“Walking slows me down, it allows me to live among the ordinary citizens who inhabit headlines about forced migrations, about wars, about climate change and about cultural endurance.”

Autumn Wars: Milestone 22- Back and Forth

I found this point interesting on Paul’s 21,000 mile walk.

BUT FIRST, In case you have no idea what I am talking about, please check this website out! Paul Salopek embarked on a decade long experiment in 2013 with something called slow journalism. He is walking along routes taken by early humans who were migrating out of Africa. Pauls trek began in Africa, then moving to Ethiopia, then across the Middle East, through Asia, and down to the the southern tip of Chile. Along the way, he is uncovering major stories from our history, as well as giving a voice to the people he meets along the way who live in these particular areas. These people might be nomads, farmers, villagers and so many others, and we learn about their cultural survival, as well as technological innovations.

One milestone I loved exploring was called Milestone 22- Back and Forth, where he journeyed aboard the M/F Bozcaada Ferry, in the Mediterranean Sea headed towards Turkey. I specifically chose this milestone because I noticed the minimal amounts of people on the ferry, and the fact that many had no belongings, some not even shoes. All they had was a blanket and a hard ground to lay on. One encounter Paul had was with a young man named Onur Akgül. This young man was a Croupier at the Galaxy Casino in Cyprus, but is from Turkey. Something interesting that stuck out to me was when Paul had asked Onur where he was going, his response was, “I just go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth all the time.” He goes back and forth from work in Cyprus to home in Adana Turkey, each day is the same thing. The people on this ferry have no real destination, they just sit and absorb the breathtaking sunrises/sunsets-hoping to just take in the dreams of faraway places.

Autumn Wars: Milestone 24- Pistachios

I enjoyed following Paul’s journey through the village near Gaziantep, Turkey because it shows that these villagers are making the most of what they have! The city takes pride in their name because pistachios are their primary produce and has such economic significance for this area.

When traveling through Gaziantep, one of his encounters was with a woman named Zülfiye Adsiz who is a farmer. She explains that she thinks she is about 40 years old, but is not sure. When asked where she was going, she made a joke about wanting to travel too if she had the Euros to do it. But then she says that where she lives is a really nice place filled with happy (as well as unhappy) people just like everywhere else.

I like how Paul captures the mule in the beginning to show how they are getting around, with all of their belongings strapped to the animal. In his short clip, they are sitting resting their feet as flies swarm their feet in the hot blazing sun, they are living off the land like these villagers. They are picking fruit off the trees and enjoying the sweet tastes as they continue their journey.

He recalls one of the men, named Mustafa Filiz who is from the coastline of Turkey. Mustafa is a recently resigned air steward who used to walk around three miles per flight, but just needed a change of pace, so Paul is ecstatic to have him on the journey. The other man in the image is named Murat Yazar, a former aid worker for Syrian refugees, who also happens to be a photographer. Paul recalls when Murat received big blisters on his feet from his new boots on the very first day and he was forced to take his shoes off and travel in shower flip flips far too small.

Autumn Wars: Milestone 26- Dislocated

This milestone stuck out to me because Paul encountered a man named Muyehatim Ayi, a taxi driver from Bitlis Turkey. When speaking to this man, Paul asked where he was going- and he responded “We have been living in fear in this area, so we can’t talk openly. We aren’t comfortable being open.” This is the homeland of many frightened villagers who have been shaken up by their neighboring city of Syria, where many ethnic Kurds have been involved in combat. Most of these villagers families have been destroyed from the war and are afraid.

Paul recalls times when the Kurdish people have been so hospitable to them, welcoming them into their homes and being treated like kings. The photographer, Murat is a Kurd. He feels deep sadness as he walks through his homeland that was once beautiful but now wounded. He is so happy to be welcomed though, and he explains that “Our culture, permits travelers like us to take whatever we need. The land is wide. It provides.” Paul says that with Murat, it is always Christmas because of how giving he is. Paul also talks about how there were times when they were not welcomed and were pushed away because the Kurds just did not want to chance having them inside their homes.

I have truly enjoyed learning about some these amazing milestones and I think this is so incredible that we have a chance to see all of these amazing sights and stories from Paul but also first hand from these everyday people who are living through these times. If you’d like to go on your own virtual journey with Paul, check out this link and scroll through all of these fascinating places!

Here is an amazing video from Paul that describes what his journey is all about!

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