Turkey to Northern Cyprus: Mersin, Famagusta and an unending journey across the Mediterranean Sea

Surface travel, i.e. rail, road and sea, are my preferred travel modes. Anyone can travel by air between two cities but few take the time and effort to soak in the landscape (or urbanscape / seascape) as you whiz towards your destination say by train.

So when it came to planning our journey to Northern Cyprus I naturally gravitated towards a ferry journey from mainland Turkey. Indeed, I chose to ignore some warning signs from a Turkish friend who mentioned that during the low season – March is considered low season – regular passenger ferries are suspended. Instead, passengers are given passage on freighters plying the busy route between Mersin, Turkey and Famagusta (Gazimagusa in Turkish), Northern Cyprus.

The freighter being loaded with cargo - and humans - at Mersin port, Turkey

(Photo: Imran Ahmed. All Rights Reserved.)

A second hint of possible trouble arose when the travel agent informed us the journey was at night and the ship only offered seats, no sleepers. (A cargo ship with sleepers for passengers would have been weird, right?)

For someone who wished to spend several weeks on a containership traveling between Singapore and Istanbul – unfortunately, our passage was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic – I thought a ferry crossing across of 8-10 hours across the Mediterranean couldn't be too bad, right?

So off we went on our scheduled nine hour long crossing of the Mediterranean Sea. It was not the most comfortable of journeys but we made the best of it by sleeping on our hard seats most of the trip.

Early morning views of the Mediterranean Sea 

(Photo: Imran Ahmed. All Rights Reserved.)

Early morning views of the sea were amazing and we reached Cyprus (only!) a few hours later than scheduled. (I'm used to traveling on Pakistan Railways (PR) sleeper trains. A 4-5 hour delay on PR intercity trains is 'baked into' the schedule perforce!)

On arrival our baggage was bused to the terminal on tractor trolley while passengers were driven there in a bus suitable for a 1970s Turkish movie prop. The terminal was too far to walk from our ship's pier. The customs and immigration process at Famagusta was rudimentary.

Famagusta town was nice. More on that in a separate post.

Gluttons for punishment, we took a freighter ship back to Mersin for our return journey to mainland Turkey. That is where it got brutal for us.

The ship anchored outside Mersin Port early morning. Seeing the mainland we assumed it was only a matter of half an hour or so before the ship docked. Indeed, the freighter was so close we felt we could swim to port in the clear blue Mediterranean Sea.

Mersin port was so close to our anchor point we could swim there! 

(Photo by author: Imran Ahmed. All Rights Reserved.)

Outside Mersin we waited. And waited. And waited some more.

Finally, after waiting about 4-5 hours anchored at sea tantalizingly close, we finally entered Mersin and disembarked.

The sea journey was an experience. It adds a painful notch to our 'seasoned travelers' totem pole. Undoubtedly, on our next trip to Northern Cyprus we'll either fly into Larnaca airport or travel by regular passenger ferry services. Lesson learnt.

The author’s Northern Cyprus visa document. 

(Photo by author: Imran Ahmed. All Rights Reserved.)

The upside? We got Famagusta and back safely; met a few interesting (and helpful) passengers along the way; and got ourselves a nice piece of paper – the Northern Cyprus visa – along the way!

______________________________________________________

I am a Singapore based Tour Guide with a special interest in arts and history. I have lived and worked in several countries during my career as an international banker. I enjoy traveling, especially by train, as a way to feed y curiosity about the world and nurture my interest in photography. I am available on twitter (@grandmoofti); Instagram(@imranahmedsg) and can be contacted at imran.ahmed.sg@gmail.com.

Of funeral parlours and Pakistani handicrafts

I visited a traditional handicraft shop in Karachi, Pakistan a few days ago. It was a typical upmarket "ethnic' handicraft shop one may find in many cities around the world. However, there was a rhythmic clanging noise coming from downstairs - the shop had a basement - which intrigued me. The sounds were like a lullaby made by some sort of wooden instrument.

I went downstairs to investigate and see for myself.

Video by Imran Ahmed (author). All Rights Reserved.

Adjacent to the staircase was a large wooden hand loom - at least that is what I think it was - on which a man was weaving cloth. The man was dressed in a dark tee shirt and a shalwar - the baggy pants traditionally worn by many Pakistanis.

His hair stood out. Well, there wasn't that much of it really. What little was left was dyed orange using henna. 

Henna is often used as a hair dye in Islamic countries, especially by religiously conservative men, as it is a natural hair dye. Moreover, henna hair dye is presumed not to be vain (vanity being a sin) in contrast with chemical hair dye.

The room was full of hanging shawls, including traditional Sindhi ajrak shawls, which had been block printed by hand. As I looked around, I realized that these handicrafts are quietly disappearing from Pakistan. Suddenly, the room felt more like a funeral parlour than a workspace.

Within a few decades we may only see such items and traditional crafts people in museums or similar heritage sites.

There are many advantages to living in a global village but the disappearance of unique customs and practices only to be replaced by a global 'jeans and tee shirt' culture is a genuine threat to the world.

______________________________

I am a Singapore based Tour Guide with a special interest in arts and history. I have lived and worked in several countries during my career as an international banker. I enjoy traveling, especially by train, as a way to feed y curiosity about the world and nurture my interest in photography. I am available on twitter (@grandmoofti); Instagram(@imranahmedsg) and can be contacted at imran.ahmed.sg@gmail.com.