Random travel moments are often some of my favorite ones. They occur anywhere and at anytime and often involve people whom you met because you just happened to be somewhere in a given moment. There’s usually a mini travel tale to tell, too.
Here’s the first random travel moment I’d like to share as part of my new series. Think of it and others as “quick stops” on the chickybus with you, the reader, as a rider or passenger, enjoying them. 
‘Getting Scarfed’ in Eastern Turkey
Where: Bus Station/Strip Mall
How: I wandered in, looking for water…
I was in Sanliurfa–Eastern Turkey–waiting for a bus to a city called Mardin, close to the Syrian border. (I was with a friend who was browsing at a store across the street.) I was thirsty and needed water and so, I went into this little convenience food store to get some.
What: Spontaneous ‘Scarfing’
The man you see above, the owner (I think), was Kurdish. He liked my scarf, which I was wearing around my head the non-nomadic way. Turns out that it matched a dress he happened to have in the back room.
He went and got it and asked me to put it on (using gestures and Turkish, which I didn’t understand.). He then gestured that he’d like to take a photo. I was perplexed by all of this, of course, and didn’t understand a word he was saying. For whatever reason, I had not learned a word of Turkish the entire month I was there.
Why: Because he liked to?
I glanced over at the wall behind the counter and saw that he had a bunch of photos of himself and women posing with these types of dresses and scarves on. I started laughing and then, put the dress on over my clothes. He fixed my scarf and we got ready.
He called in his younger brother and had him take the photos. I then expected him to ask for my e-mail so that I could send the photo for him to hang on the way. He didn’t. (Perhaps he saw that I was getting stressed out by what time it was; the bus was coming soon.) He just kept smiling and laughing and I suppose, flirting just a tiny bit.
How I felt: Awkward but happy
Sure, it seemed a bit strange, but…the man was nice. So was his younger brother, who walked me to the bathroom.
The experience was great. I got my water, I killed some time and got a cool photo out of it. It was a fun way to say goodbye to a very interesting city, too–one that was very Middle Eastern and didn’t resemble Western Turkey at all.
What Do You Think?
Would you have put the dress on and posed–or walked out? Why? How would you have handled the communication side of it?
Also, have you ever had someone spontaneously ‘scarf” you–ie, put a hijab on your head–anywhere? If so, please share below. Where were you? How did it happen? I’d love to know that I’m not the only one…
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Your thoughts re: this series…
How do you like the idea of “quick stops” on the bus–ie, “random travel moments” like this one? Would you like to guess what’s happening in the photo and where I took it–and then I tell you later? Or would you rather that I simply tell you and ask if you’ve had a similar type of moment–as I’ve done here?
Can’t get enough?
If you enjoyed this, then check out the other Random Travel Moments; vicarious thrills guaranteed no matter where the C Bus stops!
You might also enjoy Trippy Travel Photos–a game I created a while back where readers guess the identity and location of the photo–what the heck it was and where I took it.