Highlights from Down Under - January to March 2007

Last April, during my second teaching tour of New Zealand, some of the teachers who had participated in the Dance Festival in Wellington collaborated to bring me back for a full tour of Australia and New Zealand for Jan to March 2007.

I was honoured be invited by such an accomplished and established group of teachers and artists and very enthusiastic about spending more time in Australia. I had been over for a short visit and one workshop about 15 years ago after my first Kiwi tour and had wanted to know more about this fascinating country ever since.

I started my tour with my week long dance retreat in Bali, which was a completely magical experience and enjoyed by all, including myself. We are aiming for a 2 to 3 week combination teacher training AND/OR professional dance training course there for next year in this wonderful, tranquil and inspiring place.

My first stop in Australia was Brisbane, a semi tropical, verdant and beautiful city in the state of Queensland. I was very pleased to be invited by Maria Masselos, who has been a major sponsor for a large number of oriental dance workshops for many years, featuring all the top Egyptian names. The Friday night, Saturday and Sunday classes were well attended and high energy in spite of the fact that it was a whacking 34oC with only fans to dissipate the heat. I taught a wide range of topics from salsa-oriental, Turkish ROM, to flamenco for belly dancers. Fortunately, the performance venue was blessed with air conditioning. Our visit to the Animal Sanctuary, which included Koala cuddling, and Lorikeet, Kangaroo and Wallaby feeding, was a real treat.

My next destination was Maryborough, a small and very charming city located several hours north of Brisbane and only 30 minutes from Fraser Island. This world heritage site is Australia's largest sand island and the home of tropical rain forest, crystal clear fresh water lakes and streams, moonscape sand dunes and the country's purest and oldest breed of wild dingoes.

I booked a 2 day tour with great, environmentally savvy guides to show us the many unique and natural wonders of this very special place. Although every part of the tour was amazing, I was particularly touched by the beauty, complexity and the diversity of the rainforest, and that fact that it could even grow, let alone thrive on a 125 miles long stretch of sand in the ocean. They were a startling contrast to the monotonous, uniformed pole pine forests on the other side of the islands main road. These rapid growth soft wood commercial trees now replace what was once all rainforest. However, unlike the rainforest that is thousands of years old, after a maximum of 70 years they will just rot and fall leaving what?

This island also has fresh water lakes, one of which, Lake Mackenzie is a crystal clear rain water lake of multihued turquoise and blue and has, itself, been declared a world heritage site. We also saw a pair of dingoes, while on our swim stop at Lake Wabby. These curious and gentle creatures, companions to the aboriginals for thousands of years, have now returned to their sustainable numbers in balance with their natural food sources after facing first overpopulation followed extermination by settlers.

My only disappointment as we traveled along the 75 miles of undisturbed white sand beaches, was that that we could not go into the turquoise, bathtub warm ocean, because of the large numbers of Portuguese Man o'War, (stinging jelly fish) large and hungry sharks and stingrays in the summer season. However, the gorgeous "human friendly" lakes and floating downstream in the cool clear waters of Eli Creek were welcome treats in the searing heat. I was a bit uncomfortable to know that the local Funnel Web spiders had evolved uniquely on Fraser Island to become on of Australia's deadliest, while the Redback was also very common. Fortunately we were taught to identify and watch out for them.

Back on the mainland, we had a fabulous time on 20 acres of Australian bush under the reign of my wonderful hostess, Helene Coulter. Geckos, praying mantis, possums, 2 big loveable dogs, chickens and a family of 13 green tree frogs (on the endangered species list) who lived in the open-air veranda bathroom (yes, there was another one inside the house minus the frogs). I LOVED IT! I was very impressed by the brave, brilliant and pioneering, "I am a woman and can do anything" ladies I got to know, if ever so briefly, and hope to see more of them in the future. The entire very large group of enthusiastic and fun-loving dancers managed to keep their energy high during the 2 days of non-stop classes and a show in 35 degree temperatures, again with no air conditioning.

Then it was up to Cairns, 38 degree days at 90% humidity and the Great Barrier Reef and more wonderous rainforests. The adventures began with Kuranda, a village noted for its arts and crafts, high up in the mountains an hour from Cairns. The ascent by The Skyrail was a silent and soul wrenching view of the rainforest canopy which brought tears to my eyes for the entire 45 minute journey. I could follow the flights and hear the cries of the cockatoos above. As I peered deep into the forest floor, teeming life crawled upon and battled life to reach the light of the canopy. There were stops at the 2 stations along the ascent with ranger guided tours along the boardwalks. The variety of flora was overwhelming. The town of Kuranda was a lovely spot for a day visit and had a great selection of really beautiful artwork in some very unique shops and galleries. The return ride was on a beautifully restored, turn of the century wooden car railway that creaked and chugged its way ever so slowly through the spectacular scenery of the canyon.

The next adventure included 2 more world heritage rainforests and a cruise along the Daintree River, up to Cape Tribulation. Our guide was not only a very funny and interesting ex-jazz musician, but a wealth of information about the area, its fauna, flora and history. So many breathtaking sights and amazing creatures, many of which are moderately to lethally dangerous. Spiders of every variety, many highly venomous, a wealth of snakes, each one more lethal than the previous one, even a tree whose pressurized sap will blind you and, of course, the crocodiles. These modern dinosaurs are apparently extremely intelligent, cunning and patient hunters and are known to stalk and observe people in the bush for weeks, as they study their daily habits and potentially vulnerable moments. Needless to say, I happily opted to confine my swimming to the resort pools.

Then it was out to the very outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef with 3 separate reef stops. As soon as my mask was in the water, I found myself in another world - a brilliant frenzy of color and life just under the surface of the calm, clear water. There really are no words to describe the numbers, colors, patterns and variety of fish and other creatures that inhabited the most curious and amazing coral formations imaginable. The closer one looked, the more one saw.

Stingrays buried in the sand sea floor, giant sea turtles, little "Nemo" clown fish playing in the brilliantly colored anemones, a giant Mary bass, more than half my size, brilliantly colored parrot fish of all shapes and sizes, eels and fortunately for me no sharks. I had been snorkeling many times, in many locations in many countries before. I even lived on a sailboat in the Bahamas for 3 months many years ago, where daily diving on the reefs, was an integral part of life and our primary source of food. However, I had never seen anything like this before and trying to grasp the gigantic dimensions of the reef was staggering.

I was stunned when I arrived to my next workshop destination, Adelaide and was informed by my hostess, the very talented Shamira, that if the ocean water temperature rises only another 2 or 3 degrees due to global warming, the entire Great Barrier Reef will die and be lost to us forever. I can hardly comprehend of such a loss, not only of the reef itself and the uncountable volume and diversity of life it comprises and hosts, but also of the other millions of sea creatures who are intricately interdependent upon the reef for their life.

Adelaide is a well planned, lovely and very livable city located in Southern Australian. The air-conditioned studio tempered the furnace-blast 40o heat and I really enjoyed working with this very enthusiastic and hard working group of dancers. I decided on a tour to Kangaroo Island for my next mid-week adventure. This wild, rugged, large and sparsely populated island which lies directly south of Adelaide was well worth the 5 am wake up and 6 am departure, bus ride and ferry ride to get there. Two action packed days, included a very special visit to sit on the beach amid Australia's only colony of Sea Lions. I was unprepared for the emotion that came from quietly sitting beside them, watching these lovely creatures, their pups, their affectionate interaction with one another. It was more profound to be there with them knowing that they are fighting their way back from extinction after brutal and mindless massacres from the days of seal hunting. The Remarkable Rocks, huge red monoliths of indescribable power, resting on top of cliffs overlooking the open sea to the Antarctic, and Admiral Arch, home to the New Zealand fur seals, another amazing colony sprinkled across the rocks, ledges and pools adjacent to the National Park. Koalas, the adorable chocolate wallabies and kangaroos in their natural habitat in the wild was wonderful and swimming in the much colder but amazingly gorgeous waters of the north island beaches was great, in spite of the fact that I had just learned about another brand new scary monster - the blue ringed octopus, who often hides in the rocks along the seashore and who's venom is many times more deadly than the most venomous snake and no anti-venom is available. And then to find out that the infamous Great White Shark actually prefers and frequents the colder waters of these coasts was yet again a humbling moment.

Then onto the southern most tip of Australia's domain, the island of Tasmania. My first late afternoon evening in Hobart, reminded me of Halifax, Nova Scotia on Canada's Atlantic coast- delightful, charming, quaintly old world European, harbour city full of sailboats and salty dogs. The population of Hobart is only 1,500, while the entire island of Tasmania totals only 4,500. This rugged and wild place was, in fact, the original Australian settlement (penal colonies) in 1700. My workshops and show were held in a fabulous heritage building and all very well attended, while the ladies were very enthusiastic. I admired my hostess, Adriana who, after moving from Adelaide 18 years ago has pioneered belly dance in this lovely and remote Australian outpost.

My workshop weekend coincided with the wooden boat Festival, and since I love boats, we had a chance to take in some of the activities. I even managed to include a day sail on the Duyfken, a perfect replica of the 1660 Dutch sailing ship. The Duyfken was actually the first recorded European ship to land in Australia, while en route back from the Far East and Indonesia, although Holland made no claim to the land. It was an absolutely brilliant and perfect replica in all aspects except for the head and small kitchen in the crews quarters. It was a more than perfect day of clear blue skies and light wind. Although we were allowed to assist the crew with the sailing duties, I preferred to watch the action as they co-ordinated the highly complicated and not terribly efficient tasks of hoisting sails and tacking. These old vessels were actually not able to sail into the wind! It was really hard to imagine that a crew of 20 to 30 men could actually live in such a small place with such limited resources for periods of up to a year and a half. After this once in a lifetime sail, we spent a couple of hours at the beach then headed up to the top of Mount Wellington. 

At the top of the entire island, overlooking the magnificent bay on one side and the vast wilderness and mountains ranges on the other side, I finally got a feel for the real Tasmania - truly wild and magnificent. We couldn't have timed things better as we treated to one of the most magnificent sunsets in my life.

After the three days of weekend, we were off to spend the day on Bruny Island. We stood on the huge expanse of empty beach on National Park Reserve and home to a huge community of the adorable Fairy Penguins. Only a couple of hours from the most southern tip of Tasmania - the last stop before the Antarctic - no one and nothing but shells, turquoise ocean, pure white sand and pounding surf, I reflected on some of the unique and magnificent things that I have been so fortunate to see and be part of during the past weeks.

Then it was onto Melbourne with Barbara Wolfcamp who was happy to show me just a few of the many sights of this great multicultural and dynamic city in the state of Victoria. Although my itinerary did not leave me any time for major exploration, we did take advantage of the great beaches only minutes from the studio, and took in a special Fairy Penguin visit which allowed us to see these beautiful little creatures at arm's length, just beside the famous St. Kilda pier. Too cute for words! I will just have to return to see more of Melbourne and finally go down the Great Coastal road and see the Apostle Rocks.

Australia was marvelous in so many ways, so strange a world - full of unique creatures and species, some seemingly as old and mysterious as the world itself. In spite of the fact that many of these are highly venomous and deadly to mankind, they have been quite helpless to protect themselves from us nasty humans, now in danger of extinction due to our conduct and the resulting dramatic climate changes. This fact combined with an ever increasing state of severe drought has finally begun to filter into the consciousness of an ever increasing percentage of the population. I was surprised and hopeful to find that everywhere I went, the Australian topic of the times is the need to reverse the damage to and restore the intricate and delicate balance of nature if this marvelous world is to continue. 

Why do we always have to lose what is more precious to us before we appreciate and value it? 
We could take care of it while we have it. And what about our beautiful dance?

Hadia

Perfection in Paradise – Acapulco Dec 10-17, 2004 

Picture this ... the beautiful sandy beaches of Acapulco, heavenly sunshine, crashing ocean waves, luxurious resort and belly dancing with world renowned Hadia EVERY DAY for a week.  It was as amazing as it sounds.  

We as eager students of Hadia, were fortunate that the group was small, allowing us more individual attention with her than we expected.  The group taking part in the weeklong workshop consisted of 6 students. Three were from Calgary, one from Vancouver, and two from the United States.  All of us hail from different backgrounds and have varying personalities, yet meshed so wonderfully as a group.  

I was impressed immediately at how beautiful and luxurious the resort was (as I am somewhat of a princess when I travel).  The room I had was private, with a king-sized bed, Jacuzzi tub, shower and private bathroom.  It would have been perfect for bringing along a ‘special someone’ on the trip.  It adjoined to a one bedroom suite which had its own soaker bathtub, bedroom, kitchen and living area.  The adjoining rooms and suites can be combined to accommodate a group of friends traveling together.

The first couple of mornings we had a buffet breakfast at one of the several restaurants on the resort.  The food was fantastic, fresh tropical fruits and juices, Mexican specialties, made to order omelettes, and pastries.  Needless to say, after that breakfast a two hour dance class was essential to burn off all those calories.  The rest of the week we had breakfast as a group in Hadia’s suite. 

After a leisurely breakfast, we would have a two hour class each morning.  Our ‘studio’ was an outdoor stage under a backdrop of palm trees, the lake and ocean beyond that.  It also happened to be very close to a restaurant and the walking path, so there was often a curious audience watching our practices.  A few brave tourists, thinking this was a complimentary class offered by the resort, joined in, which was quite fun. Some days we would venture down to the beach instead of the stage for finger cymbol classes.  Seven bikini clad women playing cymbols under a cabana created quite a lot of interest from people on the beach.  In fact it wasn’t long before most people on the resort knew who we were.

After our morning class, we had the afternoons free to enjoy how we pleased.  Whether it was lounging by the pool, boogey boarding in the ocean, shopping from vendors on the beach (which I did a lot of) or taking Salsa and Spanish lessons, there was plenty to keep busy if that was what you desired.  Our second session of classes for the day would begin late in the afternoon. 

Every evening we all had dinner together at different restaurants on the resort.  Our evenings usually ended fairly early, despite several attempts to go into town and dance the night away.  With all the dancing we did during the day, we were all too tired.  

We did go into town on two occasions.  The first trip into town was on the Sunday, which also happened to be a national holiday, Dia de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, the day the Virgin Guadalupe is celebrated.  On this trip we toured an 18^th century fort, Fuerte de San Diego, which is a pentagon shaped fort built to protect the city against pirate attacks.  We also found time to indulge in some shopping at a local market.  Our next stop was to meander through old Acapulco’s main hub, the Zócalo or main square.  This tree lined square surrounded by ancient buildings housing small stores and restaurants fronts the Nuestra Senora de la Soledad (Our Lady of Solitude) church which hosts the festival Virgin of Guadalupe celebrations.  We all enjoyed our dinner at a sidewalk café eating authentic Mexican food, sipping margarita’s and soaking up the local culture.  Our day ended with a trip to Walmart to stock up on snacks, fruit, juice and of course wine!   

Our second trip into town was on the second last evening, to observe the La Quebrada cliff divers.  The divers climb 136 foot cliffs to their diving perch.  From there they time their dives into a narrow inlet of crashing waves.  This trip into town was organized by Rosario, a dear friend of Hadia’s and a local resident.  She had wonderful insight into life and love in Acapulco which I won’t soon forget.  After the dives, she took us to one of her favorite restaurants with live music and enjoyed a fabulous dinner over looking the bay. 

Now this was all wonderful, but lets not forget the real reason why we all came…. to be trained by Hadia. 

It was energizing to be in Hadia’s classes again. Her teaching technique is so precise, she can articulate a movement in a manner that everyone can comprehend.  I haven’t met another teacher who can break down a move into its intrinsic parts as concisely as Hadia can.  All her years of training, dancing, teaching and her background in anatomy and massage therapy has culminated into a unique and inspiring teaching style.  She has the uncanny ability to adapt to a group of students’ varying learning styles so that everyone benefits from her instruction. 

Each of us also received a one hour private lesson with Hadia.

The class outline for the week of Professional Development Training was varied and all encompassing.  Over the week we were exposed to some exciting and challenging new technique and combinations.  We had lessons in finger cymbols, muscle finding and application, music listening and interpretation, and improvisation techniques.  We also had a review of different styles of dance and learned some Folkloric technique. In addition to all this, we were taught the choreography to Talakeek and Faddah.  

I can sum up the week in one word: INSPIRING!  

I was inspired to continue dancing, to strive be a better dancer and work harder, and to stay true to the technique and theory that Hadia taught me when I was a beginner and what I learned on this trip.  For me, this trip was the perfect balance of being challenged creatively and physically and having time for solitude and relaxation. I am sad that she is not longer in Calgary and I am no longer her regular student, but if it means I get to go to Acapulco once a year to study with her, well then, what more can a girl ask for?

Corinne Doroshenko

Mon histoire d'amour avec la Turquie remonte à janvier 1978. À l'époque, je vivais à Vancouver, Canada et dansais dans un restaurant turc nommé le Istanbul. Le gérant du restaurant - un homme charmant et un grand ami - m'enseignait la langue turque. Il m'a parlé de son pays avec tellement de passion que j'ai décidé d'ajouter la Turquie à mon projet de voyage dans les pays du Moyen-Orient et de la Méditerranée. Des arrangements furent pris avec ses amis demeurant à Istanbul et à Ankara. 

J'avais pris le vol de nuit pour Istanbul et, regardant par le hublot, je me demandais comment il pouvait faire si noir dans une ville comptant plus de huit millions d'habitants. Au petit matin, j'ai entendu le son du Muezzin (appel à la prière), puis je fus assourdie par les bruits de la ville qui s'éveillait. L'air était envahi par les odeurs âcres et piquantes émanant des aliments cuits dans les fours à la lignite. Je ne savais vraiment pas à quoi m'attendre et décidai de m'aventurer dans la ville. Quelle fut ma surprise de retrouver de la neige à Istanbul, puis de voir des ânes tirant des charettes au beau milieu des voitures, en plein trafic du centre-ville! J'étais fascinée par Istanbul, par l'élégante architecture ottomane, l'Aya Sofia (église Sainte-Sophie), la Mosquée Bleue sans oublier le palais de Topkapi, ruissellant d'or et tout incrusté de diamants et d'émeraudes de la taille de mon poignet.

Du Bazar aux Épices en passant par la pont Galata, la rue fourmillait de vendeurs offrant mille et unes choses en plein soleil, le tout baignant dans les odeurs du simit frais et de ce délicieux petit poisson en train de frire. Le labyrinthe des venelles boueuses menant à la Tour Galata contrastait avec l'immensité du Kapali Carsi (bazar couvert de renommée mondiale). 

Je passais mes soirées dans un des nombreux excellents restaurants du Bosphore, à déguster des fruits de mers et à écouter les musiciens gitans jouer de la musique traditionnelle. Mais quelque chose m'a rendue un peu perplexe, autant à la boîte de nuit Karavan Sary que dans les hôtels 5 étoiles. Pendant le dîner, un orchestre comptant plus de dix instruments tout ce qu'il y a de plus classique, pouvait soudain ranger le tout puis commencer à jouer de la guitare électrique, du saxophone et de la batterie pour accompagner les pires performances de "danse du ventre" que j'aie jamais vues. 

Quand les amis qui m'accompagnaient m'ont présentée fièrement aux "danseuses", j'ai feint de ne pas comprendre le turc, afin de m'éviter de faire tout commentaire désobligeant. Elles étaient plus préoccupées par les photos prises par les touristes et par la chasse aux pourboires qu'à donner une bonne performance. 

Après deux semaines passées dans cette ville magique, je fus invitée par une famille à vivre avec eux à Ankara. J'y suis demeurée plus de deux mois. Pendant ce temps, ma maîtrise du turc s'améliora graduellement, même si tout le monde - sauf ma "mama" turque Nasmia Hanim - parlait un excellent anglais. Dès le début, Nasmia m'a clairement laissé entendre que nous communiquerions ensemble via la nourriture. Ses dîners sept services, courronnés de desserts succulents, me renversaient littéralement. Voici un résumé de nos conversations: Nasmia s'affairait dans la cuisine et moi je mangeais les mets qu'elle préparait. Je me souviens que mon passe-temps favori était d'aller chez les voisins prendre le thé cay accompagné de délicieuses friandises. 

Pour contrer la grisaille de l'hiver à Ankara, je me rendais fréquemment au bain turc traditionnel ou Hammam. Je me demande encore pourquoi l'usage de ces merveilleux bains publics ne s'est pas répandu à TRAVERS LE MONDE. 

Je suis vraiment tombée en amour avec la musique turque et son folklore. J'ai étudié le saz, un instrument à cordes pourvu d'un long cou également connu sous le nom de baglama. Je fus également invitée aux pratiques hebdomadaires de la compagnie de danse folklorique Turk Halkevleri par Tayyar, mon nouvel ami. 

De tous les spectacles que j'ai vus, le plus mémorable est certes la compétition nationale de danse folklorique. Venues des quatre coins de la Turquie, les troupes de danse composées d'élèves de l'école secondaire, nous en ont mis plein les yeux et les oreilles. Pendant quatre jours d'affilée, dix heures par jour, ils ont rempli un stade immense en présentant des numéros de danse exceptionnels. J'ai été renversée par la richesse et l'incroyable diversité de leur folklore sans oublier l'excellente qualité de leurs performances. La super star turque, le chanteur Ibrahim Taltisez a fait danser le stade en entier! (Il est présentement l'ami de coeur d'Aseena - la célèbre danseuse orientale d'origine turque - ainsi que le producteur du merveilleux disque compact "Aseena" que toute danseuse orientale devrait posséder). 

Par la suite, j'ai poursuivi mon voyage en direction du sud et de la côte méditerranéenne, maintenant connue comme la Riviera Turque. Mon endroit préféré est sûrement Alanya. Située à la base d'une péninsule montagneuse, Alanya est une petite ville tranquille où l'on retrouve en grande quantité des charrettes, des ânes… et des hommes de petite taille portant des pantalons noirs bouffants. Cette dernière est couronnée par le magnifique château Seljuk datant du temps des croisades. Notre "tour" guidé nous a mené aux travers des ruines et des petites maisons datant du Moyen-Âge nichées au pied des murs du château. J'étais fascinée de voir que des gens vivaient encore à cet endroit d'une façon qui n'avait pas changé d'un iota depuis des siècles. À l'intérieur de ces minuscules maisonettes, des femmes étaient assises à même le sol et s'activaient sur leur métier à tisser. Quelques-unes fabriquaient des tapis, mais la plupart utilisaient de délicats fils de soie aux couleurs vibrantes et les transformaient en de superbe foulards. 

M'aventurant dans une grotte située sous le château, j'ai pensé que je m'étais trompée de chemin quand je suis tombée sur une multitude de Turcs - habillés des pieds à la tête - s'ébrouant dans les riches eaux minérales issues des entrailles de la terre. J'ignore comment je suis arrivée là, mais comme c'était longtemps avant que je devienne thérapeute, je me demandais vraiment ce que tout cela signifiait. Mais je suis sûre que ce sont les Turcs qui trouvaient que c'était moi qui détonnait dans ce décor et non eux! 

Nous nous sommes ensuite dirigés vers l'est, vers la ville de Silikife, empruntant la route escarpée longeant l'extrême bord de la montagne. J'en avais le souffle coupé. Personne à l'horizon, la solitude complète pendant des milles puis, venus de nulle part et accompagnés de leurs chèvres, un groupe d'enfants souriants et saluant de la main! Puis, un peu plus loin, rien ni personne. Un peu hallucinant! 

Située à l'ouest d'Alanya, Antalya est une ville plus grande et plus active. Je dois vous avouer que mes souvenirs de cette ville sont un peu confus, embrumés par le Raki ingurgité en quantité un peu excessive en compagnie de nouveaux amis issus du monde de la musique gitane. Je me revois encore en train de crier Serefe dans un restaurant situé dans une grotte près de la mer. Cependant, Antalya est l'endroit parfait pour explorer les ruines de la Turquie. Des ruines, en veux-tu en voilà! À perte d'horizon! Au milieu des fleurs sauvages et accompagnés du tintement des cloches que les chèvres portent autour du cou, nos explorations nous ont menés à Perge, Aspendos, Side et Termossos, superbes et magnifiques dans le calme des journées printanières… juste avant l'invasion des touristes. 

J'ai été renversée par la visite de la grotte Kairin, une immense caverne de la période paléolithique qui est demeurée inhabitée depuis plus de 25,000 ans. 

Nous dirigeant un peu plus à l'ouest, vers la mer Égée et le triangle hellénique des ruines d'Éphèse, Aphrodisias et Hieropolis, nous sommes arrivés aux Sources Chaudes de Pamukkale "Cotton Castle" (littéralement: Château de coton). Même si l'accès de ces piscines de travertin (calcaire blanc) est aujourd'hui contrôlé, je dois dire qu'au printemps de 1981 j'ai pu arpenter la montagne aux couleurs de neige et me glisser doucement dans l'eau chaude de couleur turquoise. Cappadoce fut le joyau couronnant ce voyage inoubliable. À perte de vue, un paysage lunaire, rempli de grottes, de villes souterraines et de minuscules cheminées s'élevant dans le ciel. C'était comme si je me retrouvais plongée dans les temps préhistoriques. Le silence profond… et précieux. 

J'ai tellement de souvenirs merveilleux de ce premier périple en Turquie, ma toute première incursion en orient. Cependant, le souvenir le plus cher à mon coeur est sûrement l'âme de ces gens vivant dans cette contrée ancienne. Leur hospitalité, leur honnêteté, leur sincérité, leur très grande générosité même s'ils ne possèdent à peu près rien, leur facilité à rebondir, leur exéburance, leur joie de vivre… même si la vie est souvent difficile dans ce pays. La musique, la danse et les chansons semblent faire partie de leurs cellules-souches. Les bébés, les arrières-grands-mères et tous les gens situés entre ces deux pôles de la vie, ne ratent jamais une occasion de célébrer, et même s'il n'y a aucune raison de fêter! Le peuple turc est vraiment ce qui fait que leur pays est un endroit que je préfère dans le monde. 

Ils prennent vraiment soin de gens et font en sorte que nous soyons heureux et ayons le goût de retourner dans leur pays. Il n'est donc pas étonnant que je remette les pieds en Turquie à chaque année depuis 1978. Je suis vraiment heureuse de faire goûter à la Turquie à mes nombreux amis et élèves lors du voyage "La Turquie, porte de l'Orient" que j'organise annuellement. 

La Turquie d'aujourd'hui est très différente de celle que j'ai connue lors de mon premier voyage. Ce pays est très moderne, européen, tolérant et laïque, avec quand même cette petite touche ancienne, orientale et exotique qui nous donne le goût d'y retourner encore et encore.

My love affair with Turkey began in January, 1978. I had been dancing in the Istanbul Turkish restaurant in Vancouver, Canada and was taking Turkish language classes with the manager, who was a lovely person and good friend. As he continued to tell me all about his homeland I became more and more intrigued and decided to include Turkey in my upcoming tour of the Middle East and Mediterranean. Arrangements were made with his friends in Instanbul and Ankara and I was on my way. 

As the plane prepared for a night landing in Istanbul, I wondered how such a huge city with a population of millions could be so dark. I awoke to the sound of the Muezzin (call to prayer), undecipherbel street noises and the pungent smell of ligmite stoves. I had no idea what to expect outside. As I ventured out into my first day, snow was my first surprise - donkey's pulling carts in the middle of the bustling city traffic, yet another. Istanbul fascinated me with its elaborate and elegant Ottoman architecture, the grandeur of Aya Sophia and the Blue Mosque, Topkapi palace oozing with gold, dripping with diamonds and emeralds the size of my fist. 

From the Spice Bazaar and across Galata bridge, the street bustled with vendors selling everything under the sun, surrounded by the smells of fresh Simit and tasty little fish frying. 

The confusing maze of tiny mud-filled streets on the way up to the Galata Tower competed with the endless depths of the Kapali Carsi or world-famous covered bazaar. 

Evenings were filled with sumptuous seafood feasts and traditional gypsy musicians in several of the many of the excellent restaurants on the Bosphorus. In the Karavan Saray nightclub and several 5 star hotels, I was perplexed when the brilliant 10 piece classical orchestras would fill the air with their musical magic during diner and then pack up and make way for an electric guitar, saxophone and trap drum bands who played for some of the worst "belly dancing" performances imaginable. As my friends proudly introduced me to the dancers, my only recourse was to feign an inability to speak Turkish, thus saving myself the embarrassment of any comment on their shows, which were much more focused on picture taking and tip hunting than dancing. 

After two weeks in this magical city, I was invited to stay with the family in Ankara, where I remained for over 2 months. During this time, my Turkish gradually improved, although everyone, except my Turkish "mama" Nasmia Hanim, spoke very good English. Nasmia made it clear from the beginning that we would communicate via food. Her 7 course dinners and desert delicacies were consistently amazing and our "conversations" consisted of her doing the cooking and feeding and me doing the eating. Afternoon tea cay and treats in the neighour's homes were a favorite pastime. 

Regular trips to the traditional Turkish Bath or Hamman , were a welcome respite to winter in Ankara and made me wonder why these practical and brilliant public baths are not EVERYWHERE in the world. I also became enamoured with Turkish music and folklore, studying the saz, a hauntingly beautiful Turkish long-necked stringed instrument also known as baglama. I was also invited to join in the weekly rehearsals of Turk Halkevleri National folkdance company by my newly made friend Tayyar. 

One of the most memorable of all events was a huge national folkdancing competition. As high school folk dance groups from all points of Turkey spent 10 hours a day for 4 days filling a huge stadium with non-stop sensational dance and music, I was overwhelmed by the richness and incredible variety of their folklore, as well as the excellent quality of their performances. A special guest performance by Turkish super star singer Ibrahim Taltisez had the entire stadium rocking! (He is presently the romantic interest of Aseena, Turkey's biggest belly dance star as well as the producer of her wonderful CD "Aseena" a must for every dancer's collection.) 

Then onto the south and the Mediterranean coast, now known as the Turkish Riviera. My favorite place was Alanya, a sleepy mid-sized Mediterranean town full of carts, donkeys, little men in baggy bottom black pants and located at the base of a mountainous peninsula crowned by a magnificent Seljuk castle from the days of the crusades. Our self-quided "tour" took us wandering through the ruins and the neighborhood of little medieval houses nestled within the castle walls. I was completely fascinated to see that people still lived here and apparently maintained a lifestyle that had remained little changed for centuries. Inside their tiny houses, women sat on the floor at their looms, some weaving carpets, but most weaving the delicate bright colored silk threads that transformed themselves into the beautiful scarves of the area. I also remember thinking that I had really taken the wrong turn as I and a throng of fully-clothed Turkish people basked in mineral rich waters in a cave somewhere within the bowels of the mountain beneath the castle. I can't even remember how I ended up there, but as this was long before my days as a therapist, I couldn't quite figure out what this was all about although I imagine that the Turks were actually the ones thinking that I was the oddity. 

Heading east from Alanya to Silifke took us on one of the most breath-taking and beautiful, but isolated and terrifyingly steep roads which appeared to be pasted onto the sheer mountain side. No one and nothing for mile after mile, then boom, right out of nowhere, a bunch of smiling waving children and their goats! Then no one and nothing. 

Heading west of Alanya we came to the larger and busier city, Antalya. I admit that my memories of this city are not crystal clear due to the rather excessive quantities of Raki shared with new found friends to wild gypsy music and shouts of Serefe in a rustic cave restaurant on the sea. However, Antalya is the perfect place to explore many of Turkey's ruins, ruins and more ruins. Our explorations included Perge, Aspendos, Side and Termossos, eternally magnificent and pristine in the silence of the warm spring days before tourism, with only wild flowers and the sounds of goat bells. I was also awestruck by Kairin Cave, a huge paeolithic cavern that claims to have been continuously inhabited for the past 25,000 years. Heading further west toward the Aegean and the Hellenic triangle of ruins of Efesus, Aphrodisias and Hieropolis brought us to Turkey's famous Natural Hot Springs of Pamukkale "Cotton Castle" Although access to these white calcified travertine pools is strictly controlled today, in 1981 I was able to freely run across the snow coloured mountain face and soak in the warm spring sun and warmer turquoise mineral water. 

Capadoccia was the crowning jewel of this unforgettable journey, A snow capped magical moonscape of cave dwellings, underground cities and fairy chimneys that seemed to pull me into some prehistoric past. Silence……..profound and precious. 

I have many wonderful and cherished memories of this first visit to Turkey, my first introduction to the edge of orient. However, what is perhaps the most important and most indelibly etched in my heart and soul is the people of this ancient land. I was continually touched by their genuine hospitality and honesty, their sincerity, their generosity even when they had almost nothing, their resilience, exuberance and love of life, which is often a very difficult one indeed. Music dance and song seem to be part of their cellular makeup. Little babies, great grandmothers and everyone between the two, never miss the chance to join in the celebration that needed no specific occasion to exist. The Turkish people really are what make this country one of my very favourite places in the planet. They truly to want to make sure that, as their guests, we are happy and well taken care of and that we will return. So, it is not surprising that I did return I have continued to do so every year. I also find great joy in being able to introduce many new friends and students to this wonderful country on my annual tour "Turkey, Gateway to the Orient". Today's Turkey is very different from the one that I met in 1978. It is at once very modern, European, tolerant and secular, yet somehow still manages to entice us with a taste of the ancient, the Orient and exotic.

CAPPADOCIA AND PAMUKKALE
These two places are, quite possibly, the most otherworldly places on earth.
Completely natural, yet so seemingly alien, Pamukkale's white travertine cliffs, full of mineral pools and swimsuit clad tourists, look like a scene from a surrealist painting, as though we were sunbathing on an iceberg in the frozen north. The healing waters of the thermal bath, bubbling over tumbled ruins, effervesce like a glass of warm champagne, making you feel completely alive, and thankful to be alive.

Cappadocia is equally surreal. When travelers first came to this region, dominated by miles of unearthly rock formations and endless caves, they thought that the rock formations could not have been created by nature. They called them the "Fairy Chimneys", believing they were created by fairies living in underground homes. For thousands of years, people have carved their existence out of these rocks. The early Christians who created vast underground cities in the region to escape persecution. Today, people still carve hotels, restaurants, clubs and even homes out of the caves in the hillsides.

Urgup
While in the city of Urgup, we had the good fortune to attend an open air concert by one of the country's most renown Saz players, a man who was incarcerated for politically subversive lyrics and rants at his shows. The hillside was framed by a number of small caves. We managed to claim one for ourselves. We spent a magical evening dancing in a cave by candlelight and eating freshly roasted sunflower seeds.

ISTANBUL
We arrived at Istanbul by night, with the full moon shining on the Bosphorus. We awoke to a stunning skyline of domes and minarets. This city, which spans two continents and three bodies of water, is truly amazing. The sights, smells, and sounds are overwhelming. There is simply not enough to be said about this city.

Galatia Tower
Although the Tower itself is not particularly striking, the view from the top is amazing and definitely worth the trip. We were fortunate enough to ascend to the top at sunset. A huge, brilliant red orb slowly descended behind the countless domes and minarets as the call to prayer rang out through the city from hundreds of mosques. My companions and I were deeply moved by this powerful experience.

Topkapi Palace
If you were to look up the word "opulence" in a visual dictionary, you would see an image of Topkapi Palace. It is opulence defined. It is even more luxuriant and decadent than the Palace of Versailles. As you make your way through the huge complex, you encounter increasingly ornate buildings lavishly decorated from top to bottom. Every inch is adorned in exquisite detail - walls covered in beautiful hand-painted tiles, wooden doors inlaid with mother of pearl, fountains and alcoves decorated with delicate mosaics, rich carpets and tapestries, elaborately painted ceilings and the most amazing, beautiful gilded domes I have ever seen. Visiting the harem was a personal thrill for me. Aside from the tour guide that tried to rush us though in 20 minutes (what WAS that man thinking???), it is definitely worth the extra $15.00 entry fee. You would be hard pressed to find a more stunning piece of architecture. And where else can you walk down "the golden road", the hall where the favored women of the harem made their way to the sultan's boudoir. I found myself wandering around, mouth hanging open. I think my vocabulary was reduced to "wow" and "oh my God" for the duration of the visit.

This account is hardly exhaustive. There are so many things to see and do in this amazing country. Although I only spent three short weeks, I felt as though I had spent a lifetime. The energy of the ancient hills still runs in my blood. At my departure, I felt that I was leaving a part of me behind and I was reminded of the words of Kahlil Gibran in "The Prophet":

It is not a garment that I cast of this day
But a skin that I tear away with my own hands
And fain would I take with me all that is here
But how can I?
A voice cannot carry with it the tongue that gave it wings
And alone and without it's nest must the eagle fly across the sun.
Huge thanks to Hadia for making this amazing tour possible.

Aldiya