Red Flag

As some of you might have read I was in Croatia when I got an email from the Turkish consulate general in London saying my visa was ready to pick up. I cut my trip and flew back to London.

The next day after arriving I brought my passport in and was told there was a mistake. They agreed that I had paid for my visa extention and I was free to re-enter. They said nothing about getting my $200 back they had fined me or the wasted air ticket - just someone had made a mistake. I left them my passport and was told to come back the following day to retrieve it. The visa would be put in it. I was also told I could only enter through Istanbul. I did not want to enter through Istanbul because last time I told them to fuck off in Turkish and Izmir is much closer to Kusadasi where Emino lives. "Please bring the receipt that shows you paid for the extention." "Why - no one looked at it before?" The employee just stares at me. The stare meant - just bring it.

Well, the visa looked really legit. How could it not be? Still I didn't trust them.
I fly to Istanbul and show the passport control employee my passport. He almost hands it back to me when RED LIGHT. He grabs it back and makes a phone call. Someone comes and gets me and I'm led to another room full of people who look like they been there for ages.

There's something mysterious going on. My time spent with Kurds might have been a problem. Both Mehmet and Emino have been in jail for their involvement. The Turkish people I met, who I thought were friends, have nothing to do with me now. They took their names off my facebook page. I hiked with an American Turkish professor for three days. When I asked for his help he said he wanted nothing to do with me. Lisa who is an expat Aussie thinks my involement may be the reason the Turkisdh gov. is hassling me. I don't know.