Pimp Yo Kite - The Kiteboarder Magazine

48
Turkey is a land of colors
- colorful landscapes, colorful
people and colorful pillows.
Julie takes a moment to enjoy
her surroundings.
By Julie Simsar
Photographs by Carlos Delicado
T
Turkey is a country built upon ancient cultures,
mythology, 20 different civilizations, and over
5000 miles of coastline. My sister Charlotte and
I are half Turkish and have traveled there every
summer since we were kids. During the first week
of July, Antoine Auriol and Miguel Willis joined us
to kite the Aegean Coast in the southwest of Turkey.
Liquid Force, KiteLoose, and Ozone Travel
supported us in our quest to discover the local
kite beaches and culture. Carlos Delicado took
the time and patience to capture the great images
and memories you see laid out before you.
After meeting in Istanbul for a KPWT competition,
we all traveled south to start our trip. Antoine
is 22-years-old and hails from France, but he
hasn’t been home for awhile. He mainly lives on
the road and in Tarifa. Miguel was born in Australia
29 years ago and grew up in Oman, where
he is now an artist. Charlotte and I are both half
French and half Turkish, 23 and 24-years-old re-
spectively. Charlotte lives in New Zealand where
she teaches kitesurfing. I live in Puerto Rico and
compete or travel most of the year.
The most emblematic person in Turkey is
Ataturk. He was the founder and first President
of the Turkish Republic. He lived from 1881 to
1938 and made the necessary reforms to develop
Turkey into a contemporary civilization. He
symbolizes the new Turkey. You are reminded
of his influence by the statues and paintings that
ornate the walls and squares around the country.
Turkey is one of the friendliest and most welcoming
countries that I have ever been to. The people
are always very dedicated to help and please you,
no matter if it is about kiteboarding, hotels, food,
or transport. We were lucky to experience their
hospitable tradition throughout the week.
Our first destination was Cesme, which lies
one hour west of Izmir, the third largest city in
Turkey. Cesme is a small but typical Turkish
town. You can find a wide range of hotels and
restaurants to fit any budget. It has become
the weekend and summer destination of many
Turkish people. A 14th century Genoese fortress
dominates the small port of Cesme, which happens
to be kite-able, as long as you’re not afraid
of the local Coast Guard. Here we met two local
kiters who went out of their way to help us. Husnu
Baylav, owner of Kitesurfbeach School in Pirlanta,
the main Kite Beach in Cesme, helped us obtain
a permit to kite in the port, and backed us up with
boat support. Anything you need, ask Husnu and
chances are pretty high that he’ll get it for you.
The second local who helped us out was Semih.
Semih is at the beach every day. I suspect he
spends more time on the water than we do and is
always ready to help. He invited us to his house
for a traditional Turkish dinner: mezzes (local appetizers)
and a fabulous barbecue made of “kofte”
(meatballs) and lamb.
“. . .Turkey is one of the most welcoming
and friendliest countries I’ve ever been to.”
- Julie Simsar
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