Wait, why can’t I see the ocean? The finding Cide fiasco

View from my window in Cide

After my stay at the very posh TAV airport hotel, it was time to check out and embark on the stressful journey of getting to Cide, the small town on the Black Sea coast where I will be surveying. Cide is about eight hours by bus from Istanbul. I had been given vague instructions from one of the co-directors of the project from Glasgow University to go to the Otogar (bus stop) in Istanbul, and take the night bus to Cide. I had received an email from one of her students, Sami, to meet him and two other students at the Otogar in time for supper. I was confused because a bus stop is not a very descript location, or so I thought, since in North America we are used to a bus stop being on every second corner. However, in all of Istanbul there is one Otogar, it takes up a few blocks and has many different coach bus companies, internet cafes, and places to eat, shop, and exchange money while waiting for the various busses that go all across the country.

I went to the first Metro Turizm station I saw, knowing this was my bus company. I soon found out there are about 20 Metro stations. I arrived just after one o’clock, after taking a very friendly taxi who told me to not go to Cide which has “five boring houses, not fun to see” and rather go to Kastamonu where he was from. Little did I know, that is exactly where I would end up. The students I was meant to meet would not be there for another four hours, so I decided to try to collect my ticket and find a spot to wait. I told the woman at the desk I was going to Cide tonight and had already had a ticket purchased for me and needed to collect it, she was confused and sent me to another Metro office where a man spoke better English. He was very helpful, but couldn’t find my name on the reserved list for the Cide night bus, I was pretty worried at this point, but without an internet connection I couldn’t call the co-directors or where to meet with the other students. So I just sat and waited. He ended up letting me use his office computers and his cell to call the directors, but none of them answered the phone. Hours later, after bringing me tea, he grabbed my bags and lead me around the block to another Metro station, telling me this was where my bus would leave. He put my luggage in storage, giving me a retrieve tag, and told me my friends would likely come here to catch the bus and perhaps they would know the whereabouts of my ticket.

A little after four thirty a blond guy, and two girls, with khakis and camping backpacks, hiking boots, buffs and Tilley hats walked in. I knew instantly these must be the other students, because let’s face it… only archaeologists can be so stylish. They saw my Canadian flag on my backpack, and all was well. I told them about my ticket troubles, and Sami informed us that our Bus was actually directed to Kastamonu (the city two hours from Cide) and would stop in Cide and the other coastal towns before its final stop in Kastamonu. We got our tickets, and went to find a café for some drinks and snacks. They checked their luggage at the same storage station (just a closet with a guy standing in front who checks tickets), and we went off to the café, for some iced drinks. Later we walked through the kiosks for some food. I asked for chicken and rice, they got pitas. Next thing I knew, and entire chicken was placed on my plate… let’s just say, it was a touch more food than I was ready for.

After more waiting, snacking, watching hilarious Turkish soaps in the Metro Bus café, it was time to board our Bus to Kastamonu. The busses are incredible, lots of leg room, TVs for every seat, plush leaning back chairs, a server who brings you tea and water (there’s even a tea button you can press for tea). We all settled in, and fell asleep. Some drooling may have been involved. About six hours in, myself and Sami woke up, and realised we still couldn’t see the water. This means we were not on the coastal bus route. We kept hope that we soon would find the ocean and be on our way to Cide. However, as the sun came up our hopes diminished. We were dropped off at the Kastamonu Otogar, luckily we came equipped with phrase books, and were able to explain we wanted another bus to Cide. The police officer let us hang out in his office, brought us tea, ordered us lentil soup and let us wait for a few hours until the 9am bus to Cide came.

The final leg of our trip was not so plush, and was very overcrowded, stopping every few minutes for people on the side of the road who would stand in the van when it was full. Three hours later we found ourselves in Cide at the Yali Otel, which will be our home base. We were the first to arrive, so we set up our bedrooms, showered and went off to the beach for a swim, and then a walk into town. In excited news, I found Lamajhoon (called Lamacun in Turkish) which was my favourite Armenian snack (flat bread with meat, onion and tomato paste).

Cide is BEAUTIFUL, the view from my bedroom its breathtaking. I can see the bay, sailboats, the beach and the green water. Time off will be a true vacation, but I am excited to get to work!

That’s all for now folks, next up will be some explorations of the town and our day trip back to Kastamonu and our day long police office encounter.

Bus Stop "Otogar" in Istanbul

Myself, Sami (Finland), Fiona (Scotland), and Lilith (Germany) at the Otogar Cafe.

Aurora