the solution was obvious. We took them to a hamam (Turkish bathhouse).

Our Polish friends hanging laundry (Jeremy)

Like the one in Amasya, the hamam we went to in Trabzon was essentially empty except for our guests. I chatted with the owner of the place for a little while. He explained that they were happy to have tourists during the Ramadan slow season. I asked if there was a place that my friends could store their luggage and get their clothes washed. He said, "Right here." The man game them a room to store everything and took all their dirty clothes. They were grateful to the man and also thanked me for making the arrangements. Some hours passed. Ashley, Agnés and I went to an internet cafe to catch up on things. When we emerged, the Poles were still bathing. When they were finally finished, they hung up their clean clothes and we headed outside, refreshed.

We had to walk for some time through the city to get to the highway going south. The city of Trabzon isn't all that spectacular, but we enjoyed the walk.

Strolling through Trabzon (Ashley)

Finally someone stopped for us. There were so many of us that we agreed to hitchhike separately and then meet up later at the monastery. Almost all of our friends fit into the first car. It wasn't long before another vehicle stopped and took the rest of us. Getting to the Sumela monastery took two rides. The first got us to Maçka; the second got us to part-way-up-the-mountain. We hiked the rest of the way. The scenes were beautiful as we pressed on up through the mist.

Agnés walking up ahead (Ashley)

It took us quite a while to get to the top, but we couldn't complain. We were glad when we did finally make it. None of us had had a clear picture of what the monastery was like before we actually saw it for ourselves.


Sumela Monastery (Jeremy)

The mist, while enchanting, prevented us from seeing any view of the mountains. I think if we were to go back on a clear day, it would seem like a completely different experience. Most striking, however, were the interior features, such as the paintings on the walls and ceiling in the chapel section.

Striking art at the Sumela Monastery (Jeremy)

Impressed, enchanted, at the monastery (Jeremy)

Getting back to the Trabzon city center was a bit of a concern for us at first. The day was getting late and the light was fading fast. There were not very many cars at the upper parking lot which meant we might have had to hike all the way back down. One car came and took the more tired-legged among us, which included Agnés. Ashley, one of the Poles and I continued down the road for a surprisingly short time. A car passed, stopped, moved ahead about 30 meters and then stopped again. It was obvious that this was a new situation for the folks inside. I had noticed that the car was almost full, and by its license pate I could see that it was from Rize, a bordering city. When we got to the car, we found three members of a family inside. They were my kind of people. We piled into the car, with me in the middle and Ashley on my lap. It was the first of many car rides in which I'd have someone sitting on me most of the way. At one point, the mother, who was in the back seat with us, got a phone call. The first part of the conversation went something like this:
- Mom? I'm quite alright, how are you? We are on our way home from the monastery. You're not going to believe what has happened. We were just starting back when we took some foreigners in the car. They are from everywhere! America, Canada, Poland... We thought there wasn't room in the car, but there is! You should see us!

She paused frequently to laugh. It was funny to me that this situation seemed so wild, fun and unusual to her. Making conversation with our hosts was fun and easy. We joked and laughed at lot, and I stopped occasionally to translate the interesting bits to Ashley. Our Polish friend had fallen asleep. When we got to Trabzon, they dropped us off and we thanked them and waved goodbye. They wished us well and wore fantastic smiles. It seemed everyone's day was brighter for the trip.

Walking back toward home base at the hamam, we began making plans for the surprise birthday party in the evening. We were informed that one of the Polish students had a birthday that day and was not expecting anything, let alone anyone to remember that it was his birthday. So his friends' plan was to commandeer a cake, take it to a restaurant and have them bring it out after dinner. After regrouping at the hamam we split up. I led a small group to find a restaurant, reserve a table for later and make arrangements for the birthday surprise. Another group went to buy the cake. Everything was set.

"You guys..." (Agnés)

At the same time, I was making arrangements to meet our CouchSurfing host with whom I'd been texting earlier in the day to solidify arrangements for accommodation. I met him shortly before dinner. Işmail, a med student at the university in Trabzon, seemed like a very friendly character. I told him a bit about our time in Trabzon that day. He was surprised to find that I knew some Turkish, as apparently most of the tourists he hosts know very little. We got along well, I introduced him to my travel companions, and invited him to join us for dinner. We were quite the crowd and had a lovely time. After dinner and tea, the cake was brought out. The birthday boy was quite surprised. The candles were mostly blown out by the wind, but Agnés captured a shot of the man at the restaurant relighting the candles, while the surprised birthday boy gave his friends a look of 'you guys...'. After cake, his friends threw him in the fountain nearby. It was an unforgettable evening.

Ashley, Agnés and I went back to Işmail's flat where we set up places to sleep. The weather was very nice, and there was room on the balcony for two. Ashley opted for the couch, while Agnés and I set up mats and blankets on the balcony. Sleeping outside was very refreshing and I slept very well. In the morning, Işmail fixed a Turkish breakfast, complete with homemade jam from his hometown, a city to the south, at the head of the Euphrates River.

We had passed such a nice time in Trabzon, it was hard to say goodbye. Our next stop was another city to which I had already been, but like with Trabzon, I expected the second time around to be better.