Turkey may not have a
decent railroad network, but it has one of the most developed coach systems of any country. Not in many other places can you hope to catch a bus from one end to the other of a 783,562 km² country in less than twenty-four hours. This summer me and my girlfriend took such a journey, and got a chance to photograph one of the chaotic coach hubs in the middle of western Anatolia. Behold the citadel of... bus people!
The glowing panoply of coach company signs immediately announce the presence of a bus terminal in Turkey. This mini-terminal, in the Aegean-coast town of Bodrum, has signs for companies that trave as far as Lake Van and Diyarbakir. We asked, the longest journeys apparently took thirty-six hours...
without stops!
Here and below, the anarchy of multi-colored coach company logos in the main bus terminal in Smyrna.
So many choices, so little time. Coaches arrive and depart by the second. People crowd at one of the hundreds of little kiosks to grab a ticket.
Sitting next to a lady? Some of the more "traditional" bus companies reserve tickets for women only next to other female passengers. Opinion is divided on whether this is a repression of women's rights, or an honest attempt to protect people from young, horny, leering assholes whose only idea of male-to-female interaction is rape.
After getting your tickets, you can grab a road reader from this depressing little bookstore.
Almost all Turkish coaches come equipped with a toilet, but taking a dump is recommended before boarding. Want to queue up at the metro-like megatoilet?
The walls of lavatories are covered with the horribly misogynistic statements, homosexual innuendo and phone-in promises common in roadside toilets everywhere. After the number, the text translates as;
"I AM ACTIVE CALL ME BRING YOUR MOTHER AND HAVE HER FROM THE ASS MAY I F**K YOUR MOTHER WIFE OF-." Yes, is sounds as senseless in Turkish as well.
You are advised to try the bus stations' horrible blend of oily, greasy rat-bait food at your own risks.
A weary traveler enjoys a last-minute meal as he contemplates his final destination.
Despite their stink, crowds and ultimate hostility to human comfort, such centers connect the entire country in an efficient, if uncomfortable network.
Turkey may not have a decent railroad network, but it has one of the most developed coach systems of any country. Not in many other places can you hope to catch a bus from one end to the other of a 783,562 km² country in less than twenty-four hours. This summer me and my girlfriend took such a journey, and got a chance to photograph one of the chaotic coach hubs in the middle of western Anatolia. Behold the citadel of... bus people!
The glowing panoply of coach company signs immediately announce the presence of a bus terminal in Turkey. This mini-terminal, in the Aegean-coast town of Bodrum, has signs for companies that trave as far as Lake Van and Diyarbakir. We asked, the longest journeys apparently took thirty-six hours... without stops!
Here and below, the anarchy of multi-colored coach company logos in the main bus terminal in Smyrna.
So many choices, so little time. Coaches arrive and depart by the second. People crowd at one of the hundreds of little kiosks to grab a ticket.
Sitting next to a lady? Some of the more "traditional" bus companies reserve tickets for women only next to other female passengers. Opinion is divided on whether this is a repression of women's rights, or an honest attempt to protect people from young, horny, leering assholes whose only idea of male-to-female interaction is rape.
After getting your tickets, you can grab a road reader from this depressing little bookstore.
Almost all Turkish coaches come equipped with a toilet, but taking a dump is recommended before boarding. Want to queue up at the metro-like megatoilet?
The walls of lavatories are covered with the horribly misogynistic statements, homosexual innuendo and phone-in promises common in roadside toilets everywhere. After the number, the text translates as; "I AM ACTIVE CALL ME BRING YOUR MOTHER AND HAVE HER FROM THE ASS MAY I F**K YOUR MOTHER WIFE OF-." Yes, is sounds as senseless in Turkish as well.
You are advised to try the bus stations' horrible blend of oily, greasy rat-bait food at your own risks.
A weary traveler enjoys a last-minute meal as he contemplates his final destination.
Despite their stink, crowds and ultimate hostility to human comfort, such centers connect the entire country in an efficient, if uncomfortable network.
