Encounters of the third kind - Boundaries 8 by brewgirlca
Contains profanity
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Description
Text in 2 parts - see comments
Ura was worried; that was clear to see. Not the quaking in your boots, peeing your pants, really scared kind, but the tense and nervous kind. The kind of worried you don't want to see in your guide who you have to trust to get you out of a bad situation. And we were in deep, and a long way from home base, in what was unfolding as a very bad situation.
No surprise then that this is still Mardin, on the border of Syria. In fact, it was only a few blocks away from where three of us had our pistol prodding encounter. We had met up with our guide, Ura, who had arranged a feast in one of Mardin's better restaurants, all two stars of it! Seriously, it was probably a three, but at that time and place it seemed like a five. Being on the possible border of death twice in a few hours has a way of making even a second rate place look good. It had an unlimited supply of Effes, Turkey's indigenous lagar, and actually quite a fine German Pils. especially then. Paul, Laurie and I downed two apiece in short order and life started to look even better. When we had started the trip some 10 days earlier Ura had assured myself and the small group of Scots that I hooked up with that finding beer and even stiffer stuff would not be a problem for our particular group. Despite being deep in a Muslim nation Ura had a fine knack for ferreting out booze.
Darkness fell as we sat on this peaceful and well furbished rooftop restaurant overlooking the borderlands of Syria. I got to see one of the most memorable sites of my life as the village lights popped to life across the vast dark sweep of the plains of Mesopotamia. At times like this you remember that this is a very old land, one of the cradles of civilization. Travelers passing through the trading center of Mardin would have witnessed virtually this same site for some 7,000 years! That experience is what makes you come to places like this. It is a deep connection that can only be gained by actually standing on the edge.
Mardin also lit up. Not from streetlights, because there were none, but from shops and homes and from the army post that occupied an ancient and worn down fortress at the top of the mountain overlooking the city. We got our appetizers and our first rounds of beer. We were engaged in hearty laughter and each little group of us that had split off when we first entered Marden regaled each other with our tales of adventure. A couple from Indonesia had actually managed to get invited into a home for tea. Unlike us, no other group had almost been shot, but everyone had felt subtly threatened.
And then of course things started to go to shit. The power went off. From our rooftop we could see a wave of darkness cascade down on us as block by block the lights went out. But the fort light stayed on, providing a beacon. The restaurant owner said not to worry as they had propane stoves and would be able to cook our meals. This was not terribly reassuring, this being a land where hygiene was spotty at the best of times. The thought of half cooked chicken being served in complete darkness was not particularly appealing, but there was naught to be done about it. Eat now, poop and puke it up tomorrow. And then about 20 minutes later the power came back on. Oh joy.
We got served our meals, which were surprisingly well-cooked. These guys were obviously veterans of blackouts and knew how to do their stuff with flashlights and Colemans in the dark. Just as we finished our main course everything went completely black. No rolling wave this time - just a sudden lights out! Everywhere except in Syria. This time the army post also went black. I needlessly pointed out that it was not good news when even the army could not keep their lights on. Ura suggested we try to wait it out and have a few more beers. We waited but we did not indulge in any more alcohol. After an hour it was pretty clear there would be no more lights that night.
Continued below
Comments (17)
brewgirlca
And that was why Ura was worried. We were well over a mile from where the driver had left the van, in a pitch black, ancient, twisted and very mean city. To top it off the city was laying water pipes and there were long deep ditches along many of the roadways. In typical Turkish fashion these were not fenced, they did not even have a bit of flagging tape. They were just long deep black holes that could open up right in front of you. Finally, the one similarity Mardin has to say London is that neither city sleeps. The fact that there were no lights and it was pitch black did not stop the locals from doing their business. In other words even at 11:00 at night the place was jammed with street people – very poor and hungry street people I might add. So Ura told us the plan; a simple plan. We were all to take out our flashlights. We were all going to stick together, very tight. We were going to keep moving, always be moving, never ever stop. If someone steps in front of you quickly move around or push him out of the way. If you were stopped or fell behind, Ura was not going to stop and go back for you. You would be left behind. The driver was to take the rear and keep pushing us along. Ok, and so off we went. Except of course the driver immediately bolted from the rear and tucked himself in right behind Ura! What followed was about 20 minutes of pure sweaty smelly terror. People (men) constantly banged into you, popped up in front of you, tried to trip you. I saw guys with their legs blown off “walking” on their hands begging for bread and beer. It was like walking into a herd of crazed animals and indeed that is little exaggeration. However, we all stuck to the plan and it worked. We got through to the van, which somewhat miraculously had not been stripped down or vandalized in the dark. And so that was my third encounter with the edge of death in a space of less than six hours in Mardin. There is no way I could take a photo of what happened to us. So this is just a late evening photo from the rooftop and photoshopped it to give a bit of an impression of the city. It was in fact pitch black. If you look closely in the lower right you can see one of the ditches running along the street.
tetrasnake
An outstanding and peaceful scene! A Fantastic Capture!
Faemike55
Very impressive photo and narrative the story kept me on the edge of my seat all the way to the end. thanks for sharing your adventure with us.
SidheRoseGraphics
That is an incredible image, Roxy...not to mention a 'ripper' of an experience. Your narrative does keep one on the edge of their seat - well done on all counts...and glad you made it out of there okay!
magnus073
Wow Roxy, after reading all about this adventure it gave a whole new meaning to this dramatic capture for me.
giulband
To read the text is very difficult because is not a simple english for one that speak another language. For this reason is more simple for me to speak about the picture. The immage is really suggestive the opposition of the blue and orange light seems to have not only an estetic rules but a more deep one. The sky and the war? the good and the bad ? the divine and the human?........and many others. Certainly the atmosphere is superb and let me think at the beginning of a new day that I hope not of war but ....... As usual you have a great sense of photographic image !
blinkings
Riveting stuff.
eekdog
great story about your time there, Rox. and this photo just take my breath away, hope all is ok over there. i myself would stay away, even though i kinda look middle eastern.
bebopdlx
An amazing capture.
RodS
Damn..... Lara Croft has nothing on you, Roxy! I half expect there's a fedora and bullwhip in your closet back home.. And to top it off you come out of multiple near-diaster situations with a photo like this.... I was on the edge of my seat - until I fell out of it! What a gorgeous vista - it has such a peaceful and serene feel, in stark contrast to the reality of the place. I find it an interesting contrast that the electric service is so unreliable, and yet there's a small forest of cellphone towers on the hill.. Glad you got out of there with everything still intact, my friend!
rhol_figament
Thank goodness you found beer, you had me worried there for a minute. Stay safe and happy holidays if you can... :)
Roshi
Great story! "I'd rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal lobotomy" -Tom Waits.
adorety
So I read this a couple days ago and had to let it sink in. That's an intense bit of time to spend, getting through a potentially hostile crowd in the dark. I don't know what would be worse, the dash through the dark or the close encounter with "mobster" guy. The closest I've ever been to that kind of situation was in Columbo Sri Lanka after being at sea for five weeks. Luckily we were a group of seven men, so no one serious bothered us, but of course there was a "friend" we met at the bar who could go get us alcohol now that the bar mysteriously closed in the afternoon. Five gave him money, not me or another, but he actually came back. With one bottle of something quite horrible. I imagine it cost a few bucks. Of course one of our loud mouth drunks was trying to humor the man when the guy said he could get us girls. Loud mouth said "oh yeah, sure! Meet us at the boat tonight!" Low and behold the guy showed up with girls in tow. Loud mouth was passed out and not going anywhere and never expected anything to happen. Long story short, the guy tried to board the boat so the three of us standing there when he showed up, had two of the ships crew, who acted as bouncers, for lack of a better word, and the captain get involved. No police were going to be called, likely they would do nothing, but when the guy was threatened with dealing with harbor security he left. Quite mad. Luckily for loud mouth we never saw the guy and his girls again. Of course that's nothing compared to being in potentially hostile country in a very volatile area. Dangerous yet quite exciting. I'm glad you're here to share this experience, but probably not quite as glad as you are ;) Oh yes. Beautiful picture. It certainly veils the dangers that lurk beneath.
3dpoetry
Impressive photography.
photosynthesis
The photo is spectacular. It's got just enough details of the city in the lower dark portion & a glorious sky with that orange glow on the right & that patch of clear light blue in the upper left opening up like a divine omen. As for your adventure, it sounds like it was a very tense situation & you did an excellent job of conveying the mood. You haven't done any favors for the Turkish travel industry though - as amazing as the place sounds, I won't be traveling anywhere near dangerous war zones like this...
shrinkers
Once more in awe -- impressed with your experiences, your storytelling skill, and your photos. Completely stunning.
JuliSonne
A dream in blue. I can not really decide between dramatic or longing. Dramatically due to the open sky because he looks like a crater and longing for picturesque the sunset. As I read, you have a new challenge. Wonderful, that there are people like you who go in a completely different world for us and a slightly different view of the world characterized as the media. I wish you every success in your new job ... and take care of yourself. All the best for 2015, Roxy!