I even have a TV embedded in the seat in front of me, though all the programming is Turkish. Very soon the freeway of Istanbul gives way to a different landscape. I watch a movie in Turkish that I can follow. When the child behind me hits me on the head for the third time, I turn and glare at the mother.
Despite all the hospitality, this is a long bus ride.
At one point we get on a ferry. I love a good boatride, so I get off the bus for the duration of the ferry trip. As I enjoy a smoke while I stare at the sparkling lights in the distant darkness an military vehicle pulls on to the ferry. Two dudes climb out, one with an AK47. I look at the vehicle and see three sets of eyes peering out through a barred window.
.Curiously, the guys driving the truck are very casual and the guys in the back of the truck are almost as casual as the guards. Then I remember that Turkey requires mandatory military service and I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that the "prisoners" were kids who were a tad late in reporting for their compulsory military service.
We disembark the ferry and the bus drones on into the Turkish night. At some point a fare dispute erupts. We are pulled over somewhere and a well dressed man is summoned to issue a verdict. I step off the bus and use the moment of conflict as an ad hoc smoke break.
With the dispute resolved, I step back on the bus. I doze off as we roll on into the Turkish night. I am awoken by a gentle tap on the shoulder from the attendant. It is 4:15 am and I am in the Izmir bus station. The attendant asks me if I know where I am going. I reply confidently, Selcuk.
And yes, I may know where I'm going, but how I'm going to get there is an entirely different matter.
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