29 Aralık 2010 Çarşamba

Ay Çiçeği


Bana huzur verir, uzun yolculuklar sırasında pencereden bakarken gördüğümüz büyük ay çiçeği tarlaları.Nedenini hiç bilmiyorum belki annem çok sevdiği için ya da çocukken babam her gördüğümüzde ısrarlarımıza dayanamayıp kenara çekip bize koşarak bir iki tane kopardığı için.Şimdi anlıyorum aslında onun sadece güzel sarı yapraklardan ve siyah siyah taptaze çekirdeklerinden oluşmadığını , o benim için çocuk olmanın verdiği mutluluk ve güvende olma hissiymiş.Bazen o kadar korkuyorum ki yarın ya da ertesi gün başıma geleceklerden , sorumluluklarımdan , bitmek bilmeyen çalışma saatlerinden, en son ne zaman sinemaya gittiğimi hatırlamamaktan ,denizin kokusunu unutmaktan.

27 Nisan 2010 Salı

Kemal Burkay

Spartaküs

hayat bir türküdür spartaküs
avutucudur geçicidir
güneş tepeler üstünde yükselirken
ve kıyıları döverken mor dalgalar
hayat bir türküdür spartaküs
köylü kadınların küçük çocukların söylediği
orda trakya ovalarında

özgürlük uçan kuşlara benzer
ağaç yaprağına yağmur damlasına benzer
varinia'nın gözyaşlarına spartaküs
o britanyalı köle kadının, o kır çiçeğinin
bir gladiyatörün acı gülüşüne benzer
kanları toprağa belenirken

onlar dostluğu bilirler mi
kardeşliği bilirler mi
başkası için ölmeyi hiç
onlar bilirler mi spartaküs
ayağa kalkınca makedonya'nın
lombardiya'nın taşı toprağı
yaşlıları, hastaları, genç kızları
özgürlük için saçları bayraklaşan

onlar, roma'nın uygar efendileri
dövüşken horoz yetiştirir gibi
avrupa'nın, asya'nın, afrika'nın
o, kölelikten başka hakkı olmayan
en güçlü insanlarını meydanlarda
birbirine öldürtüp kahkahalarla gülen
eğlenceye ve elmaslara çılgınca düşkün
onlar, roma'nın uygar efendileri

frigya ovasında yetişen buğday
acem ipeği, mısır pamuğu
besili sığırları afrika'nın
finike'nin sedir ağaçları
ve genç kızları normandiya'nın
herşey, hatta dalgalar, gökyüzü
dağlar, esen yel ve gün ışığı
güya bu efendiler içindi.

köle doğmak boynunda bir zincirle
sırtında bir kamçıyla
yüreğinde bir damgayla spartaküs
uşaklık edeceğin saraylar yapmak
geçemiyeceğin köprüler, sürüneceğin yollar
çürüyeceğin zindanlar yapmak
ve taşımak olmayan günahlarını sırtında
doğduğun günden öldüğün güne kadar
zincirleri kırmak güzeldir spartaküs
gökyüzü gibidir, yaşamak gibidir
aşk gibidir
çıkmak geceden güne
zincirlerden öte uzundur dünya
duvarlardan öte yaşamak geniştir
besbelli sevginin en güzeli
zincirleri kırmaktır yeryüzünde

hiç unutabilir misin spartaküs
yüzünü afrikalı zencinin
gözlerini unutabilir misin
ancak bu denli sevebilir insan
kılıç, kan ve romalılar arasında bile
gönlü böylesine sevgiyle taşan
bu adam
seni öldürmemek için kendi öldü
sen o zaman vurulmuştun işte
ölüm güzeldir böyle yaşamaktan

bir romalı yüreği gibi değil
ezik bir köle yüreği gibi çiçek yetiştiren
ak bulutların öptüğü
makedonya dağlarından
cins atlar büyüten, yapağı veren
macar ovalarından
çıkıp karlı alp dağlarını
köle toprakları bir boydan bir boya aşan
bir su gibi içip özgürlüğü
mızrağının ucunda
alınteri ve sevgi taşıyan
sen ki o mermer saraylarda yaşıyan
kölelerin bayrağı spartaküs

kan ve kemikler üstüne şanları kurulu
parayla, döneklikle soylu olmuş kişilerin
bilmediği bunca şeyi bilirdin
sen ki bir çocuk için yaşamayı
bir kadına gönül vermeyi
eğilip toprağı öpmeyi bilirdin spartaküs
"biz kölelerin de bir tanrısı vardır..."
bunu bilmiyordun işte
çünkü kölelerin tanrısı yoktur spartaküs

yoksulluk kötüdür spartaküs
bilgisizlik kötüdür
ama hiçbir şey boyun eğmekten
daha kötü değildir
sen de yenildin sonunda
bir çarmıhta can verdin
ama bir türkü gibi çağdan çağa
erkekçe savaşmayı öğrettin insanlara
adını öğrettin spartaküs.


1 Nisan 2010 Perşembe

Halil Cibran


ÇOCUKLAR

Sizin diye bildiğiniz evlatlar gerçekte sizin değildirler,
Onlar kendilerini özleyen Hayat'ın oğulları ve kızlarıdırlar,
Sizler aracılığıyla dünyaya gelmişlerdir ama sizden değildirler,
Sizlerin yanındadırlar ama sizlerin malı değildirler,
Onlara sevginizi verebilirsiniz ama düşüncelerinizi asla,
Çünkü onların kendi düşünceleri vardır,
Onların bedenlerini barındırabilirsiniz ama Ruhlarını asla,
Çünkü onların Ruhları geleceğin sarayında oturur,
Ve sizler düşlerinizde bile orayı ziyaret edemezsiniz,
Kendinizi onlara benzetmeye çalışabilirsiniz,
Ama onları kendinize benzetmeye çalışmayın hiç ,
Çünkü Hayat ne geriye gider ne de geçmişle ilgilenir,
Sizler,evlatların birer canlı ok gibi fırlatıldıkları yaylarsınız,
Yayı gerenin elinde seve seve bükülün,
Çünkü oku atan O güç ,uzaklaşan okları sevdiği kadar,
Elindeki sağlam yayı da sever ....

Halil CİBRAN

28 Mart 2010 Pazar

A Shared History of Backpacking


Backpacker Bob’s letter to Tony Wheeler, sharing his memories of trekking over the years inspired another Bob to do the same.

Bob number two and his partner Carol, who hail from Australia, sent us the following morsels about their decades on the road, with some photos to illustrate how times have – or haven’t – changed.

Cue Bob and Carol:

“We have, similarly to ‘Bob’, both travelled extensively; individually in the 1970’s and together since then. We also both started our first trips by boat as it was cheaper than flying, Bob travelling by “ship/jet” which was the cheapest way to London. (AUD$360 one way) consisting of a boat from Fremantle to Singapore and a charter flight from Singapore to England, and Carol travelling from South Africa to England on the Union Castle ‘Mail ship’.

1975 in Europe – in our 20s

By the 1970’s backpacks had improved a little and had metal frames. We also attached our national flags to help us get lifts when hitchhiking, and added badges from the countries we had visited. All extra belongings were tied on to the outside of the pack (sleeping bags, water bottles and cooking pots!). Cooking pots and a small gas cooker being essential as we couldn’t afford to eat at restaurants. Accommodation was sometimes in youth hostels, but more often than not sleeping rough – beaches in Greece were great!

1984 in Alaska – in our 30s

Backpacks had improved further by the 1980’s. They now had hip-straps which made a significant difference to carrying a loaded pack. We continued backpacking throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s, travelling to many destinations in South East Asia, Africa and Northern America. Planes were used to get to and from Australia (as plane travel had become cheaper and we were now more affluent, but ‘time poor’, as we travelled during annual leave from our jobs). Hitchhiking had given way to local buses and trains. Accommodation was a mixture of youth hostels and small cheap hotels.

1990s with children – suitcases replace backpacks

We continued to travel in the 1990’s, but in a slightly modified way as travel now included children. We found that backpacks needed to be replaced by suitcases as one seemed to need extra paraphernalia for them (from nappies to flippers and goggles and boogie-boards). Accommodation was often pre-booked, and though some cheaper hotels and public transport was used, swimming pools became more of a priority, and all sight-seeing become a balance between things of interest to kids as well as adults.

2000s, backpacks to rollerbags – in our late 50s

With offspring old enough to be living independently we have resumed our travels along the backpackers’ routes through South East Asia. As joints aren’t as young as they used to be backpacks have been replaced by soft duffel bags with wheels that can be pulled along!

At the end of last year we spent a fantastic four weeks travelling down through Vietnam; and further trips to Cambodia, Thailand and Laos are planned for later this year. Small family run hotels are now stayed in, and public transport of all sorts used to get around. Eating is a combination of local ‘pavement’ and market food to more upmarket restaurants to try local cuisine in all its forms.

It has been reassuring to realise that we can still travel in a similar way to our backpacking days, with a few modifications for age! And great to find out that there are many of our fellow travellers from the 1970s who are now hitting the road again. We have thoroughly enjoyed the company of many backpackers and rollerbaggers of all ages at the communal breakfasts in our little hotels en route.”

Our Facebook community also contributed to the Bobs’ retrospective, posting ‘then and now’ reflections on our Fan page. Changes to how we stay in touch were, unsurprisingly, a central theme in your stories.

Csaba Bán writes: “One of my best trips was nine days in Lebanon in 1999, when we (a couple) lost our LP on the very first day, so we had to figure out everything ourselves. No internet, no mobile phone, just good old talking. During these nine days we met only one other foreigner.”

Vibeke Omby Ibsen recalls backpacking back in the 80s. “We didn’t have letters from home for more than three months. That was adventure!”

Ann Elizabeth Hamilton started travelling at age 21 in 1976: “In Asia we had no guidebooks, the ATM hadn’t been invented and we relied on poste restantefor all communications with home. I’m 55 and foray on the road every 6-9 months but still manage to go independently even where English is almost nonexistent. Those early skills still help me in the eternally addictive search for limitless adventure!”

When Gary Valdez backpacked through Mexico in the 70s, he “hitch hiked and took cargo trains to very far away from the main highway places. Now, there are roads and highways to these places and I see the natives chatting on the internet! It was disturbing at first, still is a bit.”

Enrique Avilés thinks travelling seemed less paperwork intensive way back when. “As an Ecuadorian nowadays I need a visa for almost every country.”

For Todd Lake, backpacking “has changed considerably. Before the internet, it was more of an adventure. You never knew where you might end up, or what would happen when you got there. Now we have internet, and laptops, and cell phones. We can look up and get airplane, bus, train, or any other kind of tickets. We can book everything in advance. While some of the adventure is gone, the technology has allowed us to explore places we many have never considered going to before, which can be a good thing.”

Kezia Carpenter contends that “part of the ‘freedom’ that accompanies backpacking is the ability to disconnect from one’s world/life back home. Technology makes it too easy to stay connected and it’s natural to use what is available and take advantage of its benefits. Pre-internet, I remember picking up mail at Amex offices during a yearlong trip. Even though you can gauge your internet usage during a trip; there is something to be said for picking up a satchel of mail every month or so and opening actual letters, some with small gifts or a special cassette with a personal message or mix of songs. Even though connection was intermittent, it felt much more meaningful and personal. Or, that’s how it felt for me.”

Mariana Va misses a sense of leaping into the unknown. “More and more I run into people who have been to that little nook that I thought was my own secret paradise… and those little paradises are becoming more and more crowded. Does it make me sad? Yes. Has this shift allowed me to travel more? Yes. Is change inherent and inevitable in all aspects of life? Yes. These might be some of the last generations of ‘backpackers’ so enjoy!”

Paula Smith says technological strides are critical to ‘keep parents sane’. And, “despite the perceived loss of adventure I like to think I am making my own set of adventures as I go anyway.”

Gareth Sear feels the influence of lifestyle and age “People going travelling are getting older, young people worry about the CV gap not getting a job, money etc.”

Anita Rusdihardjo points to the upscaling of hostel culture as a major change over the years, but is less cynical about excessive beating of the unbeaten paths: “Even in the most touristy destinations you can still escape the hordes provided you come in the right time of the year (Bruges in the autumn is magnificent!) and a handy guidebook (most of the local restaurants/cafes being shown in Lonely Planet’s city-specific pocket guides really are visited by locals only!)

While Gerry Parke reminds us that “it’s the essence of travel that’s important, not the gadgets we carry, prices we pay, or even destinations we visit. The reasons we travel remain a constant as the incidental details evolve around it.”

Share your own memories (or your parents!) and help us patch together a shared history of backpacking over the years.

Feeling nostalgic? Head to the Thorn Tree where you can read or post travel flashbacks like this one.

Lonely Planet