They’ve got fast cars, fast enough to fly away

I’ll start with the thing I like the least about Ankara – the abundance of cars; too many of which parked in parallels and hugely eats up their sidewalks. This perfectly matches their burning passion for driving. Too much of it actually that they take driving quite seriously, fast and furious notably. Fast, which calls for pedestrians to be very mindful when crossing streets. And furious, as majority of the taxi moments I opted to go for, drivers were flaming and fuming over other motorists 75% of the time for the littlest of reasons. 

Wraps and Rolls

On the slightly plus corner is the extensive Turkish food options. Going for dine-ins most of the time for two weeks around Kizilay and Kavaklidere, I still could not sufficiently claim that I was able to experience Ankara food enough to give a fair review, but enough to grow tired of it altogether. On the exceptional downside, is their huge affinity to food wrappers which was too beyond my preference. The extensive choice of kneaded, shaped, and rolled foods – like quesadillas, tavuklu wraps, baklavas even – are best suited for lumpia shippers and turon stans for sure, but not for me, unfortunately.

The Tea

Turks literally live for tea. It’s a staple for every meal, commonly served at any given time of the day. In restaurants, teas are often offered. As it is rude to say no, one would practically end up having it. But here’s the tea: you will never know if it’s free. Well not until the bill reveal.

Greens and Grins

The abundance of parks is one of the most glaring things in Ankara. Merely checking out Google maps reveals the interesting inclusion of such leisurely sites scattered around the city. It’s good how the Turkish government gives emphasis on the overall beautification with practical value through the establishment of several parks often installed with public gym equipment, children's playground, and running tracks. Manila Bay and the dolomite team have a lit to learn here. 

Back in time

1960s buildings in Ulus, Anitkabir, Ankara Kalesi, mosques, and among other structures, Ankara boasts an architectural wealth. Going around for some random city tour partially gives hints on the colorful Anatolian civilization, but a grand scheme of that aspect are specially accessible through museums. The locals hugely values their roots and sends their best regards to their ancestors through various mediums. 

Ingilizce? 

This will probably be the only Turkish word I will most likely remember, being overly used in my entire two-week stay. As there is only a small fraction of the population speaking English, language is a serious barrier to effective communication in Ankara. The first line of defense is to utter such, huge relief when you get a yes.

TRY and try

The currency in Turkey is the Turkish Lira aka TRY, equivalent to around 6 PHP / 0.1 EUR at the moment. This is very much advantageous from a tourist standpoint as compared to its equivalent a few years ago. The volatility in Turkish markets, uncertainty in domestic politics, security concerns, and the ongoing pandemic must have seriously impacted the tourist industry. Thus, I think it is highly encouraged for tourists to visit Turkey during these days. Although tons of patience for the Turkish Visa processing is required, being an adventure in itself for someone who isn’t a Schengen Visa holder yet. Application may be a long shot at the moment but is always worth the try. Watching vlogs and reading guides for pointers will surely help.

Beyond Ankara

Ankara is the capital city contrary to the popular notion that it’s Istanbul. It is no wonder why Ankara doesn’t ring a bell when it comes to Turkey travel compared to the latter, Cappadocia, Izmir, or Antalya even. That which calls for a second round of Turkey in the near future. Overall, Ankara is lovely, but is flatly boring in itself being that one-and-done type of destination. But who am I to complain when it gave me what I needed exactly (an Estonian D-visa) with an opportunity for a side trip all the more? So, huge thanks, Ankara. I will be forever grateful to you for being that missing puzzle piece to activate and jumpstart this long and winding Erasmus road ahead.