Destination: Uncategorized

After the rough and rustic small towns and countryside, we finished our Turkey shoot in the country’s modern capital, Ankara. It feels like a boom town and the traffic was horrific. No trip to Turkey is complete without spending a day in one of its thriving and cosmopolitan big cities.

After six weeks of travel in the Middle East, I’m acutely aware of how important a forceful politician is for emerging democracies. When a country is blessed with a strong and charismatic leader — who is above corruption and pettiness, who can speak to the people as a nation, not as rival segments — the sheer political force of that single person can raise the fortunes of the entire society. And, conversely, a single person not deserving of power can abuse the trust of his or her people and run a country into the ground. The father of modern Turkey is Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Even though he died nearly a century ago, I believe he is the reason for Turkey’s success relative to its neighbors today. And, understandably, you see him everywhere you go in this country. He moved the capital city from Istanbul to the center of the country, to Ankara. I can’t think of a person in the 20th century who had a greater positive impact on his homeland than this man. Can you?

If ever you’re making a TV show about village and traditional culture in Turkey, be sure to arrange to film a circumcision. For a few hundred dollars you can hire the band, the doctor, and the horse, and pay for all the pizzas and soft drinks. We even paid for the boy’s prince outfit. From a TV production point of view, it was a marvelous value. And the most beautiful moment for me was the heartfelt thanks the dad gave me as we left. I promised we’d send him a copy of the show as soon as it was finished.

[Clarification: Since I first posted this, several commenters have expressed concern not only that we filmed this event, but that we paid for it. While this probably goes without saying, I want to clarify the circumstances: This rite of passage is an important part of life in this part of the world. In the sense that it comes with a big, expensive party for the entire community, it’s not unlike a bar or bat mitzvah, or a quinceañera. This family would have thrown their party, at substantial expense, whether or not our cameras had been there. But they were generous enough to let us come and share their personal celebration with viewers half a world away, so we wanted to thank them by helping to defray their costs. Of course, we did not film the circumcision itself, but were able to capture the spirit of a cultural celebration that we believe our armchair-traveling audience might find interesting and insightful of a culture that they may never be able to visit in person. ]

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Fifteen years ago I paid for a poor family’s circumcision in order to include it in a TV show and I was eager to do it again. A circumcision is a big deal in Turkey. It’s a wonderful, full-blown family festival — a cherished celebration that they say is like “a wedding without the in-laws.” But putting on such a party can bring economic hardship on a poor family. I told Lale, who helps run our Turkey tour program, that we’d happily pay for one if it would help out a struggling family — and if we could film it. Talk about win-win (unless you’re the little boy, I suppose). This clip shows our crew scrambling to capture the scene as the boy, dressed like a little prince, approaches on his horse.

If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.

I try to show the more mundane realities of travel along with all the glorious sights in my shows. For instance, when exploring Turkey, the bus system is excellent: I wouldn’t drive or take the train. The best approach for travelers is to take cheap flights for long hops and intercity buses for shorter trips. Another fun dimension of traveling here is taking a little cruise along the Turkish Riviera.