Politics

Because we can’t read a newspaper or listen to the news in Turkey we are pretty much out of the loop in terms of what happens on a daily basis around politics or anything else in Turkey.   We were aware that in the November elections the conservatives were voted in.   All of the people we talked to were not happy about this election, but as I have mentioned before, Eskisehir is a university town so is more liberal than other parts of Turkey.  We didn’t think much about the election until we had dinner last Monday evening with the couple (Yekta and Murat) who own the Irish Pub or as the sign over the door says, Varuna  Gezgin.  They also own some other bars in Eskisehir.  During the conversation they mentioned that the tax on alcohol has now gone up by 30%.    The increase was just one of the changes with the new conservative government.  Alcohol is already very expensive in Turkey.  (We’re lucky we don’t drink.)  Not sure how the new laws will ultimately change Turkey.   

Yekta and Murat are a very interesting couple.  They have been many more places than Jerry and I have even considered and even more places  than our friends Leslie and Sean from Tucson who travel extensively.  Their website is http://www.varunagezgin.com/ .  They love adventure and particularly love Africa.   The pictures on their website are very interesting, worth a look.  They are also very young and have many more  adventures ahead of them.  They want to do at least a 6 month trip which will include the US in the not too distant future.  Their next trip starts on Monday to a resort on an island near the Philippines for 10 days of R and R.  Yekta is a scuba diver.