“From our correspondent” in Turkey (Robert A. McIvor)

 

it woz a luvli dE f mF fxst stop, n /istAnbMl iz not Az hot Az mOst v H uHD /meditDEnWn pPts. mF fxst impreSanz v it wx At H XpPt. F woz bisIJd bF a krQd v tAksI-drFvDz, Ic trFiN t QtSQt H uHDz n wontiN t drFv mI t mF hOtel f abQt 30|-. F ignPd HX jUnFtad wPniNz Ht H publik ‘limUzIn’ went nowX nC mF hOtel n tUk it f a kupal v SiliNz. wI wQnd intU H siti pyst inVmDabal hVJ mosks n krost H /gOldan hPn an inlet v H /bosfDas on H /VrapWn sFd sepDEtiN /istAlbMl intU tM pRts liNkt bF flOtiN briJiz.

 

mF hOtel woz on H fR sFd, on a hF hil OvDlUkiN H /gOldan hPn. H limUzIn tUk mI Onli t H /hiltan, wX anuHD skwobal v tAksi-men tUk plEs, fFtiN a pict bAtal OvD mF sjUtkEs [wic subsikwantli disintigrEtad in /tEryn], Ic mAn insistiN Ht H uHDz hAd ‘Jumpt H kV’. fFnali F woz tEkan t mF hOtel; F Am SUD H fX woz Onli 2|- P 3|- At mOst if H drFvDz kUd hAv bIn pDswEdad t txn on H mItD, but F hAd bIn wYnd Ht His woz a vxcUal imposabiliti, wiH H rizult Ht Yl rFdz in H siti kost $1 U.S. Yl H tAksi-drFvDz wontad t bI mF prFvat gFd Az wel, but F rizistad.

 

yftD getiN setald, F went f a wYk TrM H /bazRz n H nV siti. rilIvd v mF kEs n nQ on fUt, F woz les pestDd. In /istAnbMl doNkiz gO on H sFdwYks n YtOz hoNk insesantli. yftD /iNgland F woz unVst t His n imAJind F woz in iminant dEnJD v bIiN run dQn. H /bazR strIts wx nArO n mOst v H bxdanz wx bPn bF hVmanz on pAk-bPdz. Sum v HX lOdz wx enPmas.

 

QtdP restDonz wx not koman, but HX wx meni QtdP kofi-bRz wX men sipt HX /txkiS kofi, n smOkt enPmas hUkaz wic stUd on H grQnd abQt 3 fIt hF. H lANgwiJ woz a bit v a problam, but bF pqntiN F mAnaJd t lunc At lital kIosks.

 

F nevD sPtad Qt H nEmz v distrikts wel inuf t Vz H ‘dolmMS’ wic iz H mEn fPm v trAnspPtESan, HO HX wX trAmz n troli busaz. H dolmMS iz a tAksi-lFk kR plFiN f stAndDd fXz bitwIn sxtan wel-nOn skwXz, fXz n destinESanz bIiN indikEtad on jelO bPdz At Ic stopiN plEs. His SXd-tAksi skIm iz kwFt koman in H /midal /Ist. HO a bit mP kostli Han busaz, it iz veri popjUlD wiH H lOkalz.

 

Not “with it” (Ronald Kaye)

 

jes, wI mIt akEZanali stil. F lyst rAn akros him Az hI wos kumiN Qt v H viliJ bRbD’z. it’s od, izant it, hQ a hX-kut lIvz wun’z strEnz n stresaz nEkad. It did wiH him.

 

          “kIpiN on top v H wxld?” F inkwFDd, pDhAps tM cCili.

 

          “O, sO-sO”, hI sed; n F must hAv gruntad simpaTetikali, f hI went on: “it’s His kanfQndad EJ wI liv in”. n Az wI plodad on hQn-strIt, biwildDmant sImd t flO from him in a torant.

 

          “F’v bIn unluki. hAd 50 minits t wEt f mF txn undD H sizDz. n H hOl v HAt tFm a trAnsistD set woz pxiN fPT hyf-Ydabal JAzd-up nonsans in its AfektESan v a /holiwUd luv-lANgwiJ: an unendiN strIm v ‘entDtEnDz’ Yl Az alFk Az skwIliN pigz hQliN spjUDWslI eksFtad drival. Not wun v us evD pritendaN t lisan f a mOmant. Ivan H bRbD hM pravFdad it kept it dQn t indistiNgwiSabal wxdz. Wot H kustamDz dimynd iz klCli a konstant X v eksFtmant t bI stolidli ignPd!

 

          “v kPs,” hI sed, “it nQ gOz on nCli evriwX. V kynt driNk P It in publik awE from it. V kum on it in H kuntri lEnz wiH Ic kR-lOd: /pop sits n rIdz H pEpD fEsiN H heJ, /my nits n suks a tofi, kidz klFm n swiN on H gEt, sigDet kRtanz, tofi rApiNz, banyna skinz litD H vxJ n from H kR-rMf blXz H unhIdad boks v nqzaz. On H krQdad bIcaz, a trAnsistD rAnts n blIts t Ic grMp slIpiN in H sun. kAnd eksFtabiliti:”evriwX a pPtabal set, bYliN abQt ‘luv’!”

 

          “it mInz nuTiN”, F trFd t agrI. “but it duz”, hI kQntDd: “it mInz HE R bluntiN sens n sensibiliti, wiH mIniNlas nqz. dM V sapOz HE nOt a lRk’s soN; P kokalz krepitEtiN ovD H roks?”

 

          At QD pRtiN kYnD it woz on mF tuN t sE ‘V hEv rIli lost VD hX!’ but F hAd H grEs t sE: “F’m not ‘wiH it’ FHD”. Agen hI kQntDd: “V R! wI R Yl wiH it stuk wiH it”. F TYt hI hAd dun At lyst; but wiH distant Fz, hI Adad: “wot an EJ! nVklC fYlQt: trAnsistD fYlQt ”, n SEkiN hiz SPn hed, “wic iz H trMD menas?”

 

          V kAn imAJin him stumpiN of: V nO  him…

 

          n it’s kwFt an Opan kwescan, don’t V TiNk?