Turkey - Getting Around

DP has traveled extensively in southeastern Turkey, both alone and with an armed military escort consisting of armored personnel carriers and commandos using Land Rovers. Travel by road after dark is hazardous throughout southeastern Turkey and quite possibly you won't be allowed to travel at night, anyway.

In Tunceli province no traffic is allowed on the roads after 4 p.m. Depending on the situation, other provinces may or may not have similar restrictions, so plan your itinerary accordingly. Buses are common but are subject to lengthy searches at all checkpoints. As a foreigner you will probably be left alone (unless you are a journalist-in which case expect to be followed everywhere), although you may have to flash your passport from time to time at checkpoints. But it is not unheard of for foreigners to be subjected to lengthy questioning in the southeast. Much of the time this will be because soldiers or policemen are simply a bit bored or curious about you.

Not very many tourists go to the southeast. Well now, that's a surprise. Okay, now you might be asking yourself, "Cool, so how do I get to meet the PKK kids in the mountains?" Not easily, is the answer; and you'll need some damn good contacts who are possibly willing to risk their necks. The political wing of the PKK in Turkey is the Democratic Peoples Party, known as Hadep. A lot of the Hadep activists have close links to the PKK. More than a few Hadep people are also in prison. You too can join them in prison if you start messing around in the southeast. The Turkish government does not take kindly to foreigners poking their noses into the region.

But if you're the really determined type, then start in Europe-that's if you have no contacts in the region. The PKK has numerous front offices in Europe. But don't expect them to hand you anything on a plate. They will want to know who you are and why they should be giving you the time of day.

A word of warning, gentle reader. You should bear in mind that the Turkish security forces tend to monitor Hadep activists-and anyone else considered subversive-as closely as they can. Yes, you can be paranoid. So watch out for the guys with radios and something bulky stuck down their pants, and it isn't because they're pleased to see you. You won't be on a fun run if you're caught messing around with these people. A press card will help, but then you will have to be a genuine hack or hackette to get a Turkish government press card. (This is handy to flash if you're in trouble and a foreigner-sometimes. One journalist was stripped down to her underpants by pissed-off security police in Kiziltepe. Another hack was physically frogmarched back to the airplane at Diyarbakir airport on arrival and sent to Istanbul, even though he lived in Ankara.)

If you want to hang out with any of the Dev Sol boys and girls, the best place to start is London, which has a small but active Turkish community heavily influenced by the left. DP will give you a head start: go to Hackney.

Ataturk Airport, near Istanbul, is the main international entry and exit point for Turkey. Istanbul is an excellent link between the east and the west. You can also get plenty of cheap tickets and just about everyone speaks English. Turkish air carriers are modern and safe. Ankara's airport is the hub for domestic flights and about 20 miles from downtown.

Istanbul Ataturk Airport

Tel.: (212) 663-64-6

0 Ankara Airport

Tel.: (312) 398-00-00

Izmir Airport

Tel.: (232) 274-24-05

http://www.concierge.com/travel/c_planning/06_airports/mid/istanbul.html

http://eunuch.ddg.com/ISTANBUL/MISC/airlines.html