“Travels to a Different Time” August 15, 1970: Istanbul; Welcome to Hippieville! Police Profit from Hashish Stings

Letter from Margaret Mary Stephen to Barbara Stephen (daughter): Hi Barb: So help me if it was hard to make oneself understood in Greece it’s almost impossible here in Istanbul. I think we are in Hippieville. I have never seen so many. You can see the Turks laughing at them. Most we have talked to are very knowledgeable and are university students or graduates. There are lots of schoolteachers too. A girl who helps run the hotel has a husband that works at the U.S. consulate and he comes by the hotel to warn the young people not to smoke or buy hashish in Istanbul. Three years for smoking it. There are many sting operations here setting up people who buy hashish so they are arrested and the police blackmail the victims for money so that they are not arrested. Today a black marketeer wanted to change money with me. We hear that the money you exchange for is counterfeit. Turkey is not a good place. It is filthy and honesty is not a virtue in Turkey. We will be trying to get a flight out from Athens on August 23. I hope that you will be our stewardess but that would be crazy. If you know the girls on our flight please tell them we can share a cab with them to get into New York assuming you’ll be there. We are heading out for dinner and they have devalued their lira and immediately all prices rose and that’s why everything is so expensive here (compared to Greece). Well my dear this is my last letter from our trip.

Aust 24, 1970: We landed at JFK in New York at 1 p.m. We phoned Barb but no answer so we made a reservation on Eastern Airlines back to Montreal from LaGuardia. We had a four hour wait for the flight, The captain took my speargun away and said he would return it when we arrived in Montreal. SEE YA NEXT YEAR! IT’S A LONG WAY OFF!

Photo: IMDB

“Travels to a Different Time ” : August 18-21, 1970 : Last Days in Istanbul: War, Chickens at the Airport and Cholera: Beware of Hashish: Off to a Turkish Bath

August 18, 1970: Up early. Mom heard a vendor below selling fruit so she rushed down and bought monster peaches and some grapes. You must grab the fruit quick before the vendor replaced it with second quality fruit. Man, you must be sharp in Istanbul. It is becoming more of an enjoyable game in Istanbul to avoid being cheated. The Greeks may have occasionally put the finger on the scales but at least there was always pride on selling top quality produce. Turkish merchants have less scruples. The grapes were low quality but the monster peaches are heavenly. The water was off yet again for almost all day. Showerless, we headed out taking a bus to the Galata Bridge where the boats are. A very affable Turkish man showed us where to get a boat to reach a beach. We took a boat to one of the Prince’s Islands and then took a smaller boat to a beautiful beach overlooking Asia! We had a great day on a Turkish beach and returned home and had the most expensive meal we had in Istanbul but it definitely was not the best. Again upon returning to our hotel no water! Getting grubby and I don’t want to smell like a Turkish custom’s official.

August 19, 1970: Feeling very grubby we headed to the Turkish Bath in the hotel. I am used to roasting in Finnish saunas in our Montreal apartment so I found the Turkish bath a bit tame with its steam weak. But the feeling of clean finally revives you! We have had some concern about hostilities heightening amongst Turkey and Greece and war seems imminent so we got to get the hell out of here! On our way to the War Museum, we stopped in at the Olympic Airways office for an update and they said the flight out could be cancelled if hostilities escalated. We asked if our lack of cholera shots would prevent us from entering Greece and they said they would phone us if it was a problem. After our dinner we ran into some people from our hotel and went with them to see a Turkish Folk Dance which was incredibly beautiful.

Our hotel has many young people staying at it. There are signs everywhere warning about possession and smuggling hashish out of Turkey. Mere possession can be three years in prison and they may check you when you leave Turkey and if you are caught ask Billy Hays about what awaits you! Representatives from the American Embassy are at the hotel every few days with warnings. The reality as I hear it is a little bribe to Turkish police will get you out of any trouble unless it is a question of smuggling it out of Turkey.

August 21, 1970: Up at 05:30 to get ready for our departure. We had an early morning shower and grabbed a 7 a.m. bus to the airport. The airport was crowded and a zoo with men wearing their Fez and crates of chickens squawking. No war just yet so we thankfully boarded our flight to Athens with a sad Greek breakfast of which I am used to. How many mackerel, sardine and salami sandwiches can a boy endure? We landed safely in Athens with gratitude and for me a bit of sadness.3 months of adventure coming to an end. We met up with the Milagressi’s at a bus terminal from the airport. We had met them at Panormitis and they had insisted we stay with them before we returned to New York. We both had a bath before going out to a neighbourhood restaurant. The grime around the tub after my bath was disgusting. But I am clean! And I am disciplined enough to clean the tub after my soak. On this trip I have learnt a bit about responsibility.

August 22, 1970: Hardboiled eggs and toast for breakfast. We went shopping to a nearby Athenian market. Nicole bought fruit, veggies and fish for a nice lunch we had. After dinner we went to see the film “Battle of Britain” at an outdoor theatre. Totally dark with the night sky over your head. Incredible! We returned home for a late steak supper and another bath for me. I am happy to be back to the safety, honesty and warmth of Greece. I will never forget this wonderful country!

August 23, 1970: This is our last time here in Greece and after breakfast we went to a Kasserian monastery and spring. We came back and had a greasy meal and by 7 we were on an Overseas National Airways plane back to JFK airport in New York!

“Travels to a Different Time” : August 1970: On the Midnight Express to Istanbul: Custom’s Officers Get Fresh with Mom: Mom’s Rump Pinched by the Turks! The Bill on the Ground Scam

After seeing Oliver Stone’s film “Midnight Express” is heading to Istanbul wise? We had first class tickets but did not exactly know where to get to first class so I think we ended up in second class beside some barfy old lady. We were told by a conductor first class was ahead so off we went and munched on an exciting breakfast of salami sandwiches on our Thessaloniki to Istanbul run. This was a real milk run and the train looked like some sort of museum piece. Not only that it was an old coal powered train as after putting my noggin outside the window it was covered in soot. The snack car consisted of a Turk crouched over a burner making Turkish coffee in an empty box car. Not much to do but read and look out the window and travelling through thick green forests was so different than being on sparse Greek islands? Customs came and woke us up around 11 and these stupid Turkish customs officials kept on barging in all night. One even patted Mom’s leg in a suggestive way and I felt like socking him but Turkish hospitality in a jail with Billy Hays would not be something to look forward to. The slovenly custom’s officer had bad body odour and sat beside me and fell asleep with his mouth open and snoring. We arrived in a dirty train station in Istanbul and took a cab with Mom stopping at a bank to get some Turkish lira. The streets are crowded with animals and men carrying huge bundles on their back. Most of the men walk on the heels of their shoes. Perhaps they are not used to shoes in Turkey? And why are so many women wearing scarves over their head and raincoats on when it is so hot? We got our lira and headed to a nice hotel called the Yucell. We visited an underground cistern and visited a Turkish Bazaar where all the merchants had relatives in Canada or so they said. They wanted to be your friend and since you were their friend they had a special deal for you. Persistent, annoying and aggressive. The men leer like hungry jackals at Western women. Is it because their women are hidden behind scarves and raincoats? We did buy some huge peaches at a market which were even better than the delicious Greek peaches.

August 15, 1970: What a hassle today to buy a plane ticket to Athens. The next boat would be September 5th which is too late. It is set we leave here on August 21st. Our dinner was fried fish with roasted tomato and peppers wrapped in a newspaper which we ate on a park bench.

August 16, 1970: A jam packed day starting with a breakfast of bread and strawberry jam and we headed off to St. Sofia Museum (Hagia Sofia) which was huge with marble pillars. We freeloaded with an English tour group! On our way home through the park Mom found a 5 lira note on the ground and immediately a Turk came running after us claiming it was his and he would show us by the fact he wrote his name on the bill. Something did not feel right so we refused to give his money back and he started to shout and take a fit until a policeman started in our direction and off he hopped like a scared rabbit. We stopped next at The Blue Mosque full of beautiful mosaics. We had to take our shoes off hoping they wouldn’t get stolen. My trust of Turkish people is very low, You are an object to be hustled to squeeze money out of you. Like at the Blue Mosque some Turk said we had to buy and wear a special covering which was a lie. Ripped off again. We went to a restaurant and met a Turkish doctor who was dressed like a regular Canadian and was not walking around on the heels of his shoes. He explained the lost money hustle we survived. The hustle is to have you take out your wallet and when you do it will be knocked out of your hand and grabbed and the hustler flees with your cash. It was great to meet this doctor who said women were in raincoats and wearing scarves were peasants from the countryside who didn’t know anything more than an uneducated country life. I think he said the traditional Muslim covering had been outlawed years ago by Ataturk but the raincoat and scarf was reluctantly tolerated. The middle and upper classes scorned such ignorance and hoped Turkey would toss off its repressive past completely. We went to the Topkapi museum and saw a famous huge diamond on display. Mom had her rump pinched by a little boy and that’s not the first time this has happened to Western women here. What leech’s these Turkish men are. A man did it the night before and I chased him down the street but he escaped. If I had caught him would I have been knifed.

RKS Film: “I May be Dead by Tomorrow”: The Never-Ending Battle of Street People

If you live in a major urban centre and are working in or commuting in the downtown core you have seen it time and time again. Homeless people. Homeless people begging. Homeless people drinking. Homeless people fighting. Erratic homeless people shouting to themselves. Homeless people living in encampments. It could be like stoplights they are part of the urban landscape and you learn to live with it which often means complacency. The problem of homelessness and urban poverty never seems to disappear and in tough economic times it increases. In short you may have given up in what you consider the bottom end of society. Major bureaucratic corporate charities want your money so they advise you not to give money to the homeless. God bless the humanity of so many corporate charities that cozy up to major corporations and public service organizations so the incessant goal of raising money becomes a game of the leaders of these corporations and I have seen this game being played by upper management. Compassion is part of the old boys’ network and so is bullying and coercing employees to contribute. Corporate charity with goals, objectives and performance bonuses. They know best.

To remind us of the inconvenient sore of homelessness we must welcome films like “I May Be Dead by Tomorrow”. I almost took the position when watching the film that I have watched many similar films so what’s new about this film. Not much but I must remember and many of us should remember just because we have been living with the problem or have seen numerous films of a similar genre there are many out there that are seeing this social mess for the first time and documentaries like “I’ll be Dead by Tomorrow” are required to remind the old guard and introduce novices to urban poverty.

In the documentary we follow the EMRII which is a combination of police officers and social workers that comb the streets of Montreal doing the best they can to “manage” the homeless situation in urban Montreal. In days of old homeless people were run out of town, ignored or imprisoned but EMRII, as insufficiently resourced at it is has the purpose, “of reaching the homeless, who are involved in police interactions with the police and have factors of vulnerability”. If you want to see a short video of them in action you can watch here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmycjJpvUSk

I will let you watch the stories of several people living on the streets and what the EMRII is doing to make their lives better and in so doing make our lives better and more decent. Many of you know many of the homeless have problems with addiction and mental illness and this documentary delves into the lives of a handful of misfortunates that can’t climb out of their quandary the EMRII is there to try to do.

It’s a hard life being homeless and as the documentary is shot during a brutal period in a Montreal winter makes living on the edge harder and dangerous. And having lived in Montreal for over 30 years seeing so many familiar landmarks drives home the severity of the issue which unfolds a series of interactions of the homeless and the EMII.

The camera is a fly on the wall and supposedly there are no value judgements made except if you view the making of the documentary as a sort of value judgement itself. Is admitting and exposing a problem not a sort of value judgment?

Director Patry says, “I MIGHT BE DEAD BY TOMORROW set out to probe the question of life on the streets of Montréal. My aim was to candidly document the suffering that plays out there daily, being careful to avoid any form of cheap sentiment or hand-wringing. It was only by following a team of responders known as Équipe itinerance that I was able to balance the harsh day-to-day realities of street life with the hopes for a better future expressed by those who live there. While there is no magic-bullet solution to homelessness, the various interventions captured on film attest to the comradeship, respect and trust that exist between the members of this community. Those moments of mutual aid also helped banish my own long-held fears about what I gloomily perceived as our dwindling humanity.”

The film was written directed and produced by Steve Patry. Should there be a sequel that tries to explain why homelessness exists and our attitudes toward it? The doc is on VOD or on DVD.

You can catch the trailer here  https://vimeo.com/458187442

RKS Film Rating 90/100.

RKS Wine: Carmenére Confusion

For 145 years Carmenère in Chile was thought to be Merlot! It was only in the mid 1990’s that what was thought to be Merlot was actually identified as Carmenère. Although more Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot is planted some say it is Chile’s signature grape. Originally a Bordeaux grape it was wiped out by disease there and not much of it was replanted.

Black cherry in colour with tinges of purple. As for bouquet it is understandable it might be mistaken for Merlot as it has a lushness to it. There is blackberry jam, blueberries and cassis. There is a bit of Late Bottled Vintage Port to it indicative of richness. On the palate this is a smoothie and there are few tannins to get tangled up with. There is not a distinct fruit to identify with so it could be said to be pleasing to many palates. There is some blueberry, milk chocolate, licorice just lazing in the background. A real diplomatic wine as it simply powers on without offending anyone. Short finish. Given its lushness the wine could have fallen prey to over-ripeness so careful harvesting required. As for food great versatility. It could suit lamb, beef, goat, tomato sauce-based dishes and perhaps even grilled octopus. (Montgras Antu Carmenère 2019, DO Peumo, Valle de Cachapoal, Viña MontGras, Chile, $18.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 632752, 750 mL, 14.5%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 89/100).

Wine drinker profile: One who prefers a rich and plush wine that is easy drinking yet has no overwhelming characteristics that might be perceived as off-putting. It might also suit Portheads as there is a mild Port like influence on the wine.

“Travels to a Different Time” :August 11, 1970:  (Volos/ Thessaloniki) :No Not Another Tantrum! A Crappy Birthday

From Volos we made a connecting stop at Larissa and boarded the train to Thessaloniki and arrived at 4 p.m. While at the train station we bought a ticket to Istanbul. We found a B class hotel called the Rotunda and just loved the hot water. On the way to dinner I bought a pair of shoes and Mom bought a nightgown. After dinner for some type of joke Mom pinched my behind and I think I surprised her by retaliating with a bit of humour if you can call it that. She whirled around not appreciating receiving a dose of her own medicine and called me a slob and stormed off getting lost. The police had to put her in a taxi and tell the driver to take her back to our hotel. I managed to make it back to the hotel on a bus. I slept on the floor by the bathroom.

August 12: well today is my birthday and I have turned 15 and not exactly a happy start considering yesterday’s tantrum. We went to the market and bought some food for the train trip to Istanbul. We had meatballs for lunch and returned to our hotel for a siesta. After our nap downtown on bus #10 for a feast of beef. Goodness knows what they eat in Turkey. Tomorrow we leave for Istanbul. A rotten birthday without even grumpy wishing me a happy birthday.

“Travels to a Different Time” : August 8-10, 1970, Skopelos, Greece: Big Game Hunter Spears a Prize! Why Are These People Staring at Us?

August 8, 1970: I woke up at seven to get some fresh bread and we had strawberry jam, bread and hardboiled eggs for breakfast. We took the 9 am bus to the beach with Theodore, Rick and Dee. We preordered our lunch of calamari before walking down to the beach. Theodore borrowed my speargun but had no luck. Then Theodore and Rick (the bearded one) went out on an air mattress and called out to me they spotted an octopus swimming under a rock. I swam out and they pointed out where the octopus had gone. After 4 unsuccessful tries I finally bagged it! I pulled it out of the water and Theodore screamed out. We brought it to shore and a small crowd of people gathered to look at the prize. We took it up after I had beat the octopus on a rock which the local fisherman pound on the rocks to tenderize it to the restaurant where they said they would cook it when we were to arrive for lunch of our calamari but when we arrived for lunch they apologized as they forgot to cook it. Theodore and his girl friend took my octopus with them to our usual restaurant in town and asked them to cook it for dinner.

We stayed until 5:30 and Dee had a bad sunburn. The bus came rumbling in at 6:30 and there were so many people on it not everyone could get in. But the bus driver said he would be back in twenty minutes to pick up the people who did not get on the first bus. Someone waiting for the bus swiped a bunch of plums from an orchard and gave them to the waiting passengers. We went out for dinner and as we sat down it began to rain for a few minutes. That is the first time we have seen rain in Greece. We enjoyed our octopus grilled and tender! But the power went off twice during our dinner. Theodore, his girlfriend and Rick and Dee went to the Sirene discotheque after a pastry in the town square.

August 9 ,1970: Those church bells again at 7 a.m. waking everyone up. There also was no water. We squished into the bus with Rick and Dee to go to a beach called Androssos but we had to get on a launch for a 5-minute trip to get to the beach. The water has an oily film and there were too many jellyfish. We took the boat back to the shore unhappy about the oily water and jellyfish. I have seen many tar blobs in Greek beaches but never any oil. We had lunch on shore. Mom and I had fish and Dee and Rick had lobster. Rick and I went snorkeling and Dee and Mom went to a churchyard for a sleep in the shade.

August 10, 1970: Those darn bells pealing at 7 a.m. woke everyone else again! Rick and Dee were going to the mainland to a town called Volos to pick up their car and head back to England. As when we arrived while we were packing up the manager’s family came to stare at us so I had to kick them out. We were so sick of this lack of privacy we decided to leave two days earlier and head to Volos with Rick and Dee. We dragged our suitcases down to the docks and had a big farewell lunch before boarding the FB/Sykros for our sail to Volos.

RKS Film: “City of Vultures”

I recently saw “City of Vultures II” which will be released on February 1st and you will see my review on January 31. But the original “City of Vultures” is now available for free on Tubi at https://tubitv.com/movies/417685/city-of-vultures?start=true

You need not see the original before you watch the sequel but if you do you will perhaps understand the ruthless G and why he is so ruthless and it is obvious. A con out on parole seeking an honest path ahead may be tempted into a past life of crime but when that honest path is blocked by no employment opportunities the path back to crime may be the only path to survive.

In “City of Vultures II” G is a vicious hood with no scruples except as regards his son. But if we venture back to a point before that when he is released for parole in the original “City of Vultures” we see G as an articulate if not brilliant writer. But there is crime all over him.

He rejoins a girlfriend he had before he was sentenced to a long term in the joint and it looks like he might live a “normal life” but challenges persist. G in the original is super creative and intelligent and looking to follow the straight path but as an ex-con so many doors are shut and when you see “City of Vultures II” you see what door G has entered.

There are murders and retaliations in the film but they are not as numerous and graphic as in the sequel. They are still disturbing including children involved in armed robbery and murders but the cinematography in the original is shot in a much lighter format. There is also a bit more of a plot with violence being less graphic.

Strange going to the original after the sequel but the sequel is much darker and the original may offer some clues as to why G is such a vicious hood. It would seem the corrupt Chicago police and his past have closed the door on any chance of reform.

G here is sometimes referred to as Shorty. You can see the original at no cost other than a few minimal advertisements. The sequel is definitely darker and more violent with seemingly no way out for G. In the original it seems G has a chance but as II shows he really had no chance.

Directed, written and produced by G himself that being Marcus Carothers. Welcome to the “urban crime genre”. Has Carothers revived the “film noir” category?

RKS film rating 89/100.

“Travels to a Different Time”: August 7, 1970: The Great Jellyfish and Fly Massacre

Up at 6:30 this morning. Read a few chapters of my book “The Family” then rolled over and slept until noon and killed 23 flies before eating a meager breakfast of grapes. We went into town to buy supplies for lunch at the beach but missed the bus to Stafilos Beach so we took a cab for 50 cents to the beach. However upon arrival the negotiated price jumped to $2. We went to the tourist police and complained and ended up paying nothing. I was not happy to see a huge school of jellyfish drift in after my first swim. I do not want to get stung. I killed some 64 jellyfish that had washed up on the beach. Thank you jellyfish for ruining my day. Someone at the beach said jellyfish are a problem here in August. An Irish man said they are called Lion’s Mane jellyfish as they have them in Ireland. They have a nasty sting and can be fatal if the stung person is allergic to their sting.

“Travels to a Different Time” :August 5, 1970: Living in a Grape Arbour Now in a Partially Completed Hotel! Trapped in the Bathroom!

As soon as we landed onshore on Skopelos I waited in a café while Mom hunted for a room and only managed to find a room in a partially constructed hotel! As we unpacked the entire family of the hotel manager was watching us! There is no door for our room and instead there is bedspread hung over the entrance and the cement is raw and there are no tiles on the floor. There are no beds just two cots. The balcony is unfinished. We are paying $2 a night. I got locked in the bathroom too. A broken lock I think. Some girls staying at the hotel wanted to break the glass but I managed to fiddle around and get out after 15 minutes of being trapped. Mom thought this was funny but not me. We had a shower and headed out for dinner. We had beef and rice and some stuffed tomatoes. Mom reported a surly waiter to the owner. We have given some thought about heading to Israel next.  

August 6, 1970: Woke up at 6:30 to a horde of buzzing flies and the priest ringing the bells of the church across the street. I got up before Mom and bought some canned tuna and bread for breakfast. Sure beats mackerel! We went swimming at a beach called Stafilos about 5 kms away. Beautiful clear water and little pebbles instead of sand. Before we had dinner we checked the shipping office about how to get to Istanbul from Piraeus. We had squid and after dinner went to a café and had a pastry to celebrate Mom’s birthday which was on August 2. We went to a discotheque and I got the courage to ask a girl to dance I was the best dancer and she was the worst. We were home at midnight. I had fun!