I was usually asked if I had seen Midnight Express . I was warned repeatedly about how the Turks had it in for foreigners. But after a few hours in the country I found their assumptions could not be further from the truth. Most Turks treat visitors very well, showing hospitality that borders on subservience. I enjoyed my first visit to Turkey so much that I returned in June 1999.
Turkey is full of contrasts that present themselves constantly.
Its cities are as vibrant as their Western counterparts, but much of the countryside appears largely unchanged since Ottoman times. Islamic fundamentalists butt heads with the secular establishment, while progressive clerics discuss the compatibility of religion and modern society. This notion was exemplified to me when I saw a teenage girl in a tanktop and tight jeans leading her chador-wearing grandmother down an Ankara street. Motorcoaches are the Turks' preferred means of getting around their country. The buses are comfortable and cheap.