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Lost in (and out) of the forest
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Today we went to Belgrade forest. I'm not sure of the actual acreage. It is a sad day when Google and Wikipedia let me down. Our friend Mora called us to see if we wanted to go there with her boyfriend, Cihan. We took a taxi down there and took the long way in so we did not have to pay. We ended up walking for an extra hour but we saved 3 lira. The forest is full of really tall really straight trees. I was happy to see a little bit of color in the leaves. There are numerous walking paths snaking through the trees. We chose one that was about 6 kilometers considering we had already walked about 3 just to get in the park. Cihan had the idea that half way around the path we could come out on a different part of the forest, catch a cab, and be home by 4. Like most plans, this one did not work out exactly as planned. We ended up finding out that there was no path out so we walked about 10 kilometers instead of 6. It was a nicxe day though so we did not mind. Walking through the forest you can see chestnuts, hazelnuts, and mushrooms all over the place. Many people we saw had bags and they were collecting them. We walked by several dams; one of which Cihan told us was a reservoir for the ottoman empire and water was transported from there all the way to Sultanamet. We also saw a concrete container in the ground that was about twice the size of an average basement and twice as deep. It had stairs in all four corners leading to the bottom, and you could see fresh groundwater pouring in from a fountain. This too, apparently, is very old and used for water containment. We also saw a vine that we could swing from. Historical data about said vine was unavailable.
We finally got back to where we started and decided to walk to this town and try to get a cab back. About a half an hour later we walked by some people yelling Taxi so I was hopeful. Apparently through, these are not "licensed" cab drivers. They are called pirated taxis here, and the owners often try to charge different rates than agreed upon. It's times like these that I am glad Cihan is Turkish. We decided to try our luck waiting on the side of the road for a cab to drive by. This too was unlucky so we then decided to walk to a bus stop and catch a bus back to Seriyer. Of Course, as soon as we start walking a cab flies by us. I yelled to Cihan (he was in front, I was in the back) and he tried let out some loud whistles to no avail. This is actually kind of funny because about an hour before that, Cihan was trying to explain how important is to whistle loudly in this country. (I guess I am one of those people who can't whistle at a level loud enough to hail a cab or bus). I guess he isn't either. So the bus it was. We got on and headed towards Seriyer but the bus took an unexpected turn heading in the wrong direction. We got off the buss and started walking the other way. Eventually we found a cab company and caught a direct ride home from there. We were home at 6 instead of 4, but now I have something to blog about so it worked out for the best.
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