Even with a nice couple of days in Alexandropolis, I’d an urge
to move on to Turkey and I made it to Istanbul on Monday evening with
even enough money left for a dormitory in the Youth-Hostel nearby the
Red Mosque.
The next morning I went out in search for a bank to get some money
transferred to.
I was new in this kind of travelling and it wasn’t easy to walk
around with not much knowledge and no money in the pocket. I’d
no money for transportation left and it was up to my legs how far I’ll
get.
It was a long walk, but a great one and I not only saw something of
Istanbul, I also could smell the distinctive smell of Istanbul. A city
like so many with his own character!
Close to the bazaar I found a bank and called my lovely mum to give
her the address. She’ll send me the money early the following
day and wished me well.
The next day I was in the bank at 1PM and the money wasn’t there,
but the person at the bank I spoke to asked me who send the money and
from which bank in Germany. I gave him the info and he went to call
the bank in Germany, fifteen minutes later I had the money.
Great service I have to say!
During the next four weeks I met a lot of tourists and went to nearly
all the tourist attractions there is in Istanbul.
After a couple of days in Istanbul, I found a place to score hash from
Africans. It was Turkish and Lebanon hash, which I smoked often but
not daily. I just couldn’t afford it; otherwise I would have smoked
daily. It was great anyway and maybe because I smoked so little, I also
did see something of Istanbul.
My brother called me then and was eager to meet me and to travel with
me. Because I was for four weeks already in Istanbul, we agreed that
we will meet in Fethye. Fethye is south of Istanbul, on the coast, about
eight hours by bus.
So I went to Fethye by bus.
It was already at the beginning of December and therefore no tourist
season in Fethye. Most of the hotels were close and the ones which were
open, they were a bit too expensive for my little wallet.
I was really tired from walking around and looking for a place to stay.
The expensive places wanted to have the money upfront or a credit card,
which was absolutely not possible for me, I did not have both.
As I came to a hotel which was close, but looked perfect for my wallet,
I just rang the bell.
The man who opened the door spoke a bit German and he told me that the
place is close. But me, I was so fucking tired and just told him that
I’ve close to zero money in my pocket, I’m tired and I’ve
nowhere to go.
He gave me a nice room on the third floor and convinced me to eat with
his family until my brother would come with the money.
Great, I had a place and food.
There wasn’t much to do in Fethye at that time of the year and
I spend most of the day walking around and sitting on the quay. One
night I went out to sea with a fishing boat, cold and wet it was, but
nice after all. It was nice for me ‘cos I knew that I don’t
have to do this every day, it is just not my kind of work, and because
I was a guest on board, I kept only busy with keeping myself warm.
The owner of the hotel I was staying was also the owner of the Hard
Rock Café. It was close during the winter time, but he wanted
me to have a look at it and if I like it and would be interested, then
I could stay and manage the place the upcoming season.
This was now the third offer I got during the last five month to manage
a place and to work. First Vagelis, then a friend of Vagelis from Prevesa,
he asked me if I would like to manage his disco in Prevesa, and now
here in Fethye.
The disco in Prevesa and the Hard Rock Café in Fethye, it was
actually only my German nationality they were interested in, to attract
tourists. I understood that part of the bargain and I only thought that
I want to see what else will come up during my journey, my journey had
just begun!
Two weeks after my arrival in Fethye my brother came with a bloke he
met on his way. Frank L. H. from South Africa, he was actually a cop
in his country, but we’re all humans.
The following day I paid my debt and all three of us went to Istanbul.
Frank, my brother and I, we all wanted a nice smoke and it was up to
me to get together since I knew where to get it.
I couldn’t find my Ghanaian friend to score and so I went to a
Turkish bloke I knew from my last visit in Istanbul. I bought a piece
for five thousand Turkish liras. A nice piece it was and it was what
we wanted, to get us shit faced.
It got close to New Year and for the celebration we needed a piece
to smoke which will bring us safely through the New Years Eve.
The three of us put a hundred thousand Turkish Liras together and I
went to order from my Turkish friend.
The appointment was set for later that evening 7PM in the park.
At seven then I waited in the park for him to come, but it took him
more than hour to get there. It doesn’t matter though, if you
wait for drugs to come, you simply will wait because it’s all
you want, to get high.
Anyway, he came with a lovely looking piece wrapped in cellophane. The
money was handled quickly and off he went without a good bye.
As I entered the Youth Hostel I had to flag a huge smile at my brother
and Frank, which they returned with happy faces.
My brother was really fast with giving me the pipe to load, which was
a pleasure for me to do and strait away I went to the restroom to do
what I had to do!
The piece looked really beautiful, only the wrapping was tough to get
off.
As the wrapping got a bit lose a strange smell came towards me and I
started to wonder what shit that shit is and I made the corner of the
piece warm with the lighter.
Fuck me, yes, he fucked me right there in the park. It was earth with
some pipe tobacco grounded together. I got ripped off!!!
I have to say though that it was made beautifully with real love, love
for money.
We spend the rest of the day looking for him, it was hopeless though,
and he probably went to his family during New Year.
So I went looking for my Ghanaian friend and found him also on the same
place as always. At least New Year was saved and on top of it we’d
a great time with some Swedish students.
During that New Years party we met a German bloke and if I remember
correctly, Ruediger was his name and we talked about going together
to Pakistan by bus through Iran.
A few days later Frank went back to Johannesburg and we went to the
Iranian embassy to get a visa.
There we were told that we’d to wait for a visa for at least two
month before we could get it.
It was then an easy calculation for us; a direct flight to Pakistan
would be cheaper.
On the third of January, my brother Harry and Ruediger went to the
Pakistani embassy to get the visas without me. It was just not my day
for this kind of hassle and I did enjoy it more to hang around the library
and to get stoned on a good smoke. Oh yea, we smoked in the library.
The peace and state of being timeless was over as Harry came back and
blah-blahed my ears full that the visa will take two days to get and
that I’ll never make it on time.
I couldn’t say much more to him than smoke one and be happy.
On the fourth then I had no other choice than to go to the embassy
to get my visa, Harry just wouldn’t shut up.
He was a lot more pissed off after my return from the embassy; I got
my visa in a half an hour. I guess that it was my charm and my beliefs
in the possibilities that such things can happen.
Whatever, I smiled all day long.
On the sixth of January 1990 we left to the airport and it was the
perfect day to leave and to say good bye to Istanbul and Europe, it
started snowing!