Honeymooning in Bulgaria

I start reading about eastern European trains and worry that actually taking them might be a bad idea. Many of the Eastern Europe trains I've read about are referred to metal hunks of dilapidated crap. But I've never crossed a border on a train before and it sounds fun. In the train station, Serkan and I hop on one of the trains stationed there. See, he says, this is so much more comfortable than a bus. This is how our train will be? Awesome, I say, we're definitely doing the choo choo. We even purchase the sleeping cabin tix, because they're not much more expensive. I imagine clinking wine glasses in the dining car, playing cards and watching the scenery change.

Ours is the Bosphorus Express. Serkan reads about it online, after we buy our tickets. Everyone complains and details how horrible and old the cars are. No dining car, only a bunch of unhappy customers. But we have our own room, I just can't imagine it would that bad. I mean, with all the rank and toiletless overnight South American buses, with kids and chickens sitting on your feet... The Bosphorus Express can't be that bad. And it isn't. All the cars are ancient, sure, but the room is pretty clean. There's a window we can open. It's not fancy, but there are beds with fresh sheets. We watch the moon and the backwater houses of Istanbul fade into the distance. Then we watch The Station Agent on the computer. It's all very romantic.

At the border crossing, if I am asked, I will tell them we're on our honeymoon, finding it mildly hilarious, because not many people would choose to start their honeymoon in Bulgaria. But the only thing the Turkish side asks me is if I live in California. I say yes, because any other answer is complicated and excessive, plus it's 3 a.m.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, he says in a deeper, gruffer, man voice.
Yeah, I laugh.
How is Arnold? (He's on a first name basis with Arnold, they go way back.)
I don't know.
Why not? (I'm starting to wonder if I should have said I live somewhere else...)
Um, I don't know Arnold personally.

Exit. Thump thump goes the stamp from ink pad to passport.

Three's pushing it...

It's finally our last day of Istanbul traffic horns, raised voices at exaggerated octaves, the general city chaos. All day we take care of last-minute errands, paying bills and visiting the beauracracies to see how I can get me a Turkish ID.

What would be the benefits of a Turkish ID, you ask? The answer is simple: Muze Kart, baby! No more paying oodles of liras at every museum, 20 lira once and I can visit everywhere for free! Not really much of a help, since we're leaving, but it might also waive my Turkey entrance Visa fees (which are only $20 a pop, but still).

We still don't know the answers for any of this, though we did learn from an old lady at the bus stop that we will have three children. Actually, today I wonder if we are giving off newlywed vibes, because all kinds of strangers seem to mention something about our marriage, asking Serkan where his wife is from. Trippy.

Luna de miel con Fenerbahçe

The wind ruffs up the treetops from the fourth floor window. The sky is a matte periwinkle, smog seaside twilight. Babies yowl and the seagulls cry, intermittent conversations, somewhere between complaints of love. The evening mosque call has relieved Ramadan fasting for the day, and the masses have commenced eating. You can hear the hungry clink of forks on plates from the rooftop terrace where I balance the computer on my lap. We'll head out to eat too soon, before the fasters have scattered, so we can grab a bite before the Fenerbahçe home game on their home turf.

We got married two days ago, free from pomp, only some white daisies in my hair and a huge bouquet from my auntie and fam, which smelled beautiful and lovingly for days. It arrived just as we were piling in the car en route to the marriage hall. Receiving the flowers right then and there nearly put me to tears, but I recovered. I wore a simple white sundress, which Sevgi, Serkan's sister, MADE. She gave me some shoes of hers, since we wear the same size, and she even did my makeup (complete with trial runs the day before).

Serkan and I had scurried the huge distances of Istanbul to get all the marriage papers together for one week exactly. On Friday afternoon we finally submitted all the documents and set our wedding date. It was a long process while we were doing it, but looking back, one week is nuthin'.

There were so many characters in the process. The hospital visit to obtain our blood tests may have been one of the most miserable places on earth. One old man at an information desk couldn't donned a sourer scowl or gruff voice. Serkan tried to ask him where we go to for blood tests. He avoided Serkan's eyes and gave me the ole up and down evil eye staredown. He mentioned something about the pointlessness of marriage, and then he told us to ask someone else. We found where we needed to be, luckily. After the sterile carnage everywhere else in the hospital, the nurse taking blood in the salmon pink-themed office was jolly with a hearty laugh and a broad smile. Though, she drew blood brutally, blessing us both with bruises for days, despite my transparent skin and She-Ra inner elbow veins.

But each step grew lighter. The doctor, who told me to bite down on my flower necklace while he shoved my ribs against the X-ray machine to photograph my lungs, proved efficient and radiated good energy. The woman who signed our medical report babbled on endlessly with a huge grin. She said not to worry about the bolded and starred part of my (anemic) blood report. Serkan should just marry me for having a pretty smile. In our three-minute visit, she also talked about marriage in general, her dislike for the American health system, and possibly what she planned to eat for lunch. A few kilometers a minute, pure monologue, but enthusiastic. We found the happiest people at the marriage office. I figure it has something to do with their work focusing on the beginnings of couplehood. They're not dealing with sickness or annoyed people. A cool breeze circulates through the office and natural daylight, at least, accompanies those horrid florescent energy saver bulbs. The marriage bureau people treat each other familiarly, and they deal with hopeful couples starting the next chapter of life, together.

Information for any American citizen who wants to get married in Turkey

American citizen getting married in Turkey: Step-by-step instructions

This is a totally random post, but the process to get married in Turkey was pretty extensive. I was already making lists of what I needed to do, so I figured I would share the data here. Who knows? Maybe it'll help somebody.

Probably the most difficult part of this whole process is the fact that we were getting married in Istanbul. You need to go to a lot of different places and they are all pretty spread out. If you are getting married in a smaller town, the process should be a bit easier. However, the American citizen will likely have to get the Affidavit of eligibility to marry form from Istanbul or Ankara. Each step requires some cash and some patience, so be armed with both.

For more detailed information (with addresses and approximate costs), check out the American consulate web site in Istanbul and the American embassy web site in Ankara. Also, here are the "Getting married in Turkey" info pages for Ankara and for Istanbul.

Step One: American Embassy

NOTE: In Ankara, you will need to make an appointment first, which you can do online. In Istanbul, no appointment is required.

1a. The American party will first need to visit the American embassy or consulate in Turkey. Fill out the Affidavit for Eligibility to Marry form, which you can get at the American embassy. If you have been previously married, you will need your divorce decree or death certificate of your spouse (The document needs to be the original or a certified copy. They will not keep this document, they just need to see it.)

1b. Pay $30 USD, by cash, check or credit card. No other currency will be accepted.

1c. After you pay, the official will make you swear that everything you have written on the affidavit is true, and your affidavit will be notarized.


Step Two: Turkish government office (Valiliği)

2. The Turkish authorities will then need to certify, stamp and sign your notarized affidavit. I read in several places that you needed to make copies of the affidavit before you head to get it certified. However, they just stamped the original notarized document and did not want the copy, so making photocopies at this point is probably not necessary.


Step Three: Document copying, translations, notarizations and photos

3a. Translations...

• Translate the American citizen's passport by a certified translator. Then take the translation to get notarized. This step is pretty pricey.

3b. Photocopies...

• 1 copy of the American citizen's passport photo and information pages (all pages containing Visa stamps)
• 1 copy of the Turkish citizen's id card, front and back
• Three copies of the notarized and certified eligibility to marry document
• 1 copy of the translated and notarized American passport

3c. ID photos...

• Get at least 10 of the passport-type photos taken. Each person will need at least six for the marriage report and two for the health report, so it's better to have more photos than not enough.

Step Four: Medical Report (Sağlik Ocaği)

4a. Go to any government health clinic (Sağlik Ocaği), pick up the marriage health report paperwork, which will require two passport-type photos of each party as well as blood tests (AIDS, syphillus, the normal drill) and lung X-rays.

4b. Most likely, you will have to get your blood tests taken somewhere other than the health clinic (because they don't have labs). At this point, you'll hope there is a hospital nearby and you'll navigate getting your blood drawn at the hospital. You'll have to pick up the blood test results the following day.

4c. Lung X-ray... Um, who knows why. Anyway, this is another location altogether, and you'll just have to ask around to find out where to go. Normally the lung X-ray results are ready within a few hours, so if you arrive before lunchtime, you can pick them up the same day. The results come in the form of a signature on the medical report form, which you leave with the front desk.

4d. After you have the blood test lab results and the lung X-ray results, head back to the health clinic to get the forms stamped.

Step Five: Marriage Bureau & setting the date!

5a. Document requirements change, so you may actually want to visit the marriage bureau before you do all your document gathering, just to know exactly what the most up-to-date requirements are. Either go to the marriage bureau where your Turkish spouse-to-be is registered to live or see if the municipality web site has posted the information.

5b. Make sure you go to the correct marriage bureau: the one that serves the registered residence of your future spouse. Every town has its own marriage bureau and couples are only allowed to marry at the marriage bureau that serves the Turkish citizen's registered address. If you choose to marry someplace other than where your spouse-to-be is registered, you will both have to travel to that locale and get permission to marry elsewhere. This can obviously be a problem if you are far away from where your spouse is registered.

5c. What's needed by the Turkish citizen

• Photocopy of Turkish ID & the ID itself
• Proof of where s/he is registered to live, stamped by the village alderman
• Six passport-type photos
• Completed health report

5d. What's needed by the American citizen

• Affidavit of Eligibility to Marry, notarized by USA and certified by the Turkish governor's office + copies
• Photocopy of the passport photo and information pages (all pages containing Visa stamps) & the passport itself
• Translation of the passport primary info page, notarized and stamped a million times
• Six passport-type photos
• Completed health report

5e. If you have all the papers you need, the office will fill everything out for you in their system. You'll check the info and sign a couple of times. Then all you have to do is choose the wedding date. Hooray! If the American citizen doesn't speak Turkish, you may need to hire a certified translator for the ceremony.

5f. If the woman wants to keep her last name, this should be mentioned when you sign the papers at the marriage bureau.

More info at http://turkey.usembassy.gov/getting_married.html & http://istanbul.usconsulate.gov/getting_married.html

Good luck!

Yoga Farm, Oleiros, Portugal

One donkey, one rooster, one dog, two goats, two teachers, three cats, three hens, apples, peaches, pears, figs, yoga, sun, forest, a whole lotta brown rice and even more love. That's been my home for about the last two weeks.

The Ashtang-Vinyasa Yoga retreat I found rests in central Portugal, in a sleepy village about 15 km from Oleiros. The setting is peaceful and the ambient hippy. The property overlooks a deep valley of farmlands and cork oak, pine and eucalyptus forests. Organically grown fruit trees and garden veggies dot the grounds. The retreat just opened this year, and they seem to be doing really well, as people from all over Europe end up there just by virtue of their web site: www.ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga.co.uk.

I tend to think of the last couple weeks as my stay on the yoga farm, as the setting is definitely farmlike, with animals and fruits and veggies growing everywhere. Willow, the gentle pranayama honking donkey, whoops out the most hilarious noises I have ever heard. Donkeys apparently are one of the few animals that make noise on inhalation and exhalation. I still can't stop myself from laughing every time he busts out into his tonkey song. Trying to stay focused and unsmiling during savasana when he starts up, is a feat in itself. The two brother and sister goats love to gnaw chairs and eat napkins. The male goat has nads as big as his head and the testosterone they produce reeks cheesily. He actually smells like goat cheese. The rooster and hens peck around the compost daily and the adult cats keep pretty much to themselves. The kitten with a deviated tail, Annie, climbs anything she can stick her claws into. Queenie, the dog, was rescued from the nearby village people who were about to kill her. Supposedly she'd been in a rage with fits of biting. She still limps due to a broken hip, which healed out of socket (and which happened before she was adopted). You wouldn't believe she ever had a mean streak by the way she coos for love and rolls over on her back to give you better access to rubbing her belly.

Days start at 8 a.m. with Sue's dynamic yoga practice. She teaches in the form of workshops, delving more into the spiritual side of yoga. Each day focuses on a different element of the practice: earth, wind, fire and water. These sessions also give more time in certain postures (along with suggestions on how to correct them) to ensure the body is properly grounded and aligned, allowing us to come into our postures with more integrity. Breakfast and tea follow around 10 a.m. and we have free time to sleep, sunbathe, sway in a hammock or read from their cool library until lunch at about 2 p.m.

After lunch, it's back to the hammock or for a walk on one of the several fireroad trails that stem off the property. Sometimes we go to Rio Zezere, about a 10-minute's drive away, to swim and watch the local fisherman watching us. Evening yoga at 6 p.m. is the full Ashtanga practice with Peter. I'd never done Ashtanga before, so it's interesting to practice a different kind of yoga. It's quite a strong class, but he constantly reminds us to listen to our bodies, be patient and ease off. Build good associations in the body and not bad ones: Don't over-force your poses or let pain or tension creep into the practice; breathe. A yummy (macrobiotic) dinner follows shortly after our night practice. We sit around the table and chat. Since I am here mostly on trade, I do a whole lotta dishes during the day as well. It's kind of like cleaning up after a small Thanksgiving, every day, twice a day.

After meeting lots of other people who have been practicing yoga all over the world, it makes me feel more even thankful for my yoga beginnings than I already felt. Luckily, I have a great yoga prof, Susana, in Puerto Natales, who has always focused on the spiritual side of yoga, and not just taught it as some exercise you do at the gym. She has always encouraged us to be present and tried to make sure we do what we can while maintaining proper form, that we don't compare ourselves with our peers (or even with ourselves on previous days). Apparently it is not the norm to teach yoga holistically, as a way of life. And it is a whole lot more common to egofy the practice, turning it into an exercise or flexibility competition. Which it is not. Anyway, my yoga farm days rekindled my yoga, energized and relaxed me just in time to meet up with Serkan again in Istanbul.

Information for any American citizen who wants to get married in Turkey

American citizen getting married in Turkey: Step-by-step instructions

This is a totally random post, but the process to get married in Turkey was pretty extensive. I was already making lists of what I needed to do, so I figured I would share the data here. Who knows? Maybe it'll help somebody.

Probably the most difficult part of this whole process is the fact that we were getting married in Istanbul. You need to go to a lot of different places and they are all pretty spread out. If you are getting married in a smaller town, the process should be a bit easier. However, the American citizen will likely have to get the Affidavit of eligibility to marry form from Istanbul or Ankara. Each step requires some cash and some patience, so be armed with both.

For more detailed information (with addresses and approximate costs), check out the American consulate web site in Istanbul and the American embassy web site in Ankara. Also, here are the "Getting married in Turkey" info pages for Ankara and for Istanbul.

Step One: American Embassy

NOTE: In Ankara, you will need to make an appointment first, which you can do online. In Istanbul, no appointment is required.

1a. The American party will first need to visit the American embassy or consulate in Turkey. Fill out the Affidavit for Eligibility to Marry form, which you can get at the American embassy. If you have been previously married, you will need your divorce decree or death certificate of your spouse (The document needs to be the original or a certified copy. They will not keep this document, they just need to see it.)

1b. Pay $30 USD, by cash, check or credit card. No other currency will be accepted.

1c. After you pay, the official will make you swear that everything you have written on the affidavit is true, and your affidavit will be notarized.


Step Two: Turkish government office (Valiliği)

2. The Turkish authorities will then need to certify, stamp and sign your notarized affidavit. I read in several places that you needed to make copies of the affidavit before you head to get it certified. However, they just stamped the original notarized document and did not want the copy, so making photocopies at this point is probably not necessary.


Step Three: Document copying, translations, notarizations and photos

3a. Translations...

• Translate the American citizen's passport by a certified translator. Then take the translation to get notarized. This step is pretty pricey.

3b. Photocopies...

• 1 copy of the American citizen's passport photo and information pages (all pages containing Visa stamps)
• 1 copy of the Turkish citizen's id card, front and back
• Three copies of the notarized and certified eligibility to marry document
• 1 copy of the translated and notarized American passport

3c. ID photos...

• Get at least 10 of the passport-type photos taken. Each person will need at least six for the marriage report and two for the health report, so it's better to have more photos than not enough.

Step Four: Medical Report (Sağlik Ocaği)

4a. Go to any government health clinic (Sağlik Ocaği), pick up the marriage health report paperwork, which will require two passport-type photos of each party as well as blood tests (AIDS, syphillus, the normal drill) and lung X-rays.

4b. Most likely, you will have to get your blood tests taken somewhere other than the health clinic (because they don't have labs). At this point, you'll hope there is a hospital nearby and you'll navigate getting your blood drawn at the hospital. You'll have to pick up the blood test results the following day.

4c. Lung X-ray... Um, who knows why. Anyway, this is another location altogether, and you'll just have to ask around to find out where to go. Normally the lung X-ray results are ready within a few hours, so if you arrive before lunchtime, you can pick them up the same day. The results come in the form of a signature on the medical report form, which you leave with the front desk.

4d. After you have the blood test lab results and the lung X-ray results, head back to the health clinic to get the forms stamped.

Step Five: Marriage Bureau & setting the date!

5a. Document requirements change, so you may actually want to visit the marriage bureau before you do all your document gathering, just to know exactly what the most up-to-date requirements are. Either go to the marriage bureau where your Turkish spouse-to-be is registered to live or see if the municipality web site has posted the information.

5b. Make sure you go to the correct marriage bureau: the one that serves the registered residence of your future spouse. Every town has its own marriage bureau and couples are only allowed to marry at the marriage bureau that serves the Turkish citizen's registered address. If you choose to marry someplace other than where your spouse-to-be is registered, you will both have to travel to that locale and get permission to marry elsewhere. This can obviously be a problem if you are far away from where your spouse is registered.

5c. What's needed by the Turkish citizen

• Photocopy of Turkish ID & the ID itself
• Proof of where s/he is registered to live, stamped by the village alderman
• Six passport-type photos
• Completed health report

5d. What's needed by the American citizen

• Affidavit of Eligibility to Marry, notarized by USA and certified by the Turkish governor's office + copies
• Photocopy of the passport photo and information pages (all pages containing Visa stamps) & the passport itself
• Translation of the passport primary info page, notarized and stamped a million times
• Six passport-type photos
• Completed health report

5e. If you have all the papers you need, the office will fill everything out for you in their system. You'll check the info and sign a couple of times. Then all you have to do is choose the wedding date. Hooray! If the American citizen doesn't speak Turkish, you may need to hire a certified translator for the ceremony.

5f. If the woman wants to keep her last name, this should be mentioned when you sign the papers at the marriage bureau.

More info at http://turkey.usembassy.gov/getting_married.html & http://istanbul.usconsulate.gov/getting_married.html

Good luck!

The last couple of years...

I'm back to thinking about the last couple of years. The idea of being ready to put down roots. But where? I'm back to thinking about the past couple years and their what-fors? I like having strange conversations with people who ask me eversosweetly WTF are you doing? I have pocketfuls of sweet replies. I don't tend toward the generic, but often sincerity'll just get you into trouble. However, I do sometimes think about real answers to whys after the fact.

I'm thinking about the past couple years... I've met wonderful people; climbed mountains; reached 6,000 meters with soroche; licked icebergs and walked on glaciers; swam with pink Amazonian dolphins and milky Black Sea jellyfish; huddled in overflowing overnight toiletless buses alongside chickens, sacks of potatoes and huge Andean families; viewed other galaxies from a telescope in the clearest desert nights and thought we are so small; froze to my bones, tent-trapped in a blizzard for four days, without wishing I was elsewhere; been stuck in undesirable places waiting out national protests; been knocked on my ass by the Patagonia wind, over and over; landed a many-hatted job editing a travel mag at the end of the world; learned a new language and new softwares; let go emo-baggage; sat in meditative silence for 10 days (yet still somehow manage to overreact to trivialities); realized that being is a lifelong practice; experienced too many firsts to list; found love, someone to share all the many firsts to come; found yoga and the red chair swing that hangs from a scrub oak in Portugal where I sit right now.