1978

Hi there happy campers! It's time for the "what I did on my summer vacation slide show," only no slides (whew, thank goodness!). Travelog courtesy of ChrisRiley, his wife, Mary Lynn Gentry, and me, entitled "How to have a fun time in Turkey and live to get on the plane back to Boston. First lesson: always bring a recent newspaper when visiting Turkey, so your host can get the latest baseball standings especially when his team is in a pennant race. Second lesson: always use Avis when renting a car. Avis cars tend to break down a lot, but there are lots of offices in the country, so there might be a replacement within a six-hour drive. Third lesson: husbands, never let your wives drive. Fourth lesson: wives, never let your husbands drive. Fifth lesson: tourists, never let your host drive.

When taking a driving tour through Turkey, there are many things you notice that you might not see in other places. First: a gas station cannot run without at least six men sitting around the office drinking tea. Second: tractors must carry at least four people, preferably seven or eight. Lights are not allowed on tractors for night driving (they waste the battery). Third: motorcycles must carry at least three people and a baby, with only one helmet for everybody. Preferably, the helmet is carried by the second or third person in such a manner to obstruct the driver's vision, who might be the second or third person anyway. Fourth: enjoy the mangled cars, buses, and trucks along the road, especially on straightways. Bring pictures home to your friends to illustrate what a thrill it is to drive here. Fifth: there will always be someone sitting by the side of the road out in the middle of nowhere. He knows that you are a foreigner from at least two kilometers away and will get up and stare as you approach. So will people in cars, trucks, and buses, as well as those on tractors and motorcycles. Think about those wrecks at the side of the road. It's not a vacation, it's an adventure!

Actually, the traveling roadshow was quite the success! Some of the finest Mediterranean and Aegean beaches can be found in Turkey at a third of the price of any of the more famous places. Great hot springs in the middle of the desert are available. Views of the hills and vales are spectacular, and some of the finest, best preserved (or most untouched) Greek ruins can be found here in Turkey. Maybe you do want to see the slides.

Closer to home, word from the Riley-Gentry duo updated me on the whereabouts of Peter Leone and wife Denise. Peter is presently working with a marketing-practices consulting group called Corporate Decisions. Recently, he had a client in Japan and spent a lot of time over there. Now, in a bit of a comedown from the night flight to Tokyo, Pete is working with a client in New Jersey. Some people have all the luck. The Leone household is currently maintained in Wellesley, Mass.

Finally, a word for Harriott Meyer, who is a practicing M.D. in Worcester, Mass., after finishing UVM Medical School and residency in Rochester, N.Y.: it was great to see you, even after two years of "waiting." Let's try again this winter!

How 'bout some scandal sheets, over here? Later.

Farabi Sokak 3/3, Cancaya, Ankara, Turkey