gaziantep: where baklava meets bad lighting
okay so i landed here with my camera gear rattling like maracas in a hurricane. this place is... intense. *baklava smells hit you before you even get off the bus. it's like someone weaponized honey and pistachios. not complaining though. my gear and i are both sweating through this humidity, though the weather's playing tricks on us-feels colder than it looks. i just checked and it's...clinging to the air like damp dishwater, hope you like that kind of thing.
someone told me that kebabs here are so good they'll make you question your life choices. heard that from a local who'd clearly been sampling too much raki. also, i overheard at a market that if you touch the copperware without asking, the vendors will curse your future photography career. true? no idea. but i'm not testing it with my $2000 lens nearby.
if you get bored, urfa and adana are just a short drive away. drove to urfa last week. their breakfast spread could feed a small army. also, the locals there gave me directions that involved following a goat for three minutes. still not sure if they were messing with me or serious. check out reviews on tripadvisor for more goat-based navigation tips.
someone warned me that zincirli han gets swamped with tourists by noon. arrived at 11:30. still swamped. but the light filtering through those ancient arches? pure gold for my camera. though i did almost trip over a grandma who wasn't having my slow shutter speed blocking her baklava-buying path. yelp says there's a secret tea shop nearby that smells like cinnamon and regret.
pressure's dropping like my patience after the third wrong turn. humidity's making my lens fog like i just stepped out of a shower. but hey, gaziantep*'s got this raw, unfiltered energy that even my temperamental gear can't ignore. found a spot where the light hits just right-morning mist clinging to the rooftops, baklava steam rising from the alleys. worth every blurry shot, every wrong turn. now if you'll excuse me, i need to negotiate with a street cat for prime photo real estate.